My Neighborhood is OFFICIALLY Badass!

Don't believe me? See for yourself:

Rose City Park ranks 31st overall, with a badass-ness score of 41.61, putting us right between Irvinton and Sellwood (not a bad place to be, actually!). This makes my neighborhood solidly Badass, which is slightly better than "Rad", but not quite up to "Super Badass" standards. Maybe if they open another strip club...

You can see more on the video.

Basement Roadmap

Now that I've got the budget for it, I'm getting a plan together for what I'm going to do in the basement this summer.  I've got to get some bids, figure out the permitting process, and then see how much of it I will be able to afford.

I hope to have the basement in a semi-finished state by the end of the summer.  That will make it "usable", if not "livable".

• Upgrade Electrical Service
• I plan on also moving the panel to the other side of the basement door so it won't be near water sources.
• New Windows
• Four small awning windows around the perimeter
• One egress window in the new guest room
• Plumbing Fixes
• Fix the wonky drain pipe coming from the kitchen sink
• Fix the plumbing in the basement bathroom
• Run PEX everywhere
• Add a winder stair
• I should be able to get more headroom at the bottom of the stairwell if I add a winder at the top.
• New walls and insulation
• I need to frame new walls around the perimeter and insulate them.
• Seismic Retrofit
• Since I'll have access to the sill plates in the entire basement, now's the time to make it a little more earthquake resistant.

I'm sure that's more than I will be able to get done this summer, but it's a good goal to shoot for.  Wish me luck, and stay tuned!

Tour of the Basement

I've been keeping Flannery's drop box service in business again.  Last week I rented and filled another 10 yard dumpster with more basement debris.  There's still a little more left to demo, but I think the rest will fit in the back of the pickup.  Since things are going gangbusters on the basement, I thought I'd give y'all a tour!  Here are all of the areas.  I stood in the middle of the basement and rotated counter-clockwise for each picture.

Family Room

Family Room

This quarter of the basement will become the family room where we'll have a sectional and a big TV on the wall to the right.  The open space measures a whopping 13'x18', which will make it the biggest room in the house. We're planning on decorating it in an art-deco old Hollywood motif.

Play Room / Homework Area

Poker Room Homework Area

This section is about the same size as the family room.  It will have a card table and be used for games and homework.  I'll probably put a computer in there somewhere too.  The two posts will have a bar-top built between them.  I'm hoping for a soapstone top, with the columns being trimmed out in proper proportion to the arts & crafts aesthetic.

Bathroom

Basement Bathroom Location

The bathroom in the basement will occupy the same place it did before, but will be about 2 feet wider in each direction.  We're thinking of a standup shower and a separate soaking tub.

Guest Room

Future Basement Guest Room

This area still needs some demo work done, but it will be our guest room when completed.  The little panelboard rectangle on the right is covering a broken window, which will be replaced by a code-compliant egress window.

Laundry Room

Laundry Room

The laundry room has a door to the outside, a utility sink, and our washer and dryer.  I plan on having the electrical service upgraded, and the panel moved to the other side of the door.  I might even put a dog-washing area next to the sink.

Mechanical Room

Mechanical Room

I will build a small room around the furnace and the on-demand hot water heater.  It will also house the main panel for all of the communications and the plumbing manifold.