Replacement Windows

One of the more important tasks in the basement remodeling was replacement of the old windows. It is a walk-out basement, so the back has two large (45" x 50") windows. The old windows had single-pane glass, steel frames, and leaked cold air like an open door. Replacing windows is not a trivial task in the best of circumstances, but among the challenges in this case was that the steel window frames were set into the cement foundation.
So the first task was extracting the old windows from the cement foundation. Start by removing the glazing:
Then cut out the cross bar (glad I bought that Sawz-all)...
The metal window fram is set into the cement, but not anchored or fastened in any other way. To extract the frame from the cement, pry the bottom frame up with a pry bar. This pulls the sides in as well, and soon (or eventually, anyway) the metal frame can be pulled out.
After a break, we framed the window. Pressure treated (p.t.) 5/4" decking was nailed to the cement (using a power nailer which uses a .22 caliber charge to blast the nail into the cement). Since the bottom of the frame was sloped, a p.t. 2x4 was trimmed on the table saw and nailed in place first. Then 2x8s were added on all four sides. Finally, to narrow down the sides a little, a strip of exterior grade 3/16" plywood was added on each side.
I had to trim the top flange of the window to fit the opening while my able assistant applied silicone caulking to the flange.
Then we CAREFULLY lifted the window into place. Mason was stationed outside to make sure it didn't fall. Put a nail (1-3/4" roofing nails) through the flange at the top corners.
Then you make sure the window is square and plumb. Measure diagonally in both directions; the measurements should be with in 1/4" of each other.
Use shims to adjust if necessary. Also use a level to make sure that both sides of the window are plumb. It would be very easy to have one side not quite plumb, in which case the window might not open. Next, I tested to make sure the windows opened smoothly. At this point, while installing the second window, I discovered that I had not yet nailed the top corners in place. Sure enough, the window started to fall out. Fortunately, Mason was there to catch it! The final steps are to nail the window securely in place ( every other space on the flange, according to the instructions), and caulk around the window with silicone caulking, filling large gaps with foam backer.

Later, when I am finishing the inside walls I will finish framing the inside. The windows will be boxed in drywall, with large windows sills. I'll update that when it happens.

Running Cable and Installing boxes

REMINDER: I am not responsible for anything you do. You are doing this at your own risk!! I am not a professional electrician, and have no qualifications for giving you advice!
The first step in running the cable and installing boxes is to walk around the basement with the wiring diagram in hand, marking on the floor and adjacent studs the locations of all switch boxes and outlets. Make up a ledger stick, a piece of scrap wood with marks for the height of switches and outlets. Use that to make marks at a consistent height all around the room(s).
At each location nail a box in place. I used large boxes so that there was plenty of room for wire inside. This was entirely for convenience, although the code dictates the minimum size of a box based on the number of wires and receptacles in the box. A separate cover attaches to the front of the box, and the outlet or switch attaches to that.

Then drill all the holes. In hind sight I would recommend renting a right-angle drill (if you don't happen to own one). I used my regular cordless drill, but with the big auger bit I used to drill the holes, it barely fit between the studs, which made for some dicey drilling.

After drilling all the holes, start pulling cable.
I bought a big 1,000 foot spool of 12-2 NM (12 gauge, two-wire non-metallic sheathed) cable for the project, and it wasn't enough. I've made a number of trips to Home Depot for 50 foot boxes since then. For each run of cable, roll out enough cable to get it laid out flat on the floor, then start feeding it through the holes. Use needle-nosed pliers to guide the cable around corners where necessary, but don't pull too hard on the cable. Its tough stuff, but its not made for a Strong Man competition.
At each box, cut the cable leaving enough extra so that at least 8 inches of cable can extend past the front of the box.
At the service panel end, I cut several extra feet of cable to ensure that I had plenty of slack for running into the box. I was probably TOO generous there. I ended up at the end of the project needing an 11 foot piece of cable and had about ten feet left, so I had to buy another box. Grrr....

Electrical work

One of the most time-consuming parts of this project has been the wiring, all of which I have done myself. For starters, let me say that in Massachusetts, where we live, homeowners are legally entitled to apply for a permit to do their own wiring (unlike plumbing, which homeowners are not allowed to do at all). As explained to me by the inspectors here in town, there is no guarantee that a homeowners work will pass inspection, so you could end up paying a lot to an electrician to fix your work. But as an unrepentant Do It Yourselfer, I had to give it a try.
What I found is that with some research and common sense, wiring is pretty straightforward. I found some good books (including the national electrical code ), did some research on the web, and took my time.
Doing the electrical work was not particularly dangerous because the wires were never hooked up to the service panel while I was working on them. It is only at the very end when you go near the electric panel.
But let me stop here and state the obvious: electrical work CAN be extremely dangerous! YOU CAN DIE!! If you do it badly or make a mistake you could burn your house down!!

So far, none of those things have happened to me. (So far!).

If you think you have the requisite common sense (or blind confidence in your own ability, or both), start by doing some research. I recommend going to your local home center store or book store and checking out the books available on wiring. Look through them all. Check the publication dates (seriously). Then buy at least two of them. I use a Black and Decker book plus a little green thing called Wiring Simplified. And I have a small pocket size copy of the National Electric Code. While the Black & Decker book was the 'friendliest' and easiest to digest, it also was slightly out of date (the code gets revised periodically), and had some things that were just plain wrong. So get a couple of books and READ THEM.

Be sure that you approach this job with a couple points in mind: first, this is your own house you are working on, and you should want the best quality job possible. If you are careful and take your time, most of the time you can do as good a job or better than a pro. That should be your goal.
Second, always keep in mind that you want to impress the inspector with the high quality of your work. The more you pay attention to details like drilling your holes straight and level, the greater his faith will be that you are doing a competent job.

Wiring the basement involved the following steps:
0) Taking responsibility for your own actions. I am not responsible for anything you do!! Proceed at your own risk!!
1) Plan the circuits and draw a circuit diagram. There parts of the N.E.C that apply here, as well as common sense (e.g. don't put all your outlets and your lights on the same circuit). Plan carefully. Be conservative. Before starting the basement project (or as the first step) we had the electric service upgraded from 100amp to 200 amps. In he process, the electrician I hired (I couldn't have done that) installed a much bigger electric panel with at least a dozen empty slots for new circuits. This meant that there was no reason to overload circuits. Instead, most of my new circuits are vastly underutilized. There is no harm in this, however. It costs you a few bucks for the extra circuit breakers, a few extra bucks for additional cable, and a little bit of time. But you are ensuring that you won't have problems with overloaded circuits in the future.
2) You may need to apply for your permit at this point so the inspector can check your plan. If she is willing to comment and give you feedback, all the better. The electrical inspector here was pretty adamant that he is NOT in the business of providing training and advice.
3) Install the boxes. Do a good job installing them at consistent heights. Don't make it look sloppy. Remember, you want to impress the inspector with the high quality of your work. I can't emphasize this enough. After the inspectors saw my work the first time, and saw that I was doing a good, neat, orderly, professional-grade job, subsequent inspections were very simple and fast.
4) Run the Cable. You need to drill holes in every stud the cable passes through. Drill then far enough back from the front of the stud or you will have to put steel plates over them to protect the wire. Drill the holes level and at consistent hight. This will not only make the job look much neater, but it will make pulling the cable much easier.
5) Make up the boxes, wire recessed lights, ceiling fans, etc (anything that will be inaccessible after the ceiling and walls are finished)
6) ROUGH INSPECTION
7) Install switches and outlets, make all connections in all boxes, and
8) Make connections at electric panel.

In subsequent posts I will describe each of these steps in more detail.

Ready for sheetrock!

The building inspector was here again yesterday for the insulation inspection.
Yes, thats right. He needed to inspect the insulation. Like most people who hear about it, I was initially a bit perplexed by this (Why inspect the insulation?). But I have two observations: once the wall board is up, it would be very hard for a future buyer of this house to know if there is any insulation or how well it is installed. The inspector can ensure that the job is done adequately well.
Also, as he pointed out, I have recessed lights in the ceiling, some of which are rated for insulation contact and others which are not. For those lights the insulation must be at least 3 inches away from the light or a fire hazard could result. To avoid this, I could have bought only lights with an IC rating (IC for Insulation Contact).
So maybe the insulation inspection isn't completely crazy!

Any way, he was here for about five minutes yesterday, and signed off on all the work so far. No I can start wall-boarding the ceiling and then the walls.

Inspections

A couple weeks ago I met with the building inspector to discuss the next steps in my project. First up: the rough electric inspection. Then a framing inspection. Then an insulation inspection(!), and finally the final inspection(s).
Last week I had the rough electric inspection. After much worry and stress, the inspection lasted all of five to ten minutes. The inspector tugged on a few wires, shined his flashlight in a few boxes, and pronounced everything 'OK'. After all the build-up (I had been worried about it for weeks) it was a bit anticlimactic!
Then today I had the framing inspection. The building inspector was here for a bit longer: at least 15-20 minutes. He had very few comments or observations. He told me to remove some storage shelves from the mechanical area where the furnace is located. He asked about smoke detectors. The biggest problem was a pre-existing condition. In the back room, part of an addition that was put on the house in the early '60s, the main beam was not adequately supported. In fact there is a 17' span that should, according to the inspector, have a column every 5.5 feet! After he pointed it out, I could even see the sag in the beam.
The fix will mean adding a small support wall under the beam to support it in the meddle, and adding additional support in what is currently a partition wall under the beam.
Other than that, the inspection went very well. No problems!
Next, I will finish running all the speaker wires, cable tv cable, and other sound system wires and finish installing outlets and switches (so I can test them before the insulation is all in).
Then install the insulation. A LOT of insulation.