My construction project has begun.
Connor, aka middle child, wants his own bedroom. This is not an unreasonable request, and he's more than happy to have it in the basement. Our basement already has a large room that is mostly finished. Mostly. The walls are drywalled and painted. The floors have an assortment of coverings, none of which will ever be seen in a home decor magazine. There is lighting, and you could call it mood lighting if the mood you want is cave-like.
There is also an unfinished ceiling and a mess of ductwork. The ductwork is sort of in one place. I'd describe it as an L with a couple of small extra legs. An unfinished ceiling is not good for a bedroom because it doesn't muffle the sound of people walking overhead. It is also really bad at muffling Connor's drumming, which, while skilled, is not quiet.
I did some research on ceilings - if googling "finish basement ceiling" qualifies as research. It probably doesn't, but is there such a thing as peer review for construction articles? There probably should be. The Journal of Competent Construction is begging for a publisher. Mike Holmes should be the editor.
I found several options. All of them, except for the just-spray-paint-the-whole-thing-black one, involve framing the "obstructions". So I decided that I would do that, then decide whether to go with drywall, tongue & groove wood or acoustic tile.
The framing directions I found looked pretty basic and feasible. I mean, it's not exactly carpentry when you can cover your mistakes with drywall, right? So I spent about an hour on Friday night, gazing worshipfully at the ceiling with it's various bits of ductwork coiling around eachother. I drew a lovely diagram of where my framing would go, carefully colour coded. In pencil and crayon. MOMA, watch out! That drawing could be the most successful part of the job.
The next day, after my usual Saturday morning cleanup, I ventured into Home Depot to buy a few bits of lumber to allow me to get started. I did a couple of things right.
1. I looked at the wood to pick straighter bits that weren't full of knots and dings.
2. I remembered to buy screws.
I also did a couple of things wrong.
1. I didn't look at metal studs, which are easier to work with.
2. I bought 3.5" screws - WAY too long.
I was delighted that the wood fit nicely into the car. I was less delighted at home when I couldn't get the window to go up, but Hugh fixed that. A stuck down window in Ottawa in winter makes a car undrivable.
I brought all the wood downstairs. Hugh found me a drill. He said I wouldn't need the table saw, which is buried in the garage, as it'd only take a couple of seconds to cut through each 2x2. I found a saw. I measured 3 times. I made the first couple of cuts, which did not take a couple of seconds but went relatively well. It doesn't matter if the wood splinters at the end, because you won't see it, right?
After cutting 2 lengths and 11 cross bits of lumber, it was time to start attaching them. Connor taught me of the existance of a wondrous item, the awl. I really, really like the awl. So far, it's my favourite part of the job. Yeah Connor! You rock.
I then stuck in a screw, attached the drill, and watched as the drill failed to turn. I ramped up the power, and stripped the screw. No problem - I bought a kilo of them. I stripped the next screw. So I found a drill bit you can use to get the hole started. But our tools are an eclectic bunch. Acquired at various garage sales over the years, with the odd 70% off kit from Canadian Tire to supplement them, they have endured many migrations and shuffling of parts. So I have a cordless drill with bits - but no charger. A powerful drill with no bits, that is an extremely effective device for stripping screws. And an antique drill that is manual.
My framing work consisted of cutting lumber with a saw, drilling holes with a manual drill, and screwing bits together with a screwdriver. I felt like I was imitating some electricity-hating commune, although I did have the benefit of artificial light.
I now have a 90" span complete with 7 cross bits, a 36" span with cross bits, the bottom bits to attach the 2 together, and really sore hands. And I woke up realizing I didn't align the already drilled holes properly so will need to redo the 4 holes in the 90" span that will, eventually, link up to the 36" span. Make that 5, as I also did one wrong and realized it yesterday.
I feel a sense of accomplishment. I have 2 spans done, although not attached to the ceiling joists yet, and only 10 to go. This may be feasible, even without power tools.
NOTE. Anyone using this as construction advice is an idiot, and should seek urgent psychiatric help IMMEDIATELY.
The wood framing ressembled DNA. Lovely, I think the double helix of our genome is beautiful, and I'm sure the shape is quite useful. But it's really hard to attach drywall to. Especially with lousy tools.
You see my work? Isn't it lovely? Or at least acceptable? I am not done. Here's a picture of my favourite corner, to give you a sense of the challenge I have created for myself.
