The preceeding months

For most of this year, I have been trying to read as much material as possible on the important factors in finishing a basement. In my case, the major two points are: Moisture and Sound proofing.

Although I've taken in knowledge from a variety of sources so far, I would say the best two are:

Home Recording Studio Build it Like the Pros by Gervais - The most detailed, practical and well-explained resource for building your own home recording studio. Almost all the principles apply to a home theater also.

http://www.buildingscience.com/index_html -A great site for moisture proofing and insulation. The most impressive thing about this site is that it describes the latest techniques in insulating your home - many of which contradict earlier techniques.

I will be referencing these throughout the build process.

Introduction

In 2008 my custom house was completed, taking a total of 6 months to complete. During the design phase we opted to include a full basement with poured concrete walls to keep the price down (instead of making the second level larger).

Since there are few time constraints, I have decided to attempt to finish the basement, mostly on my own.

The total area of the basement is about 1400 sq ft. The major function of the basement will be a home theater and a home recording studio. The major goal of this project is to create as much isolation between the home theater/studio and the rest of the house. I will attempt to do this on a fairly tight budget, but cutting no corners.

This blog will document the process of finishing my basement, including:
- Plans & drawings
- Photos & video
- Detailed documentation of sound proofing techniques
- Future proofing techniques
- Project planning tools
- Reference material