Basement Conversion

[il78]

Thinking about converting the basement into a home cinema room...The basement is split into 5 sections and I plan to make 2 of these sections into 1 (not a supporting wall although does support joists for floor boards).

The basement will consist of two rooms, the cimema room and a hallway with stairs leading upto the ground floor hallway.

The basement is damp, so I want to know some recommendations on what products to use to seal the damp or whatever....

There is no windows in the basement although an access panel to the rear has been installed (possible old coal shoot, dunno really) will this go against any building regulations?

Thanks in advanced.....

Ian

 

[il78]

Just to add, the brick work thats supporting the joists does go beween the external wall and an internal supporting wall, is this stopping the external pressures?

 

[oilman]

You need a structural engineer, not a forum.

 

[il78]

You need a structural engineer, not a forum.

Are these the same people you pay £450 to look through you new proposed home letter box and tell you everything is fine......

Property needed / needs:

Rewire (lucky enough I'm a spark)
Leaking roof (sorted now)
Wet rot to all joists and some floor boards in front room (being sorted)
Back wall with adjoining neighbour is about to crumble
Guttering leaking and needs renewing (the main cause of the rot)

I think I'm in the wrong job.......

I'm going to get a structural engineer in anyway, just in case, but he'll work for his money this time

 

[david and julie]

For £450 they were probably surveyors (?). The structual engineers come afterwards, when the surveyors can't or won't commit themselves to anything at all.

Either way they are all p***ing in the same pot.

 

[AdamW]

I'm going to get a structural engineer in anyway, just in case, but he'll work for his money this time

There are specialists in converting basements, they know how to deal with all the problems such as damp and meeting building regs (e.g. the access issue you raised).

If you proposing using a basement as a dedicated home cinema, it is reasonable to assume that you will be having thousands of pounds of equipment in there, not a £100 bargain-basement "home cinema".

So, it is definitely worth getting one in. It would be a shame to spend a thousand converting it yourself, ten thousand on equipment and then a month later notice a dank smell in there, or have your projector pack up.

 

[mildmanneredjanitor]

not a £100 bargain-basement "home cinema".

Funni guy!