The walls continue to go up…slowly, but going up. The challenges include having to move things around to work and having to accommodate for some “features” along the walls.
First up was to cut a hole in one of the OSB sheets for an electrical outlet.
The next hurdle was some plumbing that comes down into the basement, but sits outside of the wall…so, it’s inside the house, but outside the wall…what was that Berenstain Bears book called again?
To protect these pipes and maximize the wall space I measured for the shallowest frame I could get away with, without interfering with or risking any kind of damage to the pipes. Seven inch extensions off the existing wall studs were just the ticket. I knocked the extensions out on the miter saw and then drilled some pilot holes for the mounting screws.
Once the extensions were fastened to the studs, the stretchers went up to complete the framing.
You can see that the lowest frame is smaller due to the sump basin located there on the floor to the right. Going all the way across with that lower frame would not allow for the basin cover to sit in place. Another “feature” to account for…it’s like a big puzzle really!
With the workbench in place it was so nice to be able to finally set up the circular saw and guide track indoors.
I trimmed the OSB panel to fit the new framing, and then trimmed a small notch to allow easy access to the sump basin.
I should have plenty of space to hang things on this new wall without risking hitting either of the pipes with screws. This panel will also be easy to remove should we need to get access to those pipes.
Next up will be to cut the smaller strips to close the wall in. Those pieces will be the first cuts made on the table saw since we’ve relocated to Colorado.
The fun is not over yet though! Just take a look at the next little section of wall to be covered...
Here we’ve got another water line, air vent pipe, a light switch, and an old CAT-5 network connection box. That next OSB panel is going to look like a jigsaw puzzle piece by the time it goes on the wall! There are also some heavy electrical lines coming in behind the insulation that are making me a little nervous about just walling it all into such a tight space. Those water lines also bulge out a bit further down the wall. I may find myself needing to get a bit more creative than just the giant jigsaw piece. I’m considering another bump-out frame…maybe with some integrated shelving and an access panel to the electrical and water lines. And here I thought I was closing in on finishing this section of the wall!
I did discover a nice feature of the shop though. That giant I-beam that runs along the length of the basement makes for a great shelf to stow all those little things that I was moving around whenever I needed to make room to work.
You might recognize some of the boxes I made last year tucked away up there. I’ll be sending some of them off to another school fund raiser, this time in Albuquerque, NM. Our friends run the Oak Grove Classical Academy ( http://oakgroveclassical.com/ ) and are holding their 4th Annual Growing the Grove Gala on March 31st. If you find yourself in need of a night out and would enjoy some live music, hors d'oeuvres, dinner, and a silent auction including many pieces of art (and these amazing boxes) contact the school for details.
Pete…who just remembered, “Mama Mama! I went to town, inside, outside, upside down!”
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