Making basement safe for ping-pong also
protects against earthquakes
by Roger Faris
Our old basement was a haven for large spiders. We used the space to park any and all items which were not needed but which might some day come in handy. These included boxes of old toys, worn out appliances, extra furniture, broken bicycles, and a vast collection of left over building materials and house parts. One day we decided that a ping-pong table would be a wonderful surprise gift for the kids. We were going to need a "Rec. Room". I suspected that there would be a few complications.
We had so much stuff in the basement that my two bold and adventurous children never discovered the concealed ping-pong table. I soon realized that making any progress with the new room was going to require major rearranging and discarding. Then I discovered that the first step in getting things cleared out and organized is to make a really big mess.
During the "discovery phase", I began to see how the project could grow. While moving a heavy object I bumped into a major support post and noticed that it moved. This was a sure sign that the post had rotted and was no longer bearing any weight. It would need to be replaced, along with several others. Those original posts had been set on a brick in the dirt, and then encased in the thin concrete floor slab. The main beam in the center of the house would have to be temporarily supported while massive footings and piers were cast in preparation for the new posts. The family was eager for signs that a new room was taking shape. Breaking through the floor and digging large holes was not an encouraging sight.
A careful tour around the basement revealed that other structural improvements were needed before walls and ceilings could be covered. This would be the last and best chance to add strength to the important connections which help the house survive an earthquake.
Our house was built long before it became standard building practice to fasten the house to the foundation. In modern construction the wood framing of a house is fastened to the concrete foundation at least every six feet. Fortunately, a hammer drill permitted me to easily install hold-down bolts. I also used special steel hardware to help hold corner posts in place, connect joists to sills, and fasten posts to beams. The post replacement project included anchoring the posts to their new piers and footings.
The old house had another weak link. The short wood-framed wall which rests on the foundation had little ability to resist twisting and racking forces. Its original exterior sheathing and clapboard siding didn't provide adequate shear strength to prevent failure during a strong quake. Careful nailing of plywood panels to the inner surface of this "cripple wall" was the solution.
For technical details of residential earthquake retrofitting I reviewed the articles on this topic in Fine Homebuilding and Sunset magazines. A book by engineer David Helfant, Earthquake Safe, and literature provided by the California Seismic Safety Commission contain additional information about types of hardware, the size and spacing of fasteners, and other seismic improvement strategies. These, and other related publications, are available at the Well Home Program library.
The delays in creating finished space in our basement didn't end with the completion of the structural upgrading. Plumbing supply pipes needed to be rerouted, and valves relocated. I also altered furnace ducting to provide better headroom, and to bring heat where it would be needed. Over the weeks and months, walls were framed, and new wiring carefully installed. I knew that good lighting was a key ingredient to an appealing basement room. Careful selection and placement of ceiling and wall fixtures were time consuming, but worth the effort. Five switches now coordinate the lighting for different occasions. Three of these are dimmer- type toggle controls.
The drywall work went very well, mostly because of the skill, coordination, and strength of a certain father-in-law. He has appeared just in time, like a super-hero, for all of our major home improvement projects. Fastening the twelve foot long boards to the ceiling is not a good solo activity. Mudding and taping the drywall joints requires some skill, a lot of patience, and is more fun if accompanied by good music.
The room began to show some promise, but since I was determined to get the details right, we still had a long way to go. To maintain the quality standards of the rest of the house, I needed to purchase and install a lot of trim material. Attention to window, door, baseboard, and stairway trim add to the visual appeal of the room. Other time consuming complications included finishing a storage area, large closets, built-in bookshelves, and a cozy fake fireplace.
When it was finally time to paint, I didn't hesitate to call on the skill and experience of a neighbor who has a great eye for warm and attractive colors. John Brenneis, The Architect, had painted his new basement spaces with an apricot shade that struck me as just right. When I knocked on his door he cheerfully provided the color chip which he kept handy in his files. Apparently I was not the first person to admire the color, and request the name and source. I set to work with a roller and brush. Fortunately, the color which I loved was just as pleasing to the rest of my family.
The last step was to select some carpet which would harmonize with the rest of the room, and stand up to rough wear. A local supplier helped out, and also provided an expert installer. This departure from the usual do-it-myself routine was prompted by deadline pressure. Our son's birthday was now just two days away, and he had plans for ten boys to celebrate, play a ping-pong tournament, and even sleep on the floor. After nearly a year of work, the room was done. Nothing much to it. The recreation could commence. Getting the boys to sleep was another matter.
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