Studio in Basement? At Last My Post Sandy Studio is on the Horizon
01-26-2014, 06:38 PM
#31
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Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: SoCal
Posts: 11,903
-there is a dehumidifier in there. There is no smell of dampness at all. Do you think it's safe to keep fabric in a basement?-
Your nose doesn't lie. I don't have a basement room right now but it seems many people do and have no problems. My biggest concern would be the fabric so I would probably have a studio down stairs but store the fabric up stairs and just keep what I need down stairs. A big congrats! It is wonderful to have a dedicated space.
Your nose doesn't lie. I don't have a basement room right now but it seems many people do and have no problems. My biggest concern would be the fabric so I would probably have a studio down stairs but store the fabric up stairs and just keep what I need down stairs. A big congrats! It is wonderful to have a dedicated space.
01-26-2014, 07:01 PM
#32
Super Member
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Temporarily living in CT...missing AZ!!!
Posts: 1,747
I am so happy for you and your family! Is there anyway you can live there for a while and see how the basement fares before you put all your stuff down there? Our basement only gets damp and develops an odor sometimes, most noticeably humid summer months...are you staying in NY or did you find a state with no bugs??
01-26-2014, 10:03 PM
#33
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Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Edmond, OK
Posts: 1,859
Krystna, so glad to hear of you're new adventure. I know it's been very hard for you & yours, but things are looking up now. Your basement will make a wonderful place to be creative, and not have to worry about 'cleaning' up before - whatever. lol Congratulations.
Hugs
Jean
Hugs
Jean
01-27-2014, 05:42 AM
#35
Super Member
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Clinton, OK
Posts: 1,736
Krystyna... I can't answer your questions, but there are a lot of quilters whose sewing rooms are in the basement. I would definitely keep a dehumidifier running! And God Bless You for your sweet patience in persevering... we've never heard one moment of complaining... so happy for you!
01-27-2014, 06:17 AM
#36
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Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Long Island, NY
Posts: 8,814
Thank you so much to every for your support and enthusiasm. And it is so heartwarming to hear from so many of my old QB friends - I've missed you so much! Hubby and I are really looking forward to the new house and, although they don't know it yet, so are the pups who will have a back yard again! We are truly blessed. Now fingers crossed that the mortgage goes through without a hitch!
There are two humidifiers in the basement. One is attached to a hose that drains out of the house. That one seems to run all the time. The other one isn't hooked up. The owner told me that if you run it, you have to empty it by hand. Who knows? I've never used one.
Kuntryquilter, I don't know about putting son and DIL in the basement, but DIL has special talents for button pushing and crustiness, which she already displayed at the inspection -- much to my dismay. So if she doesn't shape up, I've told them that they will not be coming at all. We shall see. But ... there is a large dark room down there. We were going to give them the second floor which has a nice bedroom, a second room that can be a sitting room, a full bathroom, track lighting and skylights that open. There is also storage galore. Built in bookcases swing out to reveal even more storage. It is a spectacular space so they had better behave.
NJ Quilter, we are actually going to upgrade the electrical service so I have a dedicated line for my computers and machines. It's pretty warm down there because of the boiler which is in a room around the corner, so I think I'll be fine. In the next room there is the washer and dryer and -- bonus! -- a double sink with cabinet below.
JoyJoyMarie - I'm so glad that you are on the road to recovery, too. I don't know how much sewing I'll be doing on the New Home treadle, but I think it is so neat that it's there!
RedCardinal, I'm so sorry about your home. I know there are many of us out there and frankly, it is scandalous. Our home was so damaged that we would have to tear it down and rebuild. None of the programs that advertise themselves as dedicated to survivor repair has given a dime to anyone. As for the insurance, our attorney's group will be in federal court in the beginning of February for a conference. We haven't gotten much from the insurance company at all. We finally decided, for our own mental health, to sell the house for the land at a huge loss. Before the storm it was valued at $427,000. We sold for $175,000 and after the fees and paying off the mortgage, we walked away with $103,000. I don't read any news stories on Sandy and try not to think about it. What's done is done and now we will move on as best we can.
Geri B - I hadn't thought about radon, but WHEW! after checking a map we are in an extremely low % area.
Barri1 and Sewdamncute (yes, I change the needle regularly!
) we will be staying in New York for now. The new home is in Baldwin which is a town that I rather like. And the elevation is quite high so unless there is a tsunami, we're good. We actually looked at another home that we liked -- the jacuzzi bathtubs and pool out back lured us -- but it was too close to the harbor for comfort -- so if you come to visit we won't be lounging at poolside, but we can run through the sprinklers!
I am also looking forward to having a garden again. Oh, how I miss my garden ... but I will enjoy the new one!
Again, thank you all for your advice and encouragement. It means so much.
There are two humidifiers in the basement. One is attached to a hose that drains out of the house. That one seems to run all the time. The other one isn't hooked up. The owner told me that if you run it, you have to empty it by hand. Who knows? I've never used one.
Kuntryquilter, I don't know about putting son and DIL in the basement, but DIL has special talents for button pushing and crustiness, which she already displayed at the inspection -- much to my dismay. So if she doesn't shape up, I've told them that they will not be coming at all. We shall see. But ... there is a large dark room down there. We were going to give them the second floor which has a nice bedroom, a second room that can be a sitting room, a full bathroom, track lighting and skylights that open. There is also storage galore. Built in bookcases swing out to reveal even more storage. It is a spectacular space so they had better behave.
NJ Quilter, we are actually going to upgrade the electrical service so I have a dedicated line for my computers and machines. It's pretty warm down there because of the boiler which is in a room around the corner, so I think I'll be fine. In the next room there is the washer and dryer and -- bonus! -- a double sink with cabinet below.
JoyJoyMarie - I'm so glad that you are on the road to recovery, too. I don't know how much sewing I'll be doing on the New Home treadle, but I think it is so neat that it's there!
RedCardinal, I'm so sorry about your home. I know there are many of us out there and frankly, it is scandalous. Our home was so damaged that we would have to tear it down and rebuild. None of the programs that advertise themselves as dedicated to survivor repair has given a dime to anyone. As for the insurance, our attorney's group will be in federal court in the beginning of February for a conference. We haven't gotten much from the insurance company at all. We finally decided, for our own mental health, to sell the house for the land at a huge loss. Before the storm it was valued at $427,000. We sold for $175,000 and after the fees and paying off the mortgage, we walked away with $103,000. I don't read any news stories on Sandy and try not to think about it. What's done is done and now we will move on as best we can.
Geri B - I hadn't thought about radon, but WHEW! after checking a map we are in an extremely low % area.
Barri1 and Sewdamncute (yes, I change the needle regularly!
) we will be staying in New York for now. The new home is in Baldwin which is a town that I rather like. And the elevation is quite high so unless there is a tsunami, we're good. We actually looked at another home that we liked -- the jacuzzi bathtubs and pool out back lured us -- but it was too close to the harbor for comfort -- so if you come to visit we won't be lounging at poolside, but we can run through the sprinklers!I am also looking forward to having a garden again. Oh, how I miss my garden ... but I will enjoy the new one!
Again, thank you all for your advice and encouragement. It means so much.
01-27-2014, 06:49 AM
#37
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: St. Charles, MO
Posts: 307
I have had my sewing room in the basement for 20 years. I keep all my fabric down there and I have 5 of my sewing/quilting machines down there. I don't run a dehumidifier and have never had a problem. I have one window that is 3X 5 feet. I never feel like I need more natural light even at night. My hubby did a great job with the lighting when we redid my sewing room several years ago. Have fun and no worries!
01-27-2014, 07:29 AM
#38
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2010
Location: SW, MI
Posts: 827
I was wondering how you were doing - and so very glad to hear you have been able to move on. I can not imagine what you have been through. I used to live in a home that was so humid that my pins would rust in the pincushions!! And that was upstairs.
01-27-2014, 11:01 AM
#40
Super Member
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Not Here
Posts: 3,817
I have my studio in the basement as well. It's only been a couple of months that it's been there, but during the darkest coldest months so far. We're in an arid climate, so I can't help with moisture issues, but I would say these are the things I've found:
We have a DriCore subfloor over the concrete and laminate on top of that, so no exposed concrete to contend with in that room. DH says it's the warmest room in the house. The floor is cold. I am usually an barefoot person (worse than a toddler actually. If I'm home, the socks are off, left in boots, on the floor, beside me anywhere but on my feet.
) but I'm learning to sew with my socks and slippers on. This seems to be regardless of whether I have a space heater on, and our house has a good furnace, but the vents in the basement are in the ceiling. Floors will be different.
Lighting. The house is a 1978 model, and the basement windows are what you'd probably think they are. I think I measured the frame at 18x51", and with the way this basement is divided up, there's exactly one window in the room. I don't depend on the light from it. I have the decorative privacy film on the windows (since Saturday) and I have an unreal number of lights in the area. 9 Ikea halogens and 3 4ft florescents. There aren't a lot of shadows at all. The one thing I'm thinking of changing though is the color temperature of the florescents. I was thinking of a natural daylight temperature, or even a few of the plant and aquarium lights to make the lighting more human friendly for the long periods of time I spend there. The only option for me, since the long arm arrived is to knock a wall out of two of the rooms upstairs, and I haven't figured out how to convince DH that we NEED to move Lucey to the room next to the bedroom so I can quilt upstairs and keep him awake...
We have a DriCore subfloor over the concrete and laminate on top of that, so no exposed concrete to contend with in that room. DH says it's the warmest room in the house. The floor is cold. I am usually an barefoot person (worse than a toddler actually. If I'm home, the socks are off, left in boots, on the floor, beside me anywhere but on my feet.
) but I'm learning to sew with my socks and slippers on. This seems to be regardless of whether I have a space heater on, and our house has a good furnace, but the vents in the basement are in the ceiling. Floors will be different.Lighting. The house is a 1978 model, and the basement windows are what you'd probably think they are. I think I measured the frame at 18x51", and with the way this basement is divided up, there's exactly one window in the room. I don't depend on the light from it. I have the decorative privacy film on the windows (since Saturday) and I have an unreal number of lights in the area. 9 Ikea halogens and 3 4ft florescents. There aren't a lot of shadows at all. The one thing I'm thinking of changing though is the color temperature of the florescents. I was thinking of a natural daylight temperature, or even a few of the plant and aquarium lights to make the lighting more human friendly for the long periods of time I spend there. The only option for me, since the long arm arrived is to knock a wall out of two of the rooms upstairs, and I haven't figured out how to convince DH that we NEED to move Lucey to the room next to the bedroom so I can quilt upstairs and keep him awake...
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