On 4/16/2011 7:34 PM, Tony Hwang wrote:
Hi,

CraigT wrote:
I know everyone wants a drywall ceiling, but I have a walkout basement
that
if I were to put a drywall ceiling in I'd have to put in 12 access panels
for electrical boxes, water shutoffs, vent dampers, etc. in an area 18' X
27'. Here are couple pictures of what I've got in the way of "stuff" I
need access to and what it might look like with all the panels. Would I
just be better off going with a drop ceiling?

Hi,
I think you answered your own question. It may cost more but I always
prefered drop ceiling. There are many choices for panels. My vote is
drop ceiling on condition you have enough head room. My basement ceiling
was 9 feet high before it was finished.

IMHO, 8.5 feet between finish slab and bottom of centerline beam, should
be a code requirement. My father always encouraged owners to spring for
the extra foot of hole and course of block, as he was walking them
through the design phase. The additional cost is relatively trivial,
and it makes finishing out the basement SO much easier, without ending
up with the usual finished basement look of a 7.5' ceiling and a
head-banger running down the middle. He also encouraged putting the
furnace toward the dead corner of the basement, behind the stairwell
wall (he never did floating stairs), to maximize the easily finishable
space while still leaving a large enough mechanical room for easy
service and eventual furnace/WH replacement. (It sucks to have to demo
a basement wall to change the water heater.)

--
aem sends....