Electrical Work Begins

It's great the see the electrical work begin. This is the last step before insulation and drywall, so things will really start to move quickly. I also decided to network each bedroom and the living room with RG6, Cat5e and fiber lines. This should have me covered for a while, supporting an extremely fast network that's hardwired to each room. I found a product that combines all three in one sleeve to make the process a lot easier.

Wiring above the kitchen counter

More kitchen wiring

Recessed lighting

Basement Scope Change (cont.)

The back area of the basement has been completely excavated, and the new slab is in place. We had to add a window to the room for egress requirements. Also, the main drainer lines had to be relocated to free up the ceiling area.

New basement window

New basement window

Excavated rowhouse basement

Basement Scope Change

Now that the apartment living room, bath and bedroom are framed, I'm growing concerned that the space is too small. Fortunately, we've discovered that the existing foundation can support an excavation of the kitchen crawl space. This will add about 150 sqft of living space, bringing the basement apartment up to a comfortable 700 sqft or so.

New entry door for the basement apartment

Framing and entry door for the basement apartment

Bathroom framing and entry area of basement apartment

Basement bathroom

Crawl space to be excavated 

Crawl space to be excavated 

Partially excavated crawl space

Partially excavated crawl space

Basement Apartment Taking Shape

The basement apartment framing is mostly complete. The unit will have a separate entrance in the front and rear of the property, and be metered separately for utilities. The process of adding a basement unit added a lot of complexity to the planning and permit process. Also, DC is strict on fire separation and sound proofing when converting an existing structure to apartments, so that will add a bit of cost.

It's difficult to see where these photos are taken--the unit has a main living area with kitchen and dining nook, full bath and bedroom. See plans below...

Left -- Basement apartment layout; Right -- Looking up from the new bathroom through what's left of the old staircase.

Standing in the basement kitchen looking towards the bedroom

Basement living room and doorway to bedroom

Basement bathroom