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beeenbag
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Noted. What does one do about it if it is present? Is there a type of soil or something that is more likely to produce it? The house is on a hill and not in any moist area at all, with great drainage all around.
Gonna have an entire finished basement to turn into a gun room.
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Noted. What does one do about it if it is present? Is there a type of soil or something that is more likely to produce it? The house is on a hill and not in any moist area at all, with great drainage all around.
bannockburn
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beeenbag
Google "radon gas" and you''ll find some very alarming facts about it. I believe it's a radioactive element and typically enters the body through inhalation of dust particles it has come in contact with. When we sold our last house the seller wanted a radon gas check done. Sure enough there was a large enough concentration in the basement that we had a system installed that removed it from the house.
Google "radon gas" and you''ll find some very alarming facts about it. I believe it's a radioactive element and typically enters the body through inhalation of dust particles it has come in contact with. When we sold our last house the seller wanted a radon gas check done. Sure enough there was a large enough concentration in the basement that we had a system installed that removed it from the house.
bannockburn
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beeenbag
460Shooter is correct; it's in the soil and rock strata where your house was built and seeps into the basement. If you spend considerable time down there you end up breathing in the radon gas that has decayed and become a solid and attached to dust particles. Our house had a walkout basement and had excellent drainage; the problem is the radon is tied to the local geology of the area. If it's prevalent in your area, it may be a problem down in your basement.
460Shooter is correct; it's in the soil and rock strata where your house was built and seeps into the basement. If you spend considerable time down there you end up breathing in the radon gas that has decayed and become a solid and attached to dust particles. Our house had a walkout basement and had excellent drainage; the problem is the radon is tied to the local geology of the area. If it's prevalent in your area, it may be a problem down in your basement.
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beeenbag
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definitely will check this out.. Thanks for the heads up. If there is a system you can install then that's great news.
Thanks again.
.455_Hunter
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Our first house was built on the alluvial fan downstream of a uranium containing ore body. The radon level was quite high, which we found out in the process of moving out (of course).
Zaydok Allen
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There are mitigation systems available. It basically amounts to an independant ventilation system. It costs some money, but it's better than cancer.
Don't worry until you have a check done. It may not be an issue at all for you. If it wasn't in the home inspection report it may not be an issue in your area.
theotherwaldo
Member
Since you're going to be working with solvents, hot metals, paints, dyes, stains, etc., good ventilation is your friend. This should take care of your possible radon problem.
bannockburn
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beeenbag
We had a company do the testing and the install of the system. Don't think it's any sort of DIY project as there are probably lots of government regulations and specifications called for with a radon removal system for your house. It wasn't all that involved but they had to locate the vent pipe through the basement and then to a particlar place out side the house (new owner didn't want the exhaust pipe showing from the street).
We had a company do the testing and the install of the system. Don't think it's any sort of DIY project as there are probably lots of government regulations and specifications called for with a radon removal system for your house. It wasn't all that involved but they had to locate the vent pipe through the basement and then to a particlar place out side the house (new owner didn't want the exhaust pipe showing from the street).
bassjam
Member
Congrats on the new house and man cave!
Before doing anything I'd wait until you're moved in. Ideas you have now might change once you've been living there for a few months and get a better feel for the house. It also sounds like your kids are still pretty young, so before you permanently change much I'd think about how the next 10-15 years might go. A finished basement with a kitchen sounds like a great place to make noisy teenagers and their friends go hang out and make as many pizza rolls as they desire. Growing up one of my buddy's dad's finished their basement when we were teens. That immediately turned his house into the hang-out house to go watch sports, play ping pong & foosball, we even had a mini corn-hole set down there.
It's funny how fast things change too. I started finishing my basement in July and just finished it this month. The plan was for an unfinished area for storage, and then a finished area for laundry, kid's play room, bedroom, and also a work-out/gun room. No sooner was everything framed and I was hanging drywall that my wife decided she wanted to quit her job to stay home with the kids and start her own business to work part time. We talked it over, it make sense for us and just like that my work-out room was gone and turned into her office. Now my gun safe, ammo, and reloading bench is stuffed into the unfinished storage area and my workout area is the 2nd bay of our garage.
Before doing anything I'd wait until you're moved in. Ideas you have now might change once you've been living there for a few months and get a better feel for the house. It also sounds like your kids are still pretty young, so before you permanently change much I'd think about how the next 10-15 years might go. A finished basement with a kitchen sounds like a great place to make noisy teenagers and their friends go hang out and make as many pizza rolls as they desire. Growing up one of my buddy's dad's finished their basement when we were teens. That immediately turned his house into the hang-out house to go watch sports, play ping pong & foosball, we even had a mini corn-hole set down there.
It's funny how fast things change too. I started finishing my basement in July and just finished it this month. The plan was for an unfinished area for storage, and then a finished area for laundry, kid's play room, bedroom, and also a work-out/gun room. No sooner was everything framed and I was hanging drywall that my wife decided she wanted to quit her job to stay home with the kids and start her own business to work part time. We talked it over, it make sense for us and just like that my work-out room was gone and turned into her office. Now my gun safe, ammo, and reloading bench is stuffed into the unfinished storage area and my workout area is the 2nd bay of our garage.
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beeenbag
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Yeah, I am torn between the kitchen counters and cabinets being converted into a reloading bench or a wet bar. I really cant see my alcohol collection getting large enough to justify that though and a small bar with wine rack and liquor cabinet could be built into the living room portion of it.
bassjam,
Yeah my kids are fairly young, but we live pretty rural so there are very few times more than one or two other kids would be staying over. Plus I plan on leaving the "entertainment" section free of hazards of any kind as well with other rooms being able to be closed off and locked. My wife is all about me finally having my mancave the way I want it, so I can't see her attempting much of a take over. Other than her being more excited than I am to buy "man cave" décor. She's already got me some Chase Elliott memorabilia for it. #9!!
courtgreene
Member
When it comes to the kitchen cabinets, you may want to think about resale. At least consider what someone with money to spend would want. More people eat than reload. As far as the kids not having other kids over because you're rural, I grew up in the middle of nowhere. If we wanted to play with anyone we had to arrange for them to come over because we couldn't just walk to their houses or them ours. Being rural led to more kids at the house, not less. I'm enjoying this thread. I have a basement that needs finishing so I'm watching here to get ideas. Right now I'm using the deceased former owner's ceramics studio as my gunsmithing/reloading area, but the rest of it is nothing but shelves and the possibilities are endless (which annoys me, I like things more simple than "endless.")
bassjam
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I grew up in a rural area, it was the same way in that there would be a planned date and a bunch of us would end up at somebody's house. Of course once we could drive that changed because there was no planning. During weekdays we could all show up at just about anybody's house, but on the weekends we just about always chose to go to the houses with finished basements. There's not a whole lot to do in a rural area, so it was nice to have somewhere to go where we could stay up half the night and wouldn't bother anyone's parents.
Stew0576
Addicted
I would put my reloading room in one of the side rooms and install a hidden locked door, buying a house next year and that's my plan, always liked the idea of a hidden getaway, family would know of course but a robber would be SOL
Zaydok Allen
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Just throwing some thoughts out there. I grew up in a suburb of a large city. Compared to actual city dwellers, we were considered rural. It was nice as a teenager when a friend's home had an area we could hang out, and years afterwards when talking to those friend's parents, they expressed that they were glad the kids hung out there, even later on, because they knew we were at least safe and accounted for. As time goes by and your kids age, you have an opportunity to create a haven for your kids and their friends that helps with their safety. Keeping the mini kitchen may be helpful.
Likewise, keeping booze locked up in a vault isn't a bad idea with teenagers about.
That space has walk out access? To me that's another reason to go vault. With a mini kitchen you could potentially rent that space out on Air B&B on weekends as a source of extra money.
I guess when it comes down to it, I'd probably skip a wet bar and maintain it as a separate apartment for various purposes. However, if you have to walk through that area to get to your gun room, maybe that isn't something you want.
Likewise, keeping booze locked up in a vault isn't a bad idea with teenagers about.
That space has walk out access? To me that's another reason to go vault. With a mini kitchen you could potentially rent that space out on Air B&B on weekends as a source of extra money.
I guess when it comes down to it, I'd probably skip a wet bar and maintain it as a separate apartment for various purposes. However, if you have to walk through that area to get to your gun room, maybe that isn't something you want.
theotherwaldo
Member
You're lucky. There aren't any basements in deep south Texas. I had to bring in a small portable building and attach it to the back of my place so that I could have a man cave.
(The late-70s motor home just wasn't doing it for me.)
(The late-70s motor home just wasn't doing it for me.)
It can be an issue if your house is in certain geologic areas--this a link to the epa's map by county of radon risk (https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-07/documents/zonemapcolor.pdf). Radon is a colorless, odorless gas generated from the decomposition of certain radioactive minerals and has been identified as a cancer causing agent. https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/radiation/brochure/profile_radon.htm
We had a radon ventilation system put in a house 20 years ago that used a sealed sump pump with a vent pipe going to a fan then going outside. The critical part was having the sealed sump well as they used the drain lines under the house to gather the radon.
If you have raw concrete walls in your work area paint them with a waterproof concrete paint and it will lower the humidity a bunch, you likely would not need a dehumidifier.
If you have raw concrete walls in your work area paint them with a waterproof concrete paint and it will lower the humidity a bunch, you likely would not need a dehumidifier.
desidog
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I’d hold off for a bit too; but contemplate getting a wood stove for the chimney (is that a hole already there?), a comfy couch, a big tv, a kegerator, a proper bar (where you could still cook on an electric burner you can stow when not in use) with a microwave; and tear out that floor and put some nice barn-y wood or laminate down... then the question is hanging/wall mount pegboard or gun rack system...
If there is only one entrance, consider a solid core door and re-inforced jam, and a good quality lock. Multiple layers of defense are usually more efficient than a single system. Consider a multi-camera surveillance system. Just picked one up at Costco for about $500, installed it myself and it saves everything to a hidden hard drive.
GunnyUSMC
Member
I don't know how everyone missed the one thing that will allow you to keep your Man Cave, a Man Cave, for years to come. You need to get rid of the Wife. As time goes by she will take over your Cave.
All kidding aside, you've goton some pretty good advise so far.
Be sure to make it look manly.
All kidding aside, you've goton some pretty good advise so far.
Be sure to make it look manly.
Legionnaire
Contributing Member
Sweet. Had to leave our basement in PA when we moved to TX ...
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beeenbag
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I don't know how everyone missed the one thing that will allow you to keep your Man Cave, a Man Cave, for years to come. You need to get rid of the Wife. As time goes by she will take over your Cave.
All kidding aside, you've goton some pretty good advise so far.
Be sure to make it look manly.
Better be careful Gunny, shes a member here.
GunnyUSMC
Member
Well then you should be okBetter be careful Gunny, shes a member here.
Be sure to give her a space for her guns or buy her her own safe.
bassjam
Member
I don't know how everyone missed the one thing that will allow you to keep your Man Cave, a Man Cave, for years to come. You need to get rid of the Wife. As time goes by she will take over your Cave.
All kidding aside, you've goton some pretty good advise so far.
Be sure to make it look manly.
This man speaks the truth! I was once a bachelor and my entire house was my man cave. Then a girlfriend started slow bringing crap over and next thing I know I had lost control of the living room. Then she became a fiance and I lost control of the most of the rest of the living area. When she became my wife I was told the basement was still mine, but that only lasted until she wanted me to finish the basement. Now my "man cave" is a tiny 6x8 area in the unfinished storage area in the basement, boxed in by stacks of rubbermade bins full of clothes and holiday decorations.
I've been considering building a nice room inside my 24x40 detached garage for myself, but I'm slightly terrified it will get taken over by the saucer-sized wolf spiders that I can't seem to get rid of out there.
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