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We’re at the end of week 3 of our basement project! Although this week had a bit of a lull in terms of construction progress, it was still very productive. If you missed any previous blog posts you can read them my clicking the buttons below.

Wednesday – Waterproofing Technician Visit

During week 1, our contractor brought up a potential concern with our waterproofing system. We had concrete removed from our foundation so that the plumber could come in and reroute the sewage line. Once the gravel was removed the team encountered some ground water. 

Back in 2022 we paid for installation of a professional gravity drain waterproofing system so we were quite shocked to find out that it might not be working properly. Thankfully the technician visited and checked everything out. He ensured us that the system was working properly and the only reason we had some water not reaching the drains was because of the plumbing work we were getting done. He assured us that this is common for basements and that it shouldn’t cause any issues with plumbing.

Although he seems to know what he’s talking about, our contractor and I aren’t convinced. The first rounds of inspections (HVAC, plumbing, electrical, and structural) are happening next week. So only time will tell.

Lighting

Last week I shared a very high overview of my dreams for the basement lighting and this week I want to share an in depth overview of our lighting plans for the basement. Some of our fixtures have started to arrive so of course I’m getting more and more excited about this area of the basement. 

Ambient Lighting:

Throughout the basement we will use a combination of downlights, gimbal lights, a ceiling fan, and wall mounted lights for overall illumination.

• Office: The office will have overhead light provided by a ceiling fan. I tend to shy away from ceiling fans because it’s hard to find one that’s equally beautiful as it is functional. However, the Kichler Volos fan is beautiful and functional!

• Living/Media Room: I love the idea of lighting the entire room using multiple downlights instead of a single overhead light. This will allow for more even lighting in the space. I plan to put this lighting on a dimmer and I’ll be using the Kichler Direct to Ceiling Slim LED Downlights.
• Bar Area: Similar to the living area, I plan to use downlights but to provide for more direct lighting I’ll be using gimbal lights. These downlights can rotate and can be angled to direct light to specific areas of the room. 
• Bathroom: I’m still debating between two vanity lights and one vanity light. I think it will be a game time decision. BUT I’ll be choosing from the Kichler Indeco vanity light collection with the integrated LED.

Task Lighting

• Reading/Eating Nook: My goal is to build bench seating in the nook near the bottom of the stairs. This will be a great retreat area for reading, enjoying a snack, or just hanging out. For the lighting here I plan to include the Opal 2-Light Textured Black Vintage Globe Kitchen Pendant Hanging Light with Opal Glass. I love the milk glass and the vintage look of this fixture.

Accent Lighting

• Bottom of Stairs: We’re hanging my husband’s Kobe Bryant Jersey at the bottom of the stairs and I want a bold light to illuminate the space. The Azores vanity light is technically designed for a bathroom vanity but in this space it will function more like a vanity light.

• Living/Media Room: One of the lighting fixtures I’m most excited about is the LED channel lighting we’ll be adding in crown molding in this room. To learn more about channel lighting and the different systems available, check out Kichler.com

• Bar Area: I had the electrician wire for light on the was near the bathroom and bedroon doors. I’m stll trying to decide if I want for this to be a photo light or a wall sconce.

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Our first round of inspections should happen sometime this week so I’m praying that we pass! This inspector will look at the plumbing, electrical, structural and HVAC.

Make sure you come back here to PinchPlateParty.com every weekend for weekly updates. You can follow along on Instagram and Tiktok as well, but I’ll be sharing the most detailed look of the project here on the blog.