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01.26.2006 - Touchscreen is now installed!

I finally managed to complete two major projects: the touchscreen interface for the bar soundsystem and the Asteroids Deluxe arcade game.

The bar soundsystem consists of a computer in the soffit with a touchscreen and remote attached -- no keyboard or mouse. I'm still writing the software for the interface, but for now I just use my streaming MP3 server (TVDinner) and Winamp.

The Asteriods Deluxe was an excellent find -- a freebie! I've documented the restoration process from start to finish (if I can say I'm finished.)

08.21.2005 - Shelves

This morning I sketched out some shelves to hold all of the different beer bottles that I've collected. They were sitting in the window, but I was starting to run out of space. A few pieces of scrap and a few hours of work and I had my shelves.

I also took down the shelves under the bar and started sealing them with polyurethane. In hindsight, MDF wasn't a good idea for shelves that will get wet.

05.02.2005 - Gameroom

Up to this point, we've worked on more bar than gameroom. Granted, there is a TV, airhockey table, and dart board but it still didn't feel like a gameroom.

So my friend Bobsteve managed to track down an Asteroids Deluxe cabinet. After practically killing Red in the moving process, we finally managed to get it into my basement. At this point, it doesn't work but I've found the manual and schematics and will be working to either fix it or convert it to a MAME cabinet.

04.10.2005 - Lull

With the closet shelves finished, I've reach a lull in the action. I'm working to get the remote for the bar soundsystem configured. I've installed a video card with video out so that I can play movies from the soundsystem PC to the TV in the corner.

03.11.2005 - Soundsystem Update

Well, I managed to get most of the soundsystem complete and installed into the bar soffit. The touchscreen is still in the works, but I'm able to connect to it remotely via VNC and get music queued up.

The closet shelving system is now underway which is proving to be more challenging than I had first imagined. When that's complete, I can start working on the kid's drawing table.

Trying to decide on how to repaint the floor...

02.20.2005 - Finally, Closet Doors!

Red came out today and we finally got the closet doors installed. It turned out a lot easier than I thought it would be -- the bottom brackets didn't need to be attached to the concrete after all.

We also got to work on a drink table attached to the pole. We found some nice decrative pine shelf mounts that worked out great. The shelf top still needs to be re-mitred and attached, but the mock-up works out great.

02.10.2005 - Soundsystem

I've been working on getting the bar soundsystem done. So far, I have most of the case construction complete though I still have to figure out a way to mount the LCD panel. The whole unit will mount up in the bar soffit and plug directly into the receiver.

The system will be able to stream music from my TVDinner server and from internet radio stations. Eventually, I'd also like to add HTPC (Home Theater PC) support.

01.22.2005 - TV, Stairs, Dartboard Light

Things have been busy -- just celebrated the birth of my son! First boy!

Despite our now busier schedule, I've managed to get some more work done on the bar. All but one of the walls have been painted. My Dad and I put in a TV mount and ran cable to it so the kids can watch Spongebob in the basement. My cousin's Father-in-Law gave me an awesome Killian's sign...not sure what it says, can anyone translate? (Killian Lett - oidhche mhor)

The dartboard was in a dark spot in the basement so we installed a 5" remodel recessed light. We also filled in the gap between the stairs and the wall.

Still working on the bar shelves and the sound system. I've made some progress, but I haven't installed anything yet. I did put an old 8-bit Nintendo in the bar soffit connected to the TV in the corner.

Still much work to do: closet doors, door under the stairs, kids coloring table, etc.

12.30.2004 - Finish Work: Shelves, Lights, Paint

Bar shelves are almost complete. I'd still like to put some backing on them to keep glasses from slipping off of the back but still allowing light from the rope lighting but other than that, they are functional. Trim still needs to be applied to the exposed 2x4's.

With 1 Lowes and 2 Home Depot gift cards, I've managed to buy a light for the kid's area and the remaining supplies for painting. 2 gallons of ceiling paint, 1 gallon of Killians Irish Red, and 2 gallons of tan. Yes, the color for my wall was inspired by beer. Take a glass, add Killians and hold it up to the light. That's what color the back and soffit walls are. My daughter Kaylee and I applied the tinted primer this morning and my friend Bobnsteve helped with the red this afternoon. Looks like I'll still need another coat (and a lot of baseboard and ceiling touch-up!)

Thanks to Stu in Canada for sending the Moosehead coasters and bottle opener! I think I'm going to try some Moosehead for New Years. Good luck with your bar Stu!

11.26.2004 - Finish Work: Bar Shelves

Spent most of today working on the bar shelving (and avoiding any and all shopping malls.) I had to install some supports where there were none before, and come up with some creative ideas on how to cover around the electrical outlet and light switches. My plan is to cut some bead board to go around the gang boxes allowing enough space for the covers. The trim will take car of the rest. As for the shelves themselves, I'm planning on using 1/8" tempered hardboard.

I'm out of budget for now, so no paint until I find some monies. I have been working on the sound system, trying to find the right software. More on that later...

11.03.2004 - Halloween Party

The Halloween Party turned out great -- the bar was a huge success! We managed to get the sound system hooked up and tested a couple of hours before the party.

Red gave me a tuner and an amp, the speaker ports were already installed in the walls. I used my laptop plugged into the CD input on the amp via a DS9->RCA cable. The software is a combination of my streaming MP3 server project (TVDinner) to provide over 40GB of tunes and WinAMP as a player.

Also: Now that the bar has had some use I know what kind of shelves I'm going to need behind it and in the soffit. I'm also considering things like built-in bottle openers, towel holders, and a space for a garbage can. I didn't really think of this kind of thing when we first designed the bar.

10.24.2004 - Finish Work: Virtual Paint

Saturday, Bobnsteve and I sat down with Photoshop and a couple of bar photos to try and come up with a good wall color combination. My original idea to have a dark blue ceiling just isn't going to work out. Funny, the color scheme comes from a Killians Irish Red box.

Today, I made a trip out to Target to empty their stool inventory. I purchased five 29" wood stools for $100. They really finish off the look of the bar.

The Party™ is this coming Saturday, so I have much to do to prepare!

10.17.2004 - Finish Work: The Beginning of The End

Last Monday I (nervously) started applying the polyurethane to the bar with a foam brush. What a difference it made to the bartop! So far, I've applied two coats -- sanding with steel wool in between.

Yesterday I had a whole crew to help out: Red, Scott, Trent, and Bobnsteve all came over to help. Trent wired the outlets while Red cut and put up the window and door casings. Bobnsteve and Scott worked on the last piece of drywall by the stairs while I worked on the baseboards. Busy day!

Now all that's left is to finish the final coats of poly on the bar and pole, install the closet doors, build the door under the stairs, and choose a paint color!

Looks like we are set to go for the Halloween Party!

10.06.2004 - Day Twenty-Two: More Sanding!

More sanding, but this time not drywall. Well, there was some touch-up sanding to be done, but overall the walls look pretty good with their first coat of primer.

I sanded all of the trim on the bar last night, touching up gaps with wood putty and smoothing out hard corners. I expect to seal the bar starting next Monday, though it makes me pretty nervous.

10.03.2004 - Day Twenty-One: Primer!

I spent my entire day today working on the basement: from 10am until 9pm, I cleaned up, vacuumed and mopped the floor, and finally got started on primer. I managed to get all of the walls painted and the soffit ceiling.

I can almost see the finish line. The smell of paint is so much more welcome than the smell of drywall dust. No more sanding. No more dust in my hair, in my eyes, on the floor upstairs. But above all: no more sanding!

Back when I first started this project in December of 2003 (painting the floor), I never imagined that the gameroom would turn out like this. I'm thoroughly impressed! I owe Red 6 months worth of weekends for the hard work he put in on the framing, the bar, the ceiling drywall, and the pole.

Coming up next: I paint the bar!

09.28.2004 - Day Twenty: I'm Losing Count

Seems like every night for the last two weeks has been the same: mud sand mud sand. GUH! My Dad came up the weekend before last and helped me with the ceiling corners. He made the paper tape look so easy -- the secret is using the corner tool and not applying mud over the tape right away; Let it dry first...much easier.

Saturday, my Brother-In-Law (Red) and my friend Bobnsteve came over for the last push to complete the project. Red knocked out the windows, the pole, and the exposed water pipe while Bobnsteve and I sanded.

Last night, I started finishing the closet and applied the last coat of mud to the ceiling seams. I should be painting by the weekend! Woohoo I can almost taste completion!

09.14.2004 - Demolition? Man!

Spent a good portion of last night driving drywall nails to try to even out the vinyl corner bead across the ceiling soffit. Unfortunately, it didn't help and I still could see that it had wavy parts to it.

So I tore it down. One. Piece. At a time.

Those drywall nails don't come out once their in -- very strong! Good for holding in drywall, bad for me. Lesson learned, today I'll buy the metal corner bead.

09.12.2004 - Day Seventeen: That's a ceiling, Clark

After a long 9 hour day, we finished off the rest of the ceiling and the trim around the bar. There are very few large remaining tasks:

• Finish mud / sanding (ugh, more sanding...)
• Install closet doors
• Box-in pole
• Finish window casings

Aside from that, I suppose I have to make a decision on the wall color (after priming of course). Plus I have to polyurethane the bar so we can actually use it on October 30th. I doubt I'll have the wall color by then, and possibly not even bar stools, but at least the bar will be functional.

09.06.2004 - Sand, Mud, Sand, Mud...

Labor Day and one step closer to finishing off the basement -- spent all day sanding and mudding the basement. Found the best way to do corners: there is a product called "Sure Corner" that is paper tape with two steel strips on the back. Simply fold over the tape, apply mud to the wall and stick the tape on. Much easier than trying to keep the paper tape straight.

08.12.2004 - Dust

Wow do I hate drywall dust. It gets on everything: eyelashes, eyelids, ears, hair. Lucky for me I'm fairly vigilant with the respirator. (cough)

Much work has been done on screw holes and drywall seams and I think I've finally got the technique down. Rule number one: when covering screw holes, don't leave a 6"x6" section of mud on the wall. NO! Scrape off everything but the mud on the screw hole itself. The mud will contract and leave a small dot in the middle. (Lesson learned...)

Looking good, but I still have quite a few tasks remaining: 1/3 of the ceiling, the inside closet, the rest of the bar trim, sealing the bar, etc. etc. Wow. 10/30 is fast approaching!

07.18.2004 - Mission Accomplished...

...today's mission that is. Since we haven't had a ton of time to work on the basement project, I've had to use it everyday. Letting the dogs out, doing laundry, staring at the walls and wondering if we're going to be able to get it done before the Halloween party. In that time, I had become very disappointed with the layout of the light switches. It seemed as if I had to run all over the room to get the main lights on.

SO, I made a trip to Home Depot last night and purchased some 14/3 wire, a couple of 3-way switches, and a 3-switch gang box. After a few hours of work this morning, I now have a central box at the base of the steps that controls the light across the room, the light above the steps and the light by the closet. No more running around!

Over the July 4th weekend, we were able to get a good portion of the ceiling drywall complete. Thanks to our rigged "dead-man", we now have two-thirds of the ceiling complete.

SO...the deadline fast approaches: our Halloween Party on October 30th.

06.23.2004 - Day...uh...Eleven?

At this point, I'm really not sure what official "day" we're on -- no matter. It's been a while since my entire crew have been on-site, and a trip to Alabama for a little R&R kinda put the stops on construction, but I've slowly started to get back to work on the basement.

I've come to realize that hanging drywall alone is not a fun task. However, I have made progress -- the front and back of the ceiling soffit now have drywall, the wall by the stairs is nearly complete, and the bartop is being readied for polyurethane.

btw: The above pictures were taken with a 2 second exposure, so the bar and walls aren't actually orange. It does make for a neat effect though...

05.24.2004 - Day Nine, Day Eight: Bar Trim and Lighting

From the pictures, it's hard to believe we've only worked on the bar for 10 days (non-consecutive and that doesn't count time the time I spent wiring the electrical).

Day 9 was mainly spent trimming out the base of the bar. We did some minor sanding on the bartop, but the trim seemed to eat up a good portion of the day.

Day 10, we got up early and added a new lighting effect to the bar soffit. We built a gutter and put in some rope light. The end result: the bar appears to be glowing from within. We were also able to finish a good deal of the drywall with Red's rotozip to help. Of course, now we're planning to put a 30 gallon fish tank in the wall...(more money, argh!) Budget? What budget?

05.18.2004 - Day Seven, Day Eight: Finishing the Bar

I took Thursday and Friday of last week off while my parents were in town and was able to knock out the remaining electrical work and some drywall with my Dad. He helped put the breakers in, and showed me a thing or two about how electricity works.

With the electrical done, Red came out Saturday and Sunday to help out with the bar framing. Between the three of us (my Dad, Red, and I) we were able to finish the bar top, the bead-board exterior, the trim, and the rope/puck lighting. 15 hours of work and we have a very nice bar! There's still a little trim left to do, not to mention the backside of the bar and soffit, but we are really getting close to completion! (Pictures will be up soon...)

05.02.2004 - Day Six: More Drywall, More Electrical

Today I worked on drywall and wiring up the bar soffit. I managed to install the HALO light behind the bar, put in a couple more outlets and finish off the front wall. I ran out of romex today, so it's back to Home Depot tomorrow...

Total spent so far: $1256.81. Ouch.

05.02.2004 - Day Five: The Bar Soffit

Red put the finishing touches on the bar soffit today as Bobnsteve and I started on the drywall. We spent about 2 hours in Home Depot picking out wood and trim for the bartop and the front side. Each piece of the bartop cost $35 for a 4x8 sheet. No pressure not to screw that up...

04.25.2004 - Even More Electrical

Having cut the low wall and a lot of the lighting out of the budget, I freed up enough cash to purchase a compact refridgerator. I found a 4.4 cubic foot refridgerator for $140 at Home Depot -- it fits perfectly under the bar, though not in the location that I had originally planned.

I've almost completed all of the electrical work. Today, I wired serveral outlets and started the run to the breaker box. It looks like I can replace the 2-way cable splitter outside with a 3-way and run the cable directly into the basement. (Still not sure on that one.) Once the bar soffit is complete, I'll run all of the wiring for the bar itself.

Looks like we may start putting up drywall next weekend! Woohoo!

04.19.2004 - Day Four: The Bar

We started construction of the bar yesterday and made quite a bit of progress. So far, the base framing is done and we've made room for a 4.4 cu ft fridge. The bar top will probably need to be redesigned -- my over-ambitious lighting system is going to take too long and too much money to build. I think we're going to stick with a simple wood bartop with several coats of polyurethane. Not 100% on that yet though. The bar soffit still needs to be built, though it looks like it'll be 2 weeks until we're able to resume. In the meantime, I'll try to complete all of the wiring that I can.

04.11.2004 - More electrical

Tonight was my big electrical test. I had to move a 3 way switch from one location to another. Everything went well, I didn't get shocked and it works! I also put in two outlets and a switch to control a ceiling light. Once the bar and low wall are framed, I'll finish the electrical wiring and we'll move on to the bar top and the drywall.

04.07.2004 - Electrical

Monday night, I went to Home Depot to purchase supplies so that I can start wiring the basement. I rolled my shopping cart up to the check-out counter at Home Depot: 200 feet of cable - BEEP. 10 outlets - BEEP. 10 switches - BEEP. "How To Install Electrical Wiring" book - BEEP. I can only imagine what went through the cashier's head.

I know enough about electrical wiring to be dangerous (see Day One), but I'm not familiar with switched outlets and how to install a breaker. I've done it before in my office, but I had my Dad's help and he's done electrical work for a lot longer than I have. If this website goes offline this week...