Home Room Project

[cjr3559]

Exactly one year ago today we broke ground on a home game room for a pool table I’ve been wanting for three decades.

As an anniversary gift to myself, thought I’d start a blog showing the development.

Here’s the spot. We have a detached garage and the new space is built right behind it. Say goodbye to the shed, it’s getting moved further back in the yard.

We did all the proper planning we could to ensure the room would fit a 9’ foot table. The city approved the construction, and the overall dimensions are 21’ x 18’ with a 9’ foot vaulted ceiling.

Question is, will my pics upload...

 

[cjr3559]

Forgot about updating this blog.

Here’s the groundbreaking. Shed from previous post was moved out of the way. Foundation dug.

Much more to come (eventually)

 

[Pin]

I'm glad this project is moving along as quickly as my own DIY jobs

 

[cjr3559]

Next was foundation; cinder block, cement and gravel. Basic stuff, this all went quickly.

I’d upload the next round of pics, but getting annoyed they all upload sideways and upside down. Now recall why I abandoned this blog two years ago.

 

[cjr3559]

Now we’re getting somewhere with the pictures. Framing was next, surprised how quickly this part went. Roof shingled already. This was about 1 month into the construction.

 

[cjr3559]

Then the floor was cemented, I forget how thick but the contractor said it would be thick enough to hold a pool table with no issue. The guy normally does garage builds so I took his word for it.

An interior view shows the 9 foot ceiling we requested to keep errant cue tips from hitting the ceiling and marking it up.

And we’re marking spots for power outlets to go for the electrician.

 

[cjr3559]

Electric wired, and the exterior stucco. All of this was completed in three months by the end of December 2018 which now seems like an eternity ago.

Still, this part of the project went quickly and we felt confident we’d be finished by spring.

 

[cjr3559]

Then three months of winter passed with zero progress. Finally mid-March the interior installation started with insulation and drywall. We kept the back side of the stucco garage for interest.

This part of the project took forever. Three months of off/on work and they were finally finished.

 

[cjr3559]

Lighting was hooked up, and then prep for painting which was a lot of dust removal. Some patchwork was required as well.

Also got the door hardware.

Outdoor photos show the condition of our yard which was dirt and weeds. It was also around this time they dug a gravel for water runoff (mandated by city code). The final photo kind of shows where the hole was back filled, and the gutter downspouts are now underground.

 

[cjr3559]

Almost a year after breaking ground we’re painting. Took some time to settle on shades, but what we finally decided worked well. The blue could have been a bit darker but no big deal. All I recall was it was August, warm, and muggy. No A/C yet, that’s a whole other story for later.

 

[cjr3559]

On to flooring; vinyl plank. Saved some money installing this ourselves. Lots of work with cutting, choosing planks so the whole pattern looked random, and tapping and hammering, but thankfully it was straightforward with no odd cuts and angles.

Even though we measured the area what seemed like a dozen times, there was a tense moment halfway through installing where we discovered the width of each plank was NOT what was listed on the box, which would have meant having to rip the last row to fit. Fortunately we just made it with about a quarter inch to spare which was eventually concealed easily by the trim work.

 

[8cree]

Hey nice build! You're about to be a happy camper before too long! Thanks for sharing, I love these type threads!

 

[measureman]

I couldn't tell from your pics if you kept the planking a 1/4 inch from the walls.
If you are installing base molding don't push it hard to the planks,just gently let it rest and nail it.
Vinyl planking needs room to move a little.

 

[cjr3559]

We did the best we could with keeping the flooring 1/4 inch away from the walls, but ultimately the trim molding didn’t quite cover some gaps so we needed to finish with quarter round on the three plaster walls. The stucco wall gap was filled with clear silicone.

One of these pictures was taken before the quarter round was added.

 

[cjr3559]

I realized the trim work came after table and light installation. The light is a no-frills 4 can light with LED bulbs. I think they’re daylight 5000k but I’d have to check. Also added cheapish horizontal blinds on the windows.

Other than some slight furniture changes this is basically the finished project.

These photos were taken in April ‘20 which was 18 months after the project started. And we still weren’t finished…

next up the HVAC. At this point it was fans and a portable propane heater, which was less than optimal.

 

[fastone371]

Beautiful room and table, I'm envious.

 

[Fatboy]

Beautiful room and table, I'm envious.

I need to do a room again. I have everything just needs assembly

 

[8cree]

I need to do a room again. I have everything just needs assembly

Well, tighten up!

 

[cjr3559]

Decided to apply the trim decals that came with the table after all. Why not.

 

[cjr3559]

New light.