Basement Studio
Moderators: Brad Walker, Tony Smith
Basement Studio
I am in the procesing of moving and wonder if there is any reason why you can't have your studio in the basement if you have a ventilation fan and concrete floors?
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Tony Smith
- Posts: 1037
- Joined: Sun Mar 09, 2003 5:59 pm
- Location: Massachusetts, USA
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Most people I know have their studios in the basement... unless you have a very understanding spouse, then you can take over the living room or kitchen. 
Just make sure you test for radon and ventilate appropriately if you test positive.
Tony
Just make sure you test for radon and ventilate appropriately if you test positive.
Tony
The tightrope between being strange and being creative is too narrow to walk without occasionally landing on both sides..." Scott Berkun
basement studios
The only major issue I have found is moving equipment in and out. It is a royal pain to move a crate of glass downstairs. I fear nothing more than holding a sheet of bullseye cranberry as I descend the stairs. I will find out next week how hard it is to get an oval kiln through a 30" doorway and a flight of stairs.
If you want a sink with adequate drainage you may be in trouble, unless you already have your area stubbed for a tub/toilet.
Natural lighting is something to consider, though easily remedied with full spectrum bulbs.
If you want a sink with adequate drainage you may be in trouble, unless you already have your area stubbed for a tub/toilet.
Natural lighting is something to consider, though easily remedied with full spectrum bulbs.
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Nancy Juhasz
- Posts: 113
- Joined: Sun Mar 09, 2003 10:10 pm
- Location: Ohio
Hi Ellen, I have my studio in the basement. What I did for ventilation was install an exhaust fan in the ceiling and have it vent to the outside. It works well. When it is on and my big kiln if firing the temperature is comfortable. I also do traditional stained glass and solder using this same fan for taking out the fumes. Works well. For lights I have fluorescent daylight that are 40 watts each. I have one fixture with 2 of these tubes over the kiln area and two over my 4'x6' work table. I do have to take all the glass down the stairs but it isn't much of a problem.
Nanc
Hi Ellen
My husband has been wanting to put my studio in the basement. It would be warmer for me, but there is NO natural light....or fresh air
I decided to freeze in the garage and moan about it.
and besides moving down there seemed to be too much to move.
Or maybe I just want to be difficult.....
Me Kim
My husband has been wanting to put my studio in the basement. It would be warmer for me, but there is NO natural light....or fresh air
I decided to freeze in the garage and moan about it.
and besides moving down there seemed to be too much to move.
Or maybe I just want to be difficult.....
Me Kim
I am a total newbie, nervous about opening my big yap, but here goes--
I am in the process of setting up a warm glass studio in my basement. Air quality is a particular issue for me, as in the past when anything with fumes has been done there, the fumes have take weeks/months to dissipate. I couldn't find much on this site about ventilation, maybe didn't search well enough. So I did a lot of calling around to contractors, looking for one with knowledge of ventilation systems. Short of hiring an engineering firm, all I could find was one contractor who had an interest in ventilation and had done some reading.
For you and for the benefit of others in my boat who come along later, here's what this guy says:
- if your exhaust fan is just a bathroom or kitchen type, it may not exhaust much air. Check for the cfm (cubic feet of air per minute).
- an exhaust fan will only suck from a few inches beside/below it, unless it is extremely powerful or is attached to a small hood that is directly over the source of fumes. I.e. a ceiling-mounted fan will only suck what floats to the ceiling right around it. The rest of the fumes will go wherever the air in your basement normally drifts to.
- cfm going out must be balanced by cfm coming in, or the exhaust fan will suck the air out of your upstairs. Okay in a warm climate but on the cold prairies this could raise the heating bill a lot. If you get a fan with very high cfm (not likely unless you get something specialized) and you don't have a fresh air source in your furnace room, it could cause the chimney to back-draught monoxide.
So, according to my guy, bathroom/kitchen type exhaust fans by themselves don't have a lot of effect.
Because I am paranoid already about the air down there, I have opted for a pricey solution - an air-to-air heat exchanger (150 cfm fresh air), a small electric furnace to bring in and heat fresh air, and a welder's exhaust system--a long tube that can be moved around and that is attached to an in-line exhaust fan that can go up to 300 cfm. Am also getting the ventilation kit for my kiln.
The furnace for fresh air is necessary because our winters are severe. It hit -40 last week.
My suggestion would be to try lighting a candle, or heaven forfend a cigarette, and watch whether the smoke heads for the exhaust fan.
This is just what my heating guy says. He could be wrong.
Gail
I am in the process of setting up a warm glass studio in my basement. Air quality is a particular issue for me, as in the past when anything with fumes has been done there, the fumes have take weeks/months to dissipate. I couldn't find much on this site about ventilation, maybe didn't search well enough. So I did a lot of calling around to contractors, looking for one with knowledge of ventilation systems. Short of hiring an engineering firm, all I could find was one contractor who had an interest in ventilation and had done some reading.
For you and for the benefit of others in my boat who come along later, here's what this guy says:
- if your exhaust fan is just a bathroom or kitchen type, it may not exhaust much air. Check for the cfm (cubic feet of air per minute).
- an exhaust fan will only suck from a few inches beside/below it, unless it is extremely powerful or is attached to a small hood that is directly over the source of fumes. I.e. a ceiling-mounted fan will only suck what floats to the ceiling right around it. The rest of the fumes will go wherever the air in your basement normally drifts to.
- cfm going out must be balanced by cfm coming in, or the exhaust fan will suck the air out of your upstairs. Okay in a warm climate but on the cold prairies this could raise the heating bill a lot. If you get a fan with very high cfm (not likely unless you get something specialized) and you don't have a fresh air source in your furnace room, it could cause the chimney to back-draught monoxide.
So, according to my guy, bathroom/kitchen type exhaust fans by themselves don't have a lot of effect.
Because I am paranoid already about the air down there, I have opted for a pricey solution - an air-to-air heat exchanger (150 cfm fresh air), a small electric furnace to bring in and heat fresh air, and a welder's exhaust system--a long tube that can be moved around and that is attached to an in-line exhaust fan that can go up to 300 cfm. Am also getting the ventilation kit for my kiln.
The furnace for fresh air is necessary because our winters are severe. It hit -40 last week.
My suggestion would be to try lighting a candle, or heaven forfend a cigarette, and watch whether the smoke heads for the exhaust fan.
This is just what my heating guy says. He could be wrong.
Gail
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Nancy Juhasz
- Posts: 113
- Joined: Sun Mar 09, 2003 10:10 pm
- Location: Ohio
I posted earlier that I had an exhaust fan in the ceiling that goes outside in my basement. I think the brand was NuTone and it is a dual fan. Yes when I light a candle the smoke and fumes from the candle go up to the fan. You don't even smell the scented candle if you are not between the candle and the fan. I am very happy with it. Just thought I would let you all know the brand.
Nanc
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Gale aka artistefem
- Posts: 184
- Joined: Sun Mar 09, 2003 8:14 pm
- Location: MO-on the banks of the Mississippi
- Contact:
Ellen.........if the basement is the only place with enough room to spread out and can be a dedicated space for your glass working, then GO for it!
Full spectrum lights, ventilation are musts.
One question: On a scale of 1 to 10, how do you rate your sensitivity to your working environment?
About 15 years ago, I had a basement studio. Lots of storage room, the kiln kept it toasty, but the ceilings...... They were only 6.5 ft high and the windows (all 3 of them) were those tiny squinty things that sat up high at the top of the wall. No vistas to view.
During that time, the work I produced was small, cramped looking, tight - not my usual style. It was hard to even get myself down there to start on a project. Once I figured out that I was responding to the restrictions of my work quarters, I went out - found a large expansive high ceilinged space to work in, moved my studio and said "Never again!"
Working in a basement is bad news for me. I'm just too touchy-feely when it comes to my work space - haven't figured out whether being t-f is a good thang or not - LOL!
Full spectrum lights, ventilation are musts.
One question: On a scale of 1 to 10, how do you rate your sensitivity to your working environment?
About 15 years ago, I had a basement studio. Lots of storage room, the kiln kept it toasty, but the ceilings...... They were only 6.5 ft high and the windows (all 3 of them) were those tiny squinty things that sat up high at the top of the wall. No vistas to view.
During that time, the work I produced was small, cramped looking, tight - not my usual style. It was hard to even get myself down there to start on a project. Once I figured out that I was responding to the restrictions of my work quarters, I went out - found a large expansive high ceilinged space to work in, moved my studio and said "Never again!"
Working in a basement is bad news for me. I'm just too touchy-feely when it comes to my work space - haven't figured out whether being t-f is a good thang or not - LOL!
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Alecia Helton
- Posts: 108
- Joined: Mon Aug 25, 2003 12:35 am
- Location: outside of Dallas TX
You need to look at industrial strength exhaust fans, not the ones normally found in houses. Mine draws more than 10 times what's usual for a kitchen or bathroom fan.
I'm not sure whether Home Depot carries these fans. You can see them on http://www.grainger.com.
Alecia
I'm not sure whether Home Depot carries these fans. You can see them on http://www.grainger.com.
Alecia
Alecia Helton
Wear Original Wonders!
Carrollton TX
Wear Original Wonders!
Carrollton TX
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jerry flanary
- Posts: 158
- Joined: Tue Sep 09, 2003 11:11 pm
- Location: norfolk, va
Nature's radon detector
A house with a healthy spider population has no radon problems.
Another good source for ventilation fans is http://www.McMaster-carr.com
Check for mold too.
Another good source for ventilation fans is http://www.McMaster-carr.com
Check for mold too.
j.
A lack of doubt doesn't lend certainty.
A lack of doubt doesn't lend certainty.
As another basement dweller-
I had the foundation dug out so I could put double French doors in the basement wall and have a ramp for moving stuff in and out. Had to go down another 6 feet and reinforce the foundation but it was worth it.
If you have those high-up-basement windows (I forget the name), you can take one out and put your fan in there. My fan's (from Grainger) in another room in the basement so I don't hear the noise constantly.
Put mirrors on the walls- they'll increase the light and make the space seem larger. Even a band of 12" mirrors near the cieling will help.
Mix track lighting and fluorescents.
I had the foundation dug out so I could put double French doors in the basement wall and have a ramp for moving stuff in and out. Had to go down another 6 feet and reinforce the foundation but it was worth it.
If you have those high-up-basement windows (I forget the name), you can take one out and put your fan in there. My fan's (from Grainger) in another room in the basement so I don't hear the noise constantly.
Put mirrors on the walls- they'll increase the light and make the space seem larger. Even a band of 12" mirrors near the cieling will help.
Mix track lighting and fluorescents.
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Tony Smith
- Posts: 1037
- Joined: Sun Mar 09, 2003 5:59 pm
- Location: Massachusetts, USA
- Contact:
That's the way I have mine set up. I removed a pane of glass from half of the window frame and replaced it with a piece of exterior grade plywood with the fan mounted to the inside and the shutter mounted to the outside.Marty wrote:If you have those high-up-basement windows (I forget the name), you can take one out and put your fan in there. My fan's (from Grainger) in another room in the basement so I don't hear the noise constantly.
Tony
The tightrope between being strange and being creative is too narrow to walk without occasionally landing on both sides..." Scott Berkun
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Bev Brandt
- Posts: 50
- Joined: Mon Mar 10, 2003 11:35 am
- Location: St. Louis, MO
- Contact:
Re: Nature's radon detector
The things you learn on warmglass.com. My basement looks like Cirith Ungol. Call me radon-free!jerry flanary wrote:A house with a healthy spider population has no radon problems.
- Bev
Bev Brandt
Re: track lights
Mixing flouresent and incandesent allows you to get as close to natural sunlight as possible.