First Things First


I like comfort. I’m spoiled.

I’m a firm believer that before you build your layout, the area where the layout will live must be comfortable. And I know from experience with my previous portable layout that my unfinished basement wasn’t comfortable.

At least not year-round.

Here in New England, the winters can get plenty cold. But regardless of outside temperature, in the winter the basement was consistently between 58 and 61 degrees Fahrenheit. Even with space heaters, it wasn’t a great place to be in the winter. (It’s nice and cool in the summer, though.)

So I have spent the last 15 months or so prepping the basement for the layout. This video shows the progress in the actual layout room after walls were finished and painted, but before carpet and ceiling.

Everything progressing nicely, right?

Right.

And wrong.

The carpet went in a little under four weeks ago, and wouldn’t you know it, three weeks to the day after it went in, we had torrential rains coupled with frozen ground and one corner flooded. (The corner where the little white stool is on the left in the opening frames of the video.) So now that wall likely needs to come down to effect repairs. Actual damage TBD.

That said, the ceiling grid is in, and I’m waiting for the electrician to come and finish up. And then, even with the repairs that the one corner will need, I can get started.

Now if I only had a concept