Basement Remodel Questions

travis · Joined: 10 Oct 2017 Posts: 9

Like many of us who have been inspired by Kal, I am in the middle of planning out my brewery in my basement. I plan on having tile installed, a drain put in the floor, a ventilation system installed, some plumbing done, and some other work to give me the space I need. I am going to have about a 350 square foot area to call my brewery.

Since I need an electric subpanel put in to support my system, and since I plan on having pipes roughed in for a bathroom, will removing some old copper pipe and have a drain put in, I will be hiring a plumber as well. I have been in touch with a local
general contractor who will do my tile installation, install the ventilation system and other things for this project. I will be going through him for the electrical and plumbing work that he will be sub-contracting out.

This is the hang up. He was initially planning on doing this work with no permits. I didn't want to take that chance in case something went wrong, there was a problem in the brewery that could lead to our insurance dropping us after the fact, or anything else. I told the contractor that, and he says that I am going to have to have an architect draw up blueprints, submit those to the village board of the town I live in for approval (which he says they probably won't approve), have fireproof ceilings and walls, possibly a sprinkler system hooked up, among other things. This is way beyond the scope of what I anticipated.

The contractor I'm referring to normally does commercial work, all I'm really needing him to do is primarily plumbing for the floor drain and electrical for the sub-panel. I don't see why it would be that much work and effort to get approval for a basement remodel.

I know that no legal advice can be provided for something like this, but I wanted to get a general feel from some of you if this seems legitimate. Part of me thinks that the contractor is using this as a scare tactic so he can do a side project off the books for cash. Another part of me thinks I'm in way over my head and I can't take this on, despite having already purchased the electrical box kit, the kettles, and other things in preparation for this. Any advice is welcome for those of you who have remodeled to accommodate for your brewing space.

**kal** · Last edited by kal on Tue Oct 17, 2017 12:02 pm; edited 1 time in total

dp Brewing Company · Posted: Tue Oct 17, 2017 11:57 am Post subject:

I think it is as simple as, this contractor doesn't feel right so you better find another one.

Joebrewing · Joined: 19 Jan 2014 Posts: 41

I ran into issues where some contractors viewed the room as a commercial kitchen and planned their prices and work accordingly. After a few conversations, I reframed the project as a work room,the worries about getting permits approved went away and the costs came down. I decided against a floor drain for a few reasons, even though it would have been a very simple add on as there was already concrete work being done. One, I worried about infections. I didn't think I would be able to clean inside the drain enough and thought it would make the whole room less sanitary. Two, I thought it would lead to a bad process. Being neat is the best. Simply spraying down the floor would get lots of things wet and limit what else I could put in the area.

After a bunch of brews in the new space, I have found that having a spot for everything, and keeping everything handy is by far the biggest process improvement. It allows me to think of each step along the way and makes spills and messes much less likely. If I have a process problem, I think through it, and adjust for the next time.

**kal** · Posted: Tue Oct 17, 2017 2:53 pm Post subject:

rcrabb22 · Joined: 23 Dec 2010 Posts: 462 Location: Illinois

Paid in cash is also scary to me, especially if the contractor wants a sizable upfront payment before any work is done.

JSB · Joined: 17 Oct 2016 Posts: 125 Location: NE Ohio

travis · Joined: 10 Oct 2017 Posts: 9

It's a relief to see that I am not alone in my line on thinking with this, thanks for the feedback everyone. The contractor is wanting 1/2 of the payment before he starts, then the other half after everything is complete.

I also wanted a floor drain just as worst-case scenario in case there was a spill or I needed to use it for some reason. I do plan on having some barrels in the basement for aging, so I thought a drain was a good idea in that situation. I think I am going to talk with the contractor about taking a fresh approach on this and lay this out more as a hobby space than a commercial workspace to see if anything changes. If things don't drastically change, I will be looking for another contractor to do the work. The funny thing is I am removing an existing kitchen and replacing it with a brewery, so there really isn't that much of a difference from a functional standpoint with the space I'll be using.

What I think will require the most work is the ventilation system, as I will have to run the vent about 20 feet horizontally in order to accommodate the space. I understand that until they open up the ceiling and look at what they have to work with, there is an unknown factor for getting something to work, but I am willing to work with someone and pay a little bit to get what I need installed.

To answer the question as to why he didn't think my project would get approved Kal, he didn't give a reason. That's partially what makes me think this is a scare tactic to get this work done without a permit.

Kazumichan · Posted: Tue Oct 17, 2017 8:48 pm Post subject:

itsnotrequired · Joined: 15 Sep 2015 Posts: 177 Location: central wi

not sure of your locale but any contractor worth a lick does not request any money down, unless it is some small 5-10% 'earnest money' fee. get a new contractor, this has 'lien on your property' written all over it. if going the full permit route and the building department gives you some grief, keep it simple and say you are putting in a slop sink, a vent hood for possible paint/cleaner fumes and a receptacle for who knows what in the future.

i wouldn't sweat a drain being an infection source, commercial breweries have floor drains all over the place and it isn't like they are disinfecting the things every day. i like kal's approach of having one for an emergency and not relying on it as part of sloppy brew process. full disclosure, i do not have a floor drain in my brewing area and don't feel it is a necessity. i didn't put one in because i didn't feel like busting up the floor.

**kal** · Posted: Wed Oct 18, 2017 3:56 am Post subject:

+1 on the drain not being an infection source. Really no different than a sink.

Kal