gunrunnerjohn posted:Where was the 11x11 layout?
It is a rear addition my in-laws put in for the sole purpose of supporting the sun room above. Exterior dimensions 12 x 12.
That's the family room on the original part of the house through the doorway at the left.
I was very blessed with both a large basement and a very understanding wife. The one problem was that my basement was so compartmentalized. It had 1 main area, 3 storage rooms, wine cellar, and very poor lighting. My wife gave me a storage room at first but once she saw how many friends I had and some of the sizes of their layouts she gave me permission to turn that storage room into a home gym for us and to renovate the basement and put in a bigger and permanent layout. So I had to take down a few walls (not load bearing), move doors, and add lots of lighting.
Nice Bryan!
Mark Boyce posted:gunrunnerjohn posted:Where was the 11x11 layout?
It is a rear addition my in-laws put in for the sole purpose of supporting the sun room above. Exterior dimensions 12 x 12.
Good place for that sewing room to free up that corner for a larger layout. 
Bryan, aren't understanding wives great!!
John, yes indeed! My wife is quite happy with the idea too!
Orig Poster here... many excellent responses and pics. Thanks to all!
My basement is going to remain unfinished for quite a while as I have other priorities. I discovered a frog and a grasshopper in my basement. I don't know how that happened but whatever access point they came through is not likely to be sealed in the near future. I also don't like the idea of the benchwork providing a nice area for creepy crawly activity and cobwebs, but it seems like that's going to be a necessary tradeoff for the benefits of a basement layout. A dehudifier, shopvac, and brighter lighting are needed before building benchwork.
The previous owners painted the joists and overhead area with black paint which adds to the dungeon feel. I guess I should paint it light blue to make it seem like an extension of the backdrop scenery.
Many people paint unfinished basement ceilings black. It takes the viewers attention away from the ceiling and to the layout.
There are several thread about black ceilings on the forum.
My person preference is to take the light blue paint money and buy some overhead lights
I think it comes down to pros and cons, though I personally think a basement comes out ahead in some ways.
Garage:
Pluses: Some houses don't have a basement, but most houses have a garage, more modern houses often have large 2 car garages, so you can still park a car in one of them, have some room for storage, and room for a layout (though it might not be as big as you think), and given that a lot of people seem to use garages for anything but cars..... if built into the house, usually has direct access. Garage may be less damp then a basement (really depends on the area the house is in), but that may not be true in all or even many places. Garage also is easier to bring materials into, since you have a nice wide door you can open, you can easily work outside on a nice day with sawing and such, back the car right up to the door when bringing home wood and whatnot.
Minuses: Because of the outside door, tends to be a lot more dusty, and a garage tends not to be very well insulated, so it will have huge temperature swings and that is a big problem. To use a garage you pretty much have to invest time and money into making it temperature controlled, heated in winter, cooled in summer, and sealed better than most garage doors tend to be. Also the obvious ones, not being able to park the car inside (though some clever people with high ceilings in the garage have build a layout that can be raised out of the way when a car needs to be parked), takes away from the storage space people use it for. And of course, if it is a detached garage, you have to walk outside to get to it, and may have limited power into it, requiring electrical work.
Basement:
Pluses : Basement can be a relatively large space in many houses (outside my house, with a 1950's split level half basement *grrr*). Basement because it is below grade tends to have less temperature swings (depends on how well sealed the walls are, outside wall throughs and so forth), and usually has internal access (ie not a walk out basement). Power panel is there, so relatively easy to run more power. Because it has less temperature swings/outside exposure then a garage, easier to heat/cool it, whether from the central system (usually located there) or an auxiliary unit (a heat pump style portable A/C system often offers a heating option, too, which may work to make it comfortable).
Minuses: Not all basements are big, and given you have things like hot water heater, central furnace/boiler there, laundry rooms, and competition with family rooms, etc, may not have as much space as you might think. More than a few basements are humid, requiring some sort of dehumidifier. Basements often have ducts and low hanging pipes that may make finishing it off more difficult, and often lead to less than desirable ceiling height (my basement is only 7' ceilings, so drop ceilings don't work). If the basement doesn't have a ceiling, can get dust and such coming down from upstairs, depending on the kind of flooring up there, if there are gaps in the flooring/subfloor. Getting stuff into the basement can be tricky, if they have the kind of entrance mine has (not impossible, just tricky). Might have to build the layout with the idea you might have to disassemble part of it, in case for example the hot water heater fails and needs to be replaced, or the furnace/boiler/washer/dryer. Some basements might be a flooding risk, and you may need to get a french drain/sub pump system put in.
All in all, if practical a basement IME generally is the better place of the two, if it has the available space. Ideally it would be to do something like I once thought, like using the midlevel of our house as a layout space, but got the "are you on drugs?" look immediately on suggesting that......
Even though we have a detached 2 car garage my layout is in the basement. When my house was built in 1940 it was built as 2 apartments. The basement level was the living room, bathroom and laundry area for the 1st floor apartment. When my wife inherited the house we had it made into a single family dwelling with new electrical service, new hot water boiler, central air and moved the laundry area to one of the 2nd floor bedrooms.. Well the old basement living room (14' x 17') being completely finished with hardwood floors became my train room. So now the basement has become my little world with a finished train room, a full bathroom, a small kitchen and a nice work shop all climate controlled.
I'd pick the basement since the environment can be better controlled. I found humidity/dampness to be an issue. The humidity/dampness contributed an organic growth on the exterior of some wire insulation under the layout. A dehumidifier solved that problem. You might also considered water sources to avoid flooding your layout from above if you select a basement. My layout is under our living room so flooding is not a likely issue.
mike g. posted:I didn't have room in the garage, and don't have a basement. So I built onto the back of my garage to add a 12' X 24' train room.
This is awesome. What a great idea!
shorling posted:... You might also considered water sources to avoid flooding your layout from above if you select a basement. My layout is under our living room so flooding is not a likely issue.
Good advice re water sources. However, just because your layout isn't below a water source doesn't mean it can't get wet. Water can travel above a finished ceiling. Don't ask how I know this.
For me Basement, our old layout wad in the basement to, that's where all the room is. We moved last year in a 100 y/o house. Everything needed to be redone. The big thing was the leaking basement when heavy rains fell. I have fixed all the issues, gutted it and rewired. Just finishing the mud work. I hope to be running trains by November. It's been 1 1/2 years since I ran trains. I had to finish the upstairs first before the basement.
It’s looking great T8AFAO!! I had my first layout in my parents’ old basement, so there was no fixing up. It was dry, but dark and dirty!
Thanks Boyce, I still need to shoot the open ceiling with white and pick out the lights for the main room. There is a bar that I redone to be my work area. The layout will be 10ft by 21ft. Still working on a layout plan. I have drawn up so many I have just confused myself now.
A basement is well "Sub". It is limited in uses verses a garage. You can repair and store your car, wax it, store your lawn mower /tractor, store garden stuff, store snow mobiles, motor cycles and bicycles, store heavy stuff like furniture, build big stuff, have a big stuff work shop and more and never have to haul it or yourself up and down stairs.
Garages are a first rate space and basements are second rate because of there limited uses.
A train layout should be built in a basement if you are lucky enough to have one and is superior for this as basements are more indoor with better temperatures in winter and summer.
Charlie
Wow, so many great ideas to consider, however, it all boils down to what your willing to spend on, your Garage, or Basement, to make it your Man Cave. I live in middle Tennessee, where many homes have nice finished basements. My wife picked a house she liked, and placed a full basement under it for my train room. It was a total surprise to me, and all I can say is, Praise the Lord, as He put our marriage together. I can say, she has made my life easier by letting me use the basement for trains, my friends, and simply keeping me under her feet.
My basement has three sides underground, and the back door opening to the outside under our deck. This way, we do all the construction outside, keeping the basement clean. We do have central heat and air, a dehumidifier, and great lighting, both recessed and track. I actually built the basement one block high to allow me an 8’ drop ceiling. I installed a nice tile floor, and the layout is built in the L-Girder system. (5/8 Plywood, 1/2 inch Homesote, 1/4 cork roadbed. ) The main level is 41 inches off the floor, going to 80 inches above the floor. There is an above the doors G Guage LGB Layout going through the walls. It’s my little man cave that’s a great way to escape the problems of the world. Basement Size, 42’ by 45’, Layout size, 17 by 36, five level, 072 to 0108 curves...
My advice, build your layout in the place that’s best for you. Also, a small, Nice layout is really just fine. A friend of mine, Gayle Rotching, Cincinnati, Ohio, has a great 16 by 16 foot layout that’s the best I have ever Experienced. It’s a basement lsyout. His layout is on OGR the video as is mine. I suggest your looking at the OGR Videos For well detailed ideas for your consideration.
Good luck, the Season for trains is fast approaching, enjoy your pursuit of happiness, keep us informed. Happy Railroading.
Basement. I have a portion of partial basement-that means small layout. 12x13 L shaped. I am in my late 60s and this has been finished for about 10 years. I guess I am a less is more type. Fendermain
The wainscoting looks real sharp.
Yup, like the wainscoting. It hides a ton of stuff you store there.
My two cents: I recently purchased a farm with a finished basement. My wife bought a loom that is set-up in the basement, and she said “you’re going to have to keep me company down here.” So my decision was easy. I have a large closet/shop where I keep my work bench. I was formally a jeweler. The bench is great for model work.
The best advantage I see in having a basement layout is the regulated temperature. It is cool in the summer-a great escape from the heat/humidity. It is warm in the winter- and no snow!
Have fun wherever you decide to build. 
ok, here we go... basement layout 1.0 !
Ah, you have built in bumpers to keep the trains from falling onto the floor! Excellent!
In Chicago we have basements, so that's where my layout is. My basement doesn't have drywall or a ceiling but it does have a tile floor and forced air heat/cooling. Stays around 65° all year. Plus the beer fridge is in the basement for convenient access.
Garrett76 posted:I'm faced with building the layout in the garage or unfinished basement. how have some of you handled that choice? everyone's physical spaces and environmental circumstances are a little different, I'm sure. Please share pics of interesting workarounds for storage and benchwork. thanks!
Whatever you do make sure it is in an environmentally controlled area. If you are in a garage and there is no heat and no air conditioning you won't go out there you won't work it will not be comfortable and no one will want to go out there. If you do it in the basement, be sure you prepare the basement before you start.! Let me reiterate that statement, prepare the area before you start! Put down some rubberized flooring so it's comfortable to stand on it put up drywall on the walls cover the ceiling with something so dust won't fall when people are walking around upstairs. At a barebone minimum paint the ceiling black paint the entire thing black if you want the room to look good. You need to plan the layout out so you can get sufficient lighting over the layout in the areas where you're going to have the layout. Take great care. Don't get into a great rush and just start slapping track down running in every direction and ending up with a mess like most people have.
A mess like most people have? 
I guess less IS more sometimes 
Bruce “claimed” 1/2 the basement. My wife stomped her feet and complained about how much “real estate” I required. She finally came around.
I want to echo John C.’s concern about the floor mats. I found several very useful comfort mats at COSTCO. These are a great relief when standing on the hard floor.
I guess I'll be the odd man out. I hate (strong word) basement railroading. Dark and dreary even if flooded by inexpensive LEDs nowadays.
It may be an insurmountable task but I love model building in natural light and it makes models look real. A few years ago I was looking at houses and one of them had a 14x24' sunroom attached. It was rural property and the room was somewhat shaded by trees but it was bright and cheerful. Exactly where I'd be happy modeling.
Once I retire I hope to build a climate controlled sunroom/deck layout off of the upper floor of my property. it may not be able to be a 30x50' dream railroad but I hope to squeeze a nice rural PA themed P:48 layout there.
Oh, and Mrs. Rule 292 loves the basement for doing her art and for sewing so that is a big plus for me and my plans. 
I built a separate building for a shop and trains when I built my House and Framed it up with 2x6 Walls and 10 ft ceiling.The floor is carpeted and it has AC and heat and well insulated.Building is 1800sq ft and no worries about Humidity it Runs 5-7%in the Summer.For comfort it has bathroom andrefer for Drinks.
Mikey
Garrett76 posted:I'm faced with building the layout in the garage or unfinished basement. how have some of you handled that choice? everyone's physical spaces and environmental circumstances are a little different, I'm sure. Please share pics of interesting workarounds for storage and benchwork. thanks!
It depends on where you live. I’d you have some sort of climate control/HVAC unit in your garage, I would do it in there. If not, I would finish the basement and build down there.
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