After years and years of squirreling away money as well as hemming and hawing about getting the project started, I finally pulled the trigger on converting a chunk of our basement into a cigar lounge.
Concurrent with the decision to build the lounge was a decision to replace and upgrade the existing HVAC system in the house. We went from two furnaces down to one, and the space savings allowed for a lounge that is just about 400 sq ft.
First issue, however, was taking care of a support pole right in the middle of the space. While a built in stripper pole anchored to both the floor and ceiling beam would allow me to incorporate a high intensity core workout into a routine that currently includes no exercise whatsoever, I ultimately decided on having it removed. This necessitated an upgraded support beam being installed, and they literally had a portion of the house on jacks when they did that.
BEFORE
AFTER
In order to appease my better half, I opted to have a completely separate HVAC system handle the lounge. Went with a mini split that uses ductwork separate from the main house plus an air exchange unit to filter and provide fresh air.
MINI-SPLIT FOR HEAT & COOLING
AIR EXCHANGE UNIT IS THE BOX ON THE CINDER BLOCKS
As the framing took shape, we made the decision to seal up the two windows in the space to give the lounge a darker feel and reduce any potential glare on the TV.
