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TOMAReally nice looking house
Ed.I know you operated on Lance Mindheim’s layout. Can you see yourself with around the walls leaving the middle open?Tom
First, lighting. No more crazy fixes like in the last place. This time I'm planning on installing track lighting on the drop ceiling (yes, it's a drop ceiling). I'm looking for something low-profile (the ceiling isn't too tall).
Third, floors. Carpeted layout areas, while nice for the feet, suck for pretty much everything else. I'm thinking of going with some nice light colored wood laminate.
Who gets the garage?
So, what's behind the drop ceiling? I'd be tempted to rip it out and install something new that's as close to whatever is overhead as possible. Who knows, you might be able to gain a foot or so. Then install track lighting--although you might hold off on this until you know how the layout is shaped--you may need additional branches of light tracks for peninsulas, etc. (Yes, I know--but never say never.)Speaking from direct experience, carpeting in any basement (or basement-like) space is bad for multiple reasons. Laminate flooring is OK, but it's much better if you install a premium cushion underlay before the laminate. Most beneficial to the feet and spine.
The ceiling is pretty tight to the actual ceiling, including some ductwork, so there's not much to gain there.
I've been thinking about it a bit and I think there are three major improvements I need to make before it's ready for anything.First...Second...Third...Fourth...
Despite being a split level...
Love my vinyl laminate flooring from Home Depot. Of course I installed it in place of carpet AFTER the old layout was built (it had legs) but before ripping the old one out to put the new one in. Still was an easy install even with an occasional leg in the way.Definitely do the lighting first. I waited on my track lighting until the layout was well under way. I am still trying to get it installed because of course a couple tracks need to be OVER the benchwork. Go figure. Plan that out in as much detail as you need to avoid doing it the hard way. Mock the basement and layout up if needed. Will you be using tall backdrops? Eye level? or shorties ala Ttrak and Ntrak? The latter won't impact lighting much, but I know my tall backdrops definitely impact the amount of light available, so plan accordingly when calculating the lumens you need. Also expect the over 40 need for brighter lighting just to see what you can now. That aspect of aging impacted me the most in the hobby. Details such I could see easily 10 years ago now disappear without much more intense lighting.Can we assume you'll be ditching Conrail for a real privately run prototype?
Ed, re: paint... I recommend against straight white. When I was modeling Pennsy I used a color called "Morning Haze" by Behr and it's a very, very light grayish-blue:It looks like the hazy sky you're after but is a little softer.