A new Darkroom!

[Calamity Jane]

Since the weather has been too hot to do any work outside and my photography has outgrown my darkroom, I decided it was time to do something I have wanted to do since I bought this house in 1997 - setup a darkroom in the basement! Since my photography is now a side-line business, the costs are paid with tax-free money :-)

The house dates from about 1920 and was moved to this location in 1975. Unfortunately, the fellow who did the move and put in the new foundation failed to consider the high groundwater levels in the spring and in times of heavy rain (like this year!). Instead of starting the basement floor at grade level, he went down a couple of feet, which means the basement is most always wet in the spring with water seeping in thru every crack.

Someone (before me) decided to finish the basement, or at least to put a bedroom down there - DUMB! They made no provisions for the water on the floor and even used fiberglass insulation (which wicks the water!) The existing walls have to come out.

You can see some of the water damage and rotten lumber as I started tearing out the existing walls:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v181/calamityjanecanary/Basement3.jpg

There will be some lumber that is salvagable but most of the sheeting is rotten along the bottom.

The new darkroom will occupy part of the basement (which is already nearly light-tight): http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v181/calamityjanecanary/Basement1.jpg

I haven't decided on the layout yet - I want to see the space with the existing walls removed - but I did discover I have one more basement window than I thought so that will become the exhaust vent!

To accomodate the water, I plan to lay styrofoam (SM) strips along the floor (probably about 2"), leaving a space behind the strip for the water to move (1.5") Over that strip, I will lay another styrofoam strip 3.5" wide. The base of the walls will sit on top of the second styrofoam and will therefore not be exposed to the water while the water is free to run along the space underneath on its way to the sump.

(I work in a large engineering office with many talented and resourceful designers but, even there, in the hydro-electric company, nobody has ever build wood walls to accomodate water movement so it will be interesting to see how this works out!)

My sump is almost in the middle of the basement and that is where I dump my darkroom waste, so I haven't decided if I want to do a U-shaped layout, with the wet side ending at the sump, or to do an "in-line" layout along my long wall. (Scratches head . . .)

In any event, it will be nice to move out of my 10x12 darkroom and into a MUCH larger space, a space where I have total freedom in the layout.

I'll re-post to this thread as work progresses.

On my way to the dump now with a whole truck load of trash from the basement . . .

[robert_4927]

I would start by digging around the outside of the basement and installing a curtain drain (perforated pipe) and sealing the outside walls with the right sealer and plastic. Then backfill with gravel. Why not keep the water out instead of accommodating the water that comes in. Wet floors invite mold and mildew, high humidity and not a very good or healthy work environment. Constant water flow through your basement walls is inviting structural failure over time. Since these improvments are a tax write off why not fix it right? But that's just my opinion.

[David A. Goldfarb]

10x12--such luxury, and you want more?!

Okay, so do I. One thing to think about, if you've got lots of space is to keep the wet side far enough from the dry side to avoid contamination of the dry space, but not so far that you have a long walk from the enlarger to the developer tray.

[Steve Feldman]

C'lam, (pardon the familiarity, but we all feel we know you),

I'm with Robert on sealing out the moisture. Maybe get the guy from "This Old House" to plan it out. Put the project on TV.

My DR is only 5x7. Have to step outside to change f stops. Thought it was big enough when I built it inside the garage. 10x12 would indeed be a luxury.

[Robert McClure]

Ms. CJ,

Robert's comments sound pretty good to me. I had a similar problem a few years ago (previous house) with water getting into the crawl space under the house (we're in the south - no basements). A number of folks in that business told me to keep the water directed away from the house in the first place. I redirected roof runoff water by further extending flexible gutter pipes from the gutters out further into the yard. Then, as Robert said, I went down a few feet next to the foundation on the high side and installed the perforated pipe, backfilling with crushed stone.

Robert's comments to seal, though, beforehand, are probably what is critical. Ground moisture, even with water directed away, will need to be prevented from getting through porous block.

Also, I was told in my own case, to incline the soil slightly downhill/away from the foundation wall.

Here's a site with helpful information:

http://www.bobandrodman.com/basics.shtml

By the way, sorry I was unable to get you the condensor from my 4x5 enlarger I was giving away. A guy from Florida drove up to visit his parents in Macon and swung by my town (I'm just south of Atlanta). He picked it up.

FWIW, had he not surfaced as a viable recipient, I had decided to ship it to you.

Regrets/Cheers

[Hans Berkhout]

what's that about the condensor- I have a Beseler 4x5 lamphousing with condensors if you want it let me know it's for free, except shippingcosts from Calgary. It's dry.

[Calamity Jane]

Robert: That was the first thing I thought of when I bought the house in 1997 - I have a crawler/loader and would have put in the weeping tile myself. However, I talked to a local hydraulic contractor (a fellow who does wells, septic fields, and weeping tiles) and lives on the same gravel ridge I do. His comment was "How much do you want to spend on electricity?" Apparently he runs continuously 3 horsepower in pumps to keep the ground water from flooding his sump. With so much gravel in the ground, one has to pull the water table down for miles around to get a dry basement.

In this part of the country, on the gravel ridge, you either build on top of the ground, pay a fortune to run pumps (one isn't enough!), or put up with the water. My neighbours have just taken over their parents house (800 feet away) and have spend a small fortune and the whole summer raising the house 5 feet and filling in the bottom 4 feet of the basement to get above the water.

If I were wealthy, I'd build a new house but I am not and I would rather spend what little money I have on my photography. That being the case, I have learned to live with the water.

All other darkroom related suggestions are very welcome!

(Splashing about in the soon-to-be darkroom.......)

[Donald Qualls]

Okay, check me on something -- your sewage runs downhill to *somewhere* -- right? Perhaps just into a septic tank and drain field, and if so, there really might be no way out, but -- if there's a "down" to drain sewage, the same "down" should gravity drain the tile around the basement without paying for pumps 24/7.

If that's not the case, the cheapest way to do it *right* might be to jack the whole house up enough to maintain headroom and install a raised floor in the basement -- gravel/sand underlay and a new concrete floor above the water table. Yes, you'd have to play some games with wiring and plumbing, but in the end you'd have the house where it should have been in the first place -- above grade.

Nope, not volunteering. That's really a job for a specialty contractor, best done when you'll be out of town for a month. But it might be the only way to work in the basement with dry feet without acquring a permanent scoliosis.

[Brian C. Miller]

Have you thought about building a boat hull?

Seriously, you could buy woven roving cloth (http://www.tapplastics.com/shop/product.php?pid=86&) and build a hull inside your basement. Be sure to use marine-grade resins. That would seal out the water, and leave you dry. I recommend Tap Plastics based on personal experience.

(Tap Plastics makes a filler called Tap 500 (http://www.tapplastics.com/shop/product.php?pid=103&). I had filled out a damaged right front body panel with it, smoothed it out, and it looked nice. Later the truck struck a deer. The panel bent a bit and there were some cracks, but the filler stayed on it with no problems. It was reinforced with Fiberglas drywall tape.)

[Calamity Jane]

Donald: The nearest "downhill" is about 1200 feet away - that's where the water in the gravel is headed anyway which is why the high water is not a continual problem under normal conditions and no, I am not going to lay 1200 feet of pipe - which would just cause errosion of the finer soils around the weeping tiles and cause MORE problems!

I do not have the money to raise the house or turn the basement into a hull - which would require a whole new basement and if I was going to do that, I'd build above grade and wouldn't need it.

The water "problem" in this area has been looked at by the best and brightest minds and the alternatives are stated above.

This thread was supposed to be about building the idea dream darkroom!

[Brian C. Miller]

Yeah, but its not much of a dream darkroom when you wear waders! :-)

The raised floor looks to be the best bet, but I wouldn't use Styrofoam, as that will compress and age. It would be better to use a non-compressible plastic product. Maybe use PVC pipe ends instead under the studs. Also remember to ventilate the space under the floor. Forced air would be best, as you wouldn't want water vapor to mess things up. Also you may occasionally want to clean the concrete, so factor in being able to pull up sections of the floor for cleaning.

[Jim Ewins]

Jane , consider alum framing. The technique is a little different from wood but works well. A screw gun instead of a hammer. Use mointure resistant Wall board (green board). For the floor perhaps duck boards would do. (let the water flow).

[Calamity Jane]

Brian "not much of a dream darkroom when you wear waders"

On the contrary, with good humidity, dust isn't much of a problem ;-)

I like the idea of PVC pipe stubs to support the walkway - they wont soak up water. I was going to use retired insulators (since I just happen to have a ready supply) but I also have a bunch of PVC pipe.

[robert_4927]

As entertaining as this post is I hope you are not serious about this approach. Please tell me you're joking. I know you want to spend your money on photography but unless you do something about the water coming in you will be spending a lot more to repair your foundation because over time it will structurally fail. Think about it.....the grand canyon was cut with water. Also keep an eye open for that black mold.....a couple of deep breaths of those spores and you won't need to worry about a darkroom or a basement. Jane, fix it right before your basement walls start collapsing in. You may want to check with your insurance company. Your homeowners may cover a lot of the right repairs. Good luck and keep those electric cords up off of the floor.

[Henry Ambrose]

Listen to Robert.

You're in for trouble with raised floors and all that water underneath - smell, rot, mold and mildew. And of course the weakening of the foundation as the water moves through it is bad. If its only wet for a few months then you could run sump pumps to keep it dry when needed. I'd vacate that area and add plenty of active ventilation if I were living there.

If you can't fix the basement then build your darkroom in a new outbuilding next to your house. Proably cost less building new on top of the ground than trying to make your basement habitable.

[Calamity Jane]

Robert: The land here is gravel. The movement of water in no way "errodes" anything. There are many foundations over 40 years old that are still fine. As the hydraulic contractor said, "We live in a river that just happens to be full of rocks."

Mildew and mold is the main reason I have stripped the interior walls.

I have been a designer in engineering and construction for 35 years and have some idea what I am doing but, since almost everybody is hung up on the water issue, lets just let this thread die. I'll post a picture of the darkroom when it's done.

[robert_4927]

Jane, Seven years of college and 25 years building bridges, including a few superstructures that spanned bodies of moving water (rivers) All I can say is that your statement, "the movement of water in no way "errodes" anything", has a couple of my college professors turning in their grave. But hey like you said, you're the expert. I'm sorry I offered some advice and I'll make a note not to let it happen again. Good luck

[robert_4927]

But before I write myself that note let me just add that you may want to consult a hydrologist who is much more qualified in the study of the properties, distribution, and the effects of water than a hydraulic contractor. Ok I'm done. Good luck in your endeavor.

[Scott Davis]

Jane-

as another wet basement victim, let me again recommend the exterior waterproofing with the drain tile. That was what had to be done to waterproof my basement, where my darkroom is. My situation is not too different than yours... when my neighborhood was developed back in the early 1900s, they buried an existing stream to free up surface land. My house is downhill from the origin of that stream. When we get heavy rain, the water table rises above the level of the footers of my foundation. Before my waterproofing job, every time it rained, I had a large puddle forming in my basement. In just a year, that amount of water showing up on a regular basis not only ruined the bottom 24" of drywall the whole way around with water stains, mold and mildew, but it also created a damp enough environment that I now have mold forming inside two of my enlarging lenses. I don't know about you, but I'm not rich enough to throw away El-Nikkors every two years.

Have the basement sealed from outside - dig out the foundations, re-parge the outside (I think you'll be shocked when you do as to how much of the cement between the foundation blocks has dissolved), put up waterproofing tar, plastic barrier board, and then the gravel and drain tile. You don't have to run the drain tile very far to get good drainage. If your soil is as gravelly as you say, you may not even need the drain tile - just get the waterproofing done. My house is not large, but the bill was substantial because my house is surrounded on two sides by other people's property, and the hill behind me. To seal the rear, they had to tear out my concrete patio by hand, then excavate to the footers by hand. The side of the house that doesn't share a wall (I'm in a row house (aka townhouse) ) they were able to tackle with a backhoe. They also put in a drain system under the basement floor, which ended up costing me $12,000 USD. That's a Washington DC price, so you may find yours costs less, even with greater size, because of lower labor rates where you live.

If you value your health, your equipment, and your negatives, do yourself the favor of having your foundations waterproofed. Don't do any construction inside (drywall, etc) before you have that water problem solved - you'll just end up redoing it every couple years, and shortly you'll have spent on basement renovations what you would have spent on the waterproofing.

[Calamity Jane]

The foundation is poured concrete - nobody uses cement blocks in this part of the country.

Water oozes in around the joint where the floor meets the walls. It also oozes in thru the floor wherever there is a joint (like where the footings for the jack-posts are) because the water not only moves horizontally but will also come up from underneath if it can. We are not talking about surface water that comes from rain falling on the ground, we are talking about an aquafer (sp?) that is fed by a large area of lower ground (about 3 square miles) to the west of me.

That is why, in an earlier post, I stated that the only way to keep an excavated basement dry is to pump the WHOLE watertable down and that means lowering the watertable thru a substantial area (at least 1 square mile). That is why very large pumps are required to drain weeping tiles. The same aquafer provides the (high quality) water in my well and numerous other wells in my area. Lowering the water table would lower the water in my well as well as those of my neighbours.

To the best of my knowledge, no one has sucessfully built a sealed basement under these conditions.

As far as the health hazards, the growth of mould and mildew requires a biological food source in intimate contact with water, which is why I have stripped the conventionally constructed interior walls from the basement. Any new interior walls will NOT be in contact with the water or a wet floor.

Gentlemen, I appreciate your concern but I have been studying this specific problem since 1997 and have consulted with a large number of knowledgable and experienced people who routinely deal with unusual construction, engineering, and hydrological situations. Though it is unconventional, I DO know what I am doing and I know that the probability of success is high enough to justify the effort.

[Donald Hutton]

Calamity

What is the purpose then of this post? What "question" are you asking? You posted a message about building a dream darkroom and most of what you said had to do with the water problems you were going to have - as a result you were offered loads of advice which you are now scorning - perhaps if you directed the post to what it is you are trying to find out, you will get the answers to the questions you have...? Without doing so, ticking people off for providing a whole lot of useful information is really just rude.

[Calamity Jane]

I'm sorry if I "ticked people off".

I was looking for hints and suggestions on the layout of "the perfect darkroom" and the thread got focused on the ground water. I shouldn't even have mentioned the water or replied to posts about the water! I know how to handle the water.

What I DON'T know is all the ins and outs of designing the perfect darkroom. I have read everything I can find on darkroom design, I have played with dozens of layouts, I have studied what other's have done, what equipment and services they install and where but I don't find a lot of information on "what I would have done differently" from people who have built a darkroom while working with "a free hand". I had always been a renter (before 1997) and had to make do with whatever space I could find and adapt.

Now I have a huge space that is vacant. I can lay it out as I please. I can run electrical, plumbing, vents wherever I want. I can build walls where I want or have no walls at all. The entire basement is easily made light tight, so I can use any or all of it - my darkroom can be 20x36 feet if I want.

One of the problems in selecting a layout is that my photography is evolving, changing. I only got into LF a bit over a year ago. Before LF, the existing darkroom was ok. Now, with LF and getting into alternate processes and work-for-hire, the existing space is too small and inflexable.

Hummmm, maybe I should use the whole basement as a darkroom and go modular with my wet side, dry side, and enlarger table??? That would allow me to rearrange the working area as my needs change . . . what an intersting concept. I have never seen a "modular darkroom" . . . maybe this thread led to a unique concept in the end after all.

Thanks for the seed of an idea Don.

[Richard Ide]

Hi Calamity,

One large darkroom has some advantages. When I had my business, my darkroom was 1600 sq. ft. I built all my tables and counters the same height and on locking casters. It only took a few minutes to completely rearrange my shop. Setting up to layout and mount 8 ft. x 24 ft. prints was no problem. Even cutting a 20 ft. plastic sheet on my tablesaw was a breeze. By the way; woodworking and photography are allergic to each other. I also moved four times and getting up and running in a new location was very easy. If I can answer any questions, I would be glad to help.

Richard

[Donald Hutton]

Personally, my photography has constantly evolved - if there's one thing I'd plan into a darkroom, it's the possibility of change. The other thing is getting your worktops and sink at just the right height for you! I'm resonably tall and built my sink and counter tops at 40 inches - it makes an enormous difference to comfort; and being comfortable in your workspace is the key to wanting to spend time in it...

[mark blackman]

with upto 6 x 11 m to play with, I would be inclined to move away from the standard layout of having everything against the wall and have a central island (above your sump) with the sinks etc. Next question - what's the headroom like? If you can, get a 10x8 enlarger, they are going for a song and will proably out-live you.

What sort of processing do you do? In a space that size, I would be inclined to 'light' as much of it as I could with safe lights, though if you do a lot of film processing in trays perhaps not such a good idea. I Would be tempted with a small dark-room within a dark-room solely for loading/unloading film.

[Calamity Jane]

Mark: Headroom is generally limited and irregular. The floor joists are about 7 feet above the floor but there are ducts, pipes, beams and other things that hang down. I'll pick the best height for my enlarger and then have the table so I can lower it. I have a Dichro 45 on a homemade mount.

Central island? That's interesting. I'll have to ponder that! I was wondering how I was going to cover the sump (so I don't loose visitors) - a central wet island might be just the ticket!

What processing do I do? I do 4x5 and 8x10 B&W, E-6, Rockland's "pseudo tintype", and I am planning to move into wet plate tintypes. I also do P.O.P. printing in 4x5 and 8x10

As I have moved away from conventional film/paper processing, I find my requirement for tabletop dry space (under safelight) has skyrocketed.

[Eric Biggerstaff]

Since space does not seem to be an issue, build two rooms.

A "clean" room is very nice to do work such as spotting, mounting, cleaning holders, working on a PC, storing finished prints, storing portfolio's, storing negatives, etc. Lots of bright light to work by. Very nice to have.

Then next to it, have the darkroom. Sink on one long side, enlarger on the other. Not to far apart as you don't want to have to walk far from elarger to sink. Lots of counter space is a must. Build your own, it is cheap. You can also build your own sinks so the size matching what you will need for the size of prints you make. A pocket door with a light trap at the top and bottom is great.

Everyone will have a different idea on the perfect darkroom, it is a matter of likes and style. Are there any other photographers in the area whose room you can go look at?

www.ericbiggerstaff.com

[Calamity Jane]

Progress: http://www.geocities.com/winnonad/newdarkroom/nd1.html

[Calamity Jane]

DAMN! Photography is HARD WORK!

After 3 days of bustin my britches, I have got the 12 by 16 foot end of the basement de-constructed, the wet and rotten wod hauled out, the new walls framed, sheeted, and a coat of white paint on it, and even got the hot and cold water run in.

When the paint dries, I am going to sheet the unfinished ceiling with builder's plastic to catch any dust that falls from the floor above (eventhough I have thoroughly vacuumed same) - with ducts and pipes and such, it is too uneven to use rigid sheeting. Then the lights will go in.

My existing darkroom table is about 8 feet by 2 feet with a double sink in one end so I plan to put a splash board around it, give it a good heavy coat of exterior paint, and use it as my wet table for now. I have a 6x2 foot utility table for the dry side and a 4x2 foot desk for the enlarger table - my home made 4x5 enlarger mounts on the wall.

I have a bunch of left-over 3/4" plywood that I will cut up for shelves and even have a couple of large pieces of pegboard for storage.

I look forward to moving into the new space and using it for awhile before deciding what other furniture and equipment I want to add and where. In every other darkroom I have had, within a few years, I have had a list of "should haves"! Maybe going modular this time will work out better.

It'll be nice to get back to "work" that isn't as much like "work"! ;-)

Thanks for all the suggestions folks!

[Calamity Jane]

WAHOO! Moved into the new darkroom last week and spent Sunday doing a bunch of POP prints for customers.

There's things to be done yet, like the exhaust fan, lighting control, shelves, etc., but I was wanting to spend some time in the new space to figure out where I want to locate things.

It is GREAT, moving from an 8x10 darkroom to a 12x16 space! LOTS of room to move, room to have more than 1 item on the go at a time . . . it's WONDERFUL! The light-trap entrance at the foot of the basement stairs is great - come and go without letting in light.

I am also finding some of the short-comings and am open to suggestions:

1 - It is a good 30 feet from the darkroom to the baffled entrance on the other side of the basement and it's DARNED hard to find my way from the darkroom to the entrance when walking AWAY from the safelight. I could run a wire from the darkroom to the entrance and install another safelamp bulb but . . . has anyone seen glow-in-the-dark strips that would be paper-safe? If I installed a couple of glow strips it would help avoid running into things ;-) I know my GreyLab timer has a glow-in-the-dark dial and it doesn't seem to fog film (though I am not sure why), so maybe there is a product out there that would work.

2 - What are folks using for shelves?

I'd like to have some free-standing shelving (to avoid attaching to the walls) and wonder if metal industrical shelving might be the best?

3 - What are folks using for mats or "walk ways" on concrete floors?

Thanks gang! I always appreciate your suggestions

[Paul Butzi]

congrats on completing the new darkroom!

1. I know that some people like to have their darkrooms dark all the time, but in mine, when I'm done and ready to leave, I just turn on the white lights. The number of times I've wanted to leave the darkroom with light sensitive material out where it could be exposed is very small. Group darkrooms need to be dark, because you can't coordinate when to turn on the white lights with six other workers in the room. But for a solo darkroom? Just turn on the lights.

2. I don't use shelves. I have cabinets, with doors that close. More work to put in (or more money) but dust doesn't accumulate on stuff, and I can clean up the dust in the darkroom just by wiping down all the exposed surfaces with a damp rag. It looks tidy, too, even though some of the cabinets are a complete disaster area inside.

3. I have close cell fatigue matting that I bought at a Lowes hardware store (the combination hardware/liquour/wine/lumber/feed store here in Carnation did not have any fatigue mats!). The closed cell stuff is spongy and makes it easy on your feet, but you can clean up spills easily. In my last darkroom, I had fatigue mats that had large, open cavities which trapped the dirt and made it hard to clean up spills without pulling out the mats and hosing them off. The open holes were also hard on my feet (we don't wear shoes in the house).

Enjoy your new work space!

[Calamity Jane]

Thanks for the thoughts Paul!

Although it's a solo operation, I find myself nipping in and out with stuff still in the trays, so I'll have to stick to safelights.

Thanks for the tips on "fatigue matting"!

Before I constructed in the basement, I looked at the "dust factor" and found the basement is BY FAR the cleanest room in my (country) house (on a gravel road). The top of the hot water tank, which had not been cleaned since I moved in in 1997 , had almost no dust whereas the rest of the house shows a pretty solid layer of brown dust (from the road and the fields) if it is not cleaned every week.

Since our winters are long and cold, I don't want to draw outside air into the darkroom but will instead draw and filter the air from the rest of the house and keep a positive pressure in the basement with an exhaust thru the darkroom.

[Paul Butzi]

CJ-

Ha. Right now, your basement is by far the cleanest room in your house. As soon as you move a box of film and a film holder down there, all the dust within a 5 mile radius will be drawn (like a moth to a flame) into your darkroom. Most of our dust here is a wicked sticky combo of pollen and dust from the road (and our driveway, which has not been treated for dust and thus is just horrible).

The only way I can keep my darkroom reasonably dust free is to wipe surfaces with a damp rag, run an electrostatic air cleaner in there, and declare the dog to be Canis non Grata in the darkroom. The net result is that when I come out of the darkroom I often trip over the dog, who has curled up against the door. My view on this is that if tripping over the dog is the worst thing that happens to me on any given day, it's a darn fine day.

I have had both positive pressure darkrooms (my last one, for instance) and negative pressure darkrooms (my current one). I haven't noticed much difference in the dust but I do note that I get much better airflow from my current darkroom even with just one exhaust fan running (I used the really quiet Panasonic Whisperline fans, which really are quiet compared to some. I hate noise.)

[Calamity Jane]

As soon as you move a box of film and a film holder down there, all the dust within a 5 mile radius will be drawn (like a moth to a flame) into your darkroom.

BAW HAW HA HA!

I hope you're right! Then I wont have to clean the main floor nearly as much!

[Hans Berkhout]

I didn't read all of the above but; avoid having fluorescent tubes in the darkroom. They glow when you want to be in total darkness, and they fool you when looking at prints. The red(?) safety sleeves to supposedly turn them into safelights create fogging of your paper.

[Frank Bagbey]

Use as small a light bulb as you can that you can easily reach, for your white light. Shut your eyes when you turn the light on for a second, before you examine a print or whatever. Use a white tray to help you see development in the tray. Use plenty of safelights and run a test to make sure they are all safe. There is no need to work in a "darkroom". Play your favorite music! These tips will help you spend hours in the darkroom and not realize it.

[Calamity Jane]

Moved into the new darkroom this week, got some shelves up today, installed the low voltage lighting control and vacuumed EVERYTHING including the dog :-) I have had the chance to run some films and prints so it's already "broken in"

I really like having lots of space! 12x16 is SUCH an improvement over 8x10! It was quite easy to blackout the entire basement but I will admit, it is awfully easy to get lost between the darkroom (at one end) and the baffled entry (at the other) so I ran a safelight circuit over to the entranceway. With such a large space, I now have to buy more safelight bulbs ;-)

I have reserved one wall for my Jobo CPA-2 (which will be here next weekend) and I'll build a table with cupboards underneath for it.

http://geocities.com/winnonad/newdarkroom/nd3.html

Thank you all for your input with my project - you helped me avoid some mistakes. The total cost ran about $800.