blue october pinball - quick update

So I got the front coin door finished, the backbox finished, and all the cabinet clearcoated.  I still have to re-locate score displays and get a translite printed, but I did photoshop the backglass in to see how it would look:

basement layout

Ok, so now that my basement crack is getting filled in next week, I'm already planning the layout.  I've had an idea on where I want things, but it's nice to actually visualize it by modeling it in solidworks:

Once you start laying things out in actual scale, you realize how some things fit great, and others don't.  For instance, in the upper left corner you can see I have a drain pipe that runs along the upper portion of the wall (but not high enough for pins to clear it).  So either I have to loose 5" of space, or I have to consider having it modified to raise it up.  Then there's the matter of the water softner.  Could they have installed that next to the water heater?  Heck no, it needs to get installed at the main, which is RIGHT next to the bottom of the stairs and eats up more precious space (I'm sure I'm not the only one with this problem, but clearly architects never intend to maximize basement living space).  I have some industrial shelving I bought from costco (each shelf can hold up to 2,000lbs), one of which fits nicely at the end of the stairs.  This shelf is for storing things that get accessed a lot (bags, overflow of food, toiletries, etc).  Then there are 2 more of the same shelving that I currently have next to the water heater / HVAC system.  I have a feeling a chunk of this side of the basement is simply going to become an unfinished storage area that will get walled off.

I'm figuring for flooring in the finished area will be some engineered wood flooring.  You can usually buy it for $1/sq ft, pins slide nicely on it, it wears well, and it gives you a nice warm feeling.  I've looked into how to fasten down the stud framing, and a lot of people swear by the masonry screws (drill a hole, gently torque the screw into the concrete), but I have read a couple bad reviews about how the difference between the minor and major diameter are so minimal that screw holes strip easily.