Change of plans: basements

[Rogue]

I've had to change plans for a number of reasons and I'm now working on the basement to make it usable. This solves a number of important problems in terms of access and weight (not really a problem for a basement, compared to the original attic location!)

It's a standard Victorian-ish end terrace with the old coal chute partly open for ventilation, leading directly to the pavement outside the house. Some very minor water entry through the gap that I should be able to tackle, though as it provides ventilation under the floorboards I won't seek to block it. The basement, though neglected and cruddy, seems fairly dry and doesn't have any smell of damp that would concern me. The floor appears to be concrete and there is electrickery available.

My plans have always included a completely over-the-top enclosure to keep the noise levels down as far as possible while still shifting heat away safely. This will become more important now as the living room is directly above.

To my mind currently, the biggest (or smallest) problem is that the height from floor to the bottom of the joists is approx 170cm - while I'm approx 185cm tall I'm planning on having everything at a good height for working seated!

So, my questions are;

1. What concerns should I have about keeping machinery and electronics in this environment? What steps could I take to keep them in good shape?
2. My original enclosure plans relied on MDF for density, is MDF likely to have a problem in this kind of environment?
3. Is it safe to just slap a layer of paint onto a basement wall or do they have to be dealt with differently? Do they need to "breathe" or whatever it is walls need to do underground?
4. How do everything as cheaply as possible!

Any and all suggestions gratefully received! If there's a question that you think I should have asked but haven't, please feel free to answer it anyway :)



The Chute




The middle section taken from near the stairs


The far right section taken from near the bottom right corner





Edit to add: How the heck do you get rid of the unwanted attached thumbnails?