Looks just like the big guys we used to find in the boat house all summer long. They were called fishing spiders, but can be found around (and in) homes, too.

Where are you located, and was is the approximate size of your spider?

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:250948}}

Possibly Dolomedes tenebrosus.

Thanks for the ID! Yes, that's him (or her). We are in Maryland, near Patapsco State Forest. There is a stream and woods nearby, but this fellow was on our basement wall (outside thank heavens!) I was not willing to get close enough to measure it, but I would say it was about 2.5 inches or more. There were several other different spiders in webs nearby. Spiders are really fascinating. Maybe I will post some more.
Our next door neighbor just put in a small circulating pond (like a babbling brook) complete with fish, maybe that attracted this guy to come out of the woods - it's babbling loud enough!
BlueBars