The Basement Bonus Room

I kept agonizing whether or not to finish one side of the basement in this house.  It had 'sort of' been finished in the past, with a suspended ceiling and a drywall partition down one side of the room (although the kids that grew up in the house in the 60's and 70's said there were no walls then.  They used to roller skate in the basement.  That's a good way to tire out a family of 6 children when the weather isn't good!). 

It also had a pellet stove, right in the middle of the room, that looked like it was rarely used (although there were holes cut in the ceiling above it, to allow heat to go upstairs).  The pellet stove really didn't make sense for a finished space, so we gave it away.

There were no water marks on the drywall to indicate a flooding problem - the only evidence of water we saw was around the windows, which had lots of dirt and leaves up against them.  That only encouraged water penetration.  So with that in mind, we decided to create some living space down there.  Because who doesn't need a bonus room?  Especially when it's a big space!

Dimple board on walls and floor, to provide airflow and drainage

In preparation, we did all the usual things.  We spray foamed the sills and walls down several feet, to provide insulation and air sealing.  We installed 'dimple board' to raise the flooring and walls off of the concrete - preventing any wicking from summertime condensation and allowing air flow.

We created a fireplace box, for an electric unit that would add heat and ambiance to the room.

Luxury Vinyl Tile is my 'go to' flooring for a basement.  It's really rugged and looks great.  

And we added a suspended ceiling, to give a finished look to the room, while providing access to any electrical or plumbing in the future.

The result?  A big, multi purpose room that the new homeowners can use for whatever they like!  

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Mansard Kitchen and Dining Room - Before and After

Many of you said the living room and foyer were dramatically changed with the updates we made, but the kitchen and dining room might be even more dramatic.  I'll let you be the judge.

Uncovering ceiling height!

Before we could do anything, we had to make some major structural changes.  We took two walls out - the wall between the living room and dining room and the wall between the living room and dining room.  Both were load bearing walls, so we had to add new beams to make the updates.  We also had to add new joists to fix sagging floors in the kitchen, as well as in the ceilings, to accommodate the bathrooms that we added above them. And of course we tore out all those old ceilings.  It was a big job, but was so necessary!

You can really see the change with the walls removed in this photo.  Now the dining and kitchen areas are one cohesive space.

Wall removal between kitchen and dining room

The dining room got a major change with multiple layers of wallpaper removed and 3 (three!!!!) ceilings removed!

We removed the original casement window and replaced it with this gorgeous antique window.  It allows lots of light to come in from the sunroom and gives the room some character.

So many layers of wallpaper! 

The custom built in provides great storage.  

The next two photos really highlight the impact of increasing the ceiling height and opening up the doorway to the living room.  Now it's so light and bright!

Dining Room - Before

Dining Room - After

The changes in the kitchen are also worthy of a 'wow'.  How many changes can you spot?  We gained an additional 18 inches of ceiling height when we removed the old suspended ceiling.

We replaced the small window over the sink with a larger, taller window, to take advantage of the new ceiling height.

Kitchen - Before

Kitchen - After

I have to mention the tall cabinet next to the window, because I love it so much.  It helps create some 'old world' charm in the kitchen. 

We recessed the refrigerator (which used to sit by itself in front of the basement stairs) into the wall and created a pantry next to it.

We added an 8 foot island with seating for 3 stools and also 4 sets of cabinets to provide lots of storage.  The counter on the island is walnut, which adds lots of warmth and luster to the room.  I find that all quartz or stone kitchen seem a bit cold and sterile. 

The stove was moved away from the window and is now a focal point as you walk into the room. 

And I'm still in love with these handmade tiles, that mimic the design of a tin ceiling. 

So what do you think?  Is this part of the house transformation even more dramatic than the living room and foyer?  

Sources:

Tile - Old Port Specialty Tile

Cabinetry - Thomasville in Whippet

Lighting - Wayfair

Appliances - LG

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Foyer and Living Room - Before & After

4 of the 6 'kids' that grew up in the house

I recently invited the 'kids' that grew up in the house to come take a tour.  Their family owned the house since 1960 and the six of them all have fond memories of their family home.  They noticed the difference in the house from the moment they walked through the door.  The biggest surprise - the ceilings!  The suspended ceilings that were in most rooms were only 8 feet high, so the 9 1/2 foot ceilings that we have now are a huge change.

The foyer is so much different now.  What changed?  Well, the front door has been replaced with an antique, style appropriate, double tombstone door.  The wallpaper is gone - after many, many hours with a steamer to remove it all. The white paint on the stair treads is gone and now the antique pine glows.

 

We have a 'new' antique light fixture that really suits the style of the home.

And with the doorway opened up a bit, now you can see the beautiful living room.

Those tall ceilings!!!!

The old, dark paneling is gone (as well as multiple layers of wallpaper that were hiding behind it!).  The biggest changes here are the addition of a gas fireplace - the original house didn't have a fireplace - and opening the doorway to the dining room and kitchen.  

We didn't create an open floor plan.  We kept the same room configuration the house has had for 150 years.   But by opening one wall and a couple of doorways a little bit, the house has a whole new look and feel (of course the taller ceilings also make a BIG difference!).  And those changes allow so much more sunlight to flood through the windows each day.

Now you can see from the foyer through the living room, dining room and out to the sunroom!

I just love this room so much.  It's so bright with the tall windows and the sun steaming in.  It connects to the rest of the house, but there is still enough separation for it to feel like a separate room.  And the fireplace makes it incredibly cozy on a cold day (which we have had a lot of!).   I hope you like it as much as I do!

Sources:

Gas Fireplace - Valor.  Local distributor - Embers Stove and Fireplace in South Portland

Antique Mantle - Old House Parts in Kennebunkport

Wall Color - Sherwin Williams White Flour

Trim Color - custom to match kitchen cabinets, but similar to Sherwin Williams Accessible Beige

Rug - Loloi

Drapes - Pottery Barn 

Light Fixture -  Living Room - Savoy House, Foyer - The Lamp Repair Shop

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Maison Mansard - Exterior Before and After

At long last, the Maison Mansard is complete.  It took 9 months from start to finish - someone suggested I should call it my 'house baby' 😂.  Seems appropriate!   

As always, there are lots of 'Before & After' photos to share.  For this blog post, let's start with the exterior.

The first time we looked at this house, we knew it was special.  The curves on the roof, the big windows, there was so much potential!  Second Empire homes, with their mansard roofs, are architectural treasures.  But this one had been hidden under vinyl siding and aluminum trim for a long time, hiding a lot of detail. 

We had hoped there would be some fancy trim hidden behind the vinyl/aluminum.  But sadly, details were long gone and with no photos of the original house, we weren't sure what it looked like in the 1880's when it was built.  So with the help of Portland Landmarks, who provided a list of notable examples, I did a tour of local Second Empire homes to create a plan for what might have once been on the house.

There are so many Second Empire homes in Portland

That led to a blitz of replicating brackets, refinishing antique balusters and creating a color scheme that would have been typical of the era.

Countless hours were spent stripping these antique balusters and repainting them

Original bracket design was used to create these new ones for the house

This antique double tombstone front door is so welcoming!

Finished balusters 

I had hoped we could just paint the siding, but it was in such rough shape, we ended up replacing all of it.

Look at those brackets under the eaves of the roof.  Aren't they a fabulous detail?

And let's look at that front porch!  It was a bit tired when we started, but look at it now!

Front Porch - Before

Re-creating the front porch

Front Porch - After

Of course the back of the house needed some attention too.  

Rear elevation Before

Once the ground froze, the guys got the shed moved away from the kitchen window.  My biggest fear was having it collapse in a pile of giant toothpicks, but thankfully it's well built and moved pretty easily.  And the new location is a big improvement! 

Rear elevation after - the new, taller kitchen window looks so much nicer!

The time and cost to do all these updates was considerable.  But in the end, all that hard work was worth it.  The home reflects its architectural heritage and we are so thrilled with the result.  

Sources:

Front door and balusters - Portland Architectural Salvage

Siding - LP Smartside (smooth finish) in Summit Blue

Trim colors - Ben Moore - Garden Sage, Nocturnal Gray, Harvest Honey

Foundation - Ben Moore - Navy Masterpiece

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