Lower Level Living Space

I haven't updated you on the basement in a while and there has been so much progress!   This is going to be such wonderful living space for the future owners.  

Basement Before - dominated by furnace and ductwork

We started with all the stuff you can't see in a finished room -  a French drain to keep the everything dry and spray foam insulation to keep it warm.(Click here for details)  Once that was done, it's time to start finishing the space.

Safety first - we tore out the old, scary staircase and installed a new code-compliant one.  This is a game changer, the original staircase was so steep that we had a couple of contractors fall down the stairs.  

Original staircase

I could only fit part of my foot on each stair tread. You had to walk duck footed to be safe!

It had to go and this is such a wonderful improvement!  Of course it will get finished with a code compliant handrail.

Next step was to finish the ceiling and walls. I wanted the walls to have some visual interest (vs. plain drywall), so we installed a wide beadboard paneling.  And interestingly, those vertical lines also make the space seem taller - which is always a good thing in an old basement.

Next, we had to finish the floor.  Like many old basements, it wasn't level, so the guys had to mix up dozens of bags of floor leveler to allow us to install LVT (luxury vinyl tile).

The floor leveler gets poured out and naturally creates a level floor

And the LVT?  This is one that I've used in multiple basements. In fact, I used it in one of our own homes that was the entry from the garage, where it was subject to all the grit and dirt that tends to come in on our shoes.  It held up beautifully, such a great choice for a basement! This time, I choose a light, faux maple style, which helps make the whole space feel light and bright.

Next, Rich installed the doors to the office (of course this room could be used for anything - toys, crafts, sewing, etc - but I've found that lots of buyers want a dedicated place to work from home).

The basement support beams are getting wrapped, so they will be ready when the painters arrive.

At the bottom of the stairs, we have a recessed area, that's framed up by the closet we had to build around the water meter.  Rich built a bookcase to fill that space, providing a bit of storage/display space as you enter the room.

Are we done?  Well not quite yet.  But we're getting close! 

 

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Turning Vision into Reality

This is one of the most exciting parts of any project.  We're installing all the pretty finishes that we've been discussing for so long.  That vision I've had in my head is finally becoming a reality!

Let's start upstairs.  A couple of the original bedrooms didn't have closets.  We're changing that, but it's a bit tricky with our slanted rooflines.  This room is one example.  There wasn't a closet (they had hanging clothes racks in the rooms), but I want to add one.

Our starting point

I realized I could steal a bit of space behind the door to create a closet in the primary bedroom and include some closet space for this room as well.

I came up with this design weeks ago and it's so much fun to see Kyle turn it into reality.  I've ordered baskets that will be 'drawers' on the left side and we're having custom made closet doors for the main hanging space.  We're leaving this cute triangular section at the top open - it's perfect for displaying something!

Custom doors will be installed later

As you may remember, I have big plans for the powder room.  Since we don't have original millwork for this room, I ordered all new fir that the guys cut to size and I stained and shellacked it to match the original trim found elsewhere. (despite wearing gloves, my fingernails may never look the same!)

Beadboard wainscoting 

Here was the plan I came up with:

Kyle has started assembling the pieces and it's really coming together.

Of course there's more to do, but look how much has changed.  We've hidden all the plumbing, moved the window, added lots of insulation, a stone mosaic floor and beautiful woodwork. 

 

So many changes!  All that's left is to hook up the sink and install the wallpaper.

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