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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