Basements Can Be Beautiful

It's hard to believe a basement can be beautiful when you start with something like this.  It was wet (even though we were in the midst of a drought) with a homemade french drain running across the floor.  The antique furnace ate up much of the space, with octopus like ducts stretching all over the place. 

And then there was the scary staircase that we had numerous contractors fall down....before we decided it had to be replaced with a code compliant one.

Such shallow steps!!! 

New, code-compliant staircase

What else did we do? We had a french drain installed around the perimeter and a sump pump sends all the water outside.

All the pipes drain into the new sump pump

A trench with drainage pipe was installed all around the basement

We added spray foam insulation that both insulates and air seals all the gaps around the foundation and sills.  This makes the house more comfortable, but also prevents the condensation in summer that happens when warm moist air hits the cold walls - creating that icky 'basement smell'.

And finally, we could start finishing the space!  Drywall went up on the ceiling and we installed wide format beadboard paneling on the walls. 

The result?  Well, does this look like your idea of a finished basement?  It's a pretty amazing space! 

The new staircase is such a wonderful improvement! 

While the finished spaces are great, we were still able to create a utility room for laundry and storage - as well as all the mechanicals. 

And with more people working from home, a dedicated office space is incredibly important! 

See - it is possible to take a wet, nasty basement and make it into fabulous living space that the whole family can enjoy!  

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