The Basement: Before & After

This is our house.  We moved in during July of 2007.  It is an older house (built in the 1940's) in upper Northeast Minneapolis.  Most of the homes in our area were built around the same time and with the same number of square feet (less than 1,000).  We have loved our little house.  It is the perfect starter home.  We had only wanted to be in it for about 5 years.  However, with the way things have gone the past few years in the housing market, we will most likely be here longer than we had intended.  We have been fortunate to be able to  have made some pretty significant updates.  The spring after we bought it we replaced the furnace and installed central air (before this the house had utilized window air conditioners).  We also updated the fuse box to a circuit breaker.  Not cheap stuff, but necessary.  The next "big" project was re-finishing the main room in the basement.

To begin, think of the basement in unequal thirds.  The biggest piece is the main room - previously the three outer walls were dark green cinder/cement blocks, the third was paneling covered up with bead board.  The cement floor was covered with a "floating" hardwood floor.  To complete the look, we had a drop ceiling with florescent lighting.  There were also exposed pipes/meters and poor set up of the electrical outlets.  No door separated this room with the rest of the basement either.  The other two thirds is the laundry area where the furnace and water heater are and the last third is a finished bathroom that was completed before we ever bought the house.

 

Then there was the stairwell leading down into the basement.  There was no door at the top of the stairs, and no light at the top or bottom of the stairs (hello dangerous walking conditions!).  We used a baby gate for years to keep our dogs from going downstairs.  The walls stopped halfway down (as did the railing); the rest was exposed 2x4s.  The stairs themselves were covered with ratty, thin carpet and had no backings (so you could see behind each step).  Sorry, I know these are not technical terms, but I am not well versed in "remodel" speak.  :)

 

We completely gutted the room, put in new windows, recessed lights, new ceiling, walls, trim, fresh paint, carpet, built "cabinets" to cover up the gas/water meters, and added a new door to the closet and into the room itself.  The stairwell got a door at the top, finished the walls, closed off the stairs, new railing, light at the top and the bottom, fresh paint, and carpet.  See below for the finished project!

And here is what it looks like with our furniture / Audrey's play area all set up:

We are getting a treadmill from my aunt (who had gotten it from my parents when they moved years ago) and a little play kitchen from my sister for Audrey to kind of "complete" the other side.  We'll eventually paint the laundry room floor as well, but for now we're just happy to have the extra living space.  We feel so blessed.  It has already made such a difference!