We looked at each other last weekend, and said, When this basement is finito, we’re not quite sure that we’ll know what to do with ourselves. We’ve become so accustomed to such limited space for so long, spreading out will be quite the luxury for us.
And if you didn’t see this post {about a month ago… where is the time going?!?! I’ve decided that phrase pretty much sums up adulthood} you’ll see a quick recap of sorts, with a history of it all, here.
We’ve become those people.
{I mean, we were those people for a while, but now we’re really those people.}
You know the ones. We’re the people who tell someone where we live, and then tell them we’re the house with the blue dumpster, they nod knowingly. And then people in said conversation ask us what on earth our plans are for the place. We’re the people who other people were wondering if we would ever do anything with this house. Some people think it’s abandoned. Side note: We like to surprise the pizza guy every time we ask for a delivery and he actually walks up to the door, looking a little confused. But we promise we’re here. And we promise it was septic. No, I don’t like to live with a junkyard in our side yard. {Second side note: dumpster is now outta here!}
Because said dumpster was officially full! Which means progress, which means… we’re one step closer.
This is how the basement/garage looked when we took possession of the house. We do believe that between the tiny master and this space, people just weren’t sure what to do with the house. It was a little bit of a hot mess, in the middle of a sad identity crisis.
This little house {luckily for us} sat on the market for months, which is unheard of in our location. So we were glad to scoop it up and give it a fresh lease on life.
Remember… it had that whole triple homicide, clown-in-a-crawlspace vibe going for it.
I can honestly say, we’re not going to recognize this space when we’re done.
And while our over all plans haven’t changed much, we’ve also tweaked and fine tuned and worked a little to make this future space work hard for us, as a multifunctional area.
I can’t believe I’m saying this, but for multiple reasons, we’re kind of glad we had to wait. I know. I know. WHAT is this crazy lady talking about?
Between a small flooding issue that we were able to pinpoint and trouble shoot this spring, along with really letting this space meet our needs, we just had time to think about it. We weren’t consumed with the upstairs and just getting our family settled. Last year was a rough transition school-wise, and this one couldn’t be going better. It’s insane what a difference a year makes. So it’s nice to live in a space and have time to think about how it works for you, first.
This basement is going to be a testament to that. Here’s the basic layout that we started with…
And with a little demo and framing, it really does go a long way. Because we’ve been refining these little areas like the massive HVAC and the layout. Framing is almost complete, and the electrician is up next, along with the first inspection.
We actually have some fun ideas for the ceiling, instead of your typical drop down.
We wanted to address the issue of plumbing/ceiling access while also coming up with a feasibly stylish solution. Yes, I did want to have my cake and eat it too. And compromises and stuff.
Good bye, pointless side door. Hello, wall space.
The place even smells better… there’s not so much of that musty odor anymore, with the fresh lumber. Sealing up the crawlspace will help with that, too.
Ahhh the fresh smell of progress.
I can’t wait to rip out this staircase, personally.
You know we’re not on good terms, since my incident this winter. I still have a scar.
And while we still have a bit of finessing to do, here’s the newer layout, that we’re thinking of now.
We added a few tweaks and we still have a few more to go.
If you remember our vision for the house, this was to be a full on entertaining area for tweens/teens. We were thinking toward the future in terms of layout and space.
We hope that with the future master addition, we never move again.
In the meantime, this will definitely suffice, and help in terms of space and just spreading out a little.
The room will have a full on entertainment area with built in bookshelves, a fully functional hall tree for our main entrance from the driveway {think shoe cubbies and books}, and something we desperately need: a lego/functioning table area with built in dog crates underneath. I think dog crate storage is at the top of our list after this last winter. {We tried to ditch the crates last winter, but after returning home Christmas Eve to find half an eaten box of Rid X, paint on the new rug since they retrieved a craft bottle off the countertop and chewed it, along with devouring the homemade cinnamon rolls… we knew they {Rigby and Fitz} just weren’t ready.} While they sleep with us at night, they have so much anxiety, they need crates occasionally.
Here’s a view of what will be the entryway wall…
Here, you can see the rough sketch of the hall tree, and the lego table/dog crate area. We hope it’s a bit of a stylish take on all things functional.
Along with a quick mockup of our designs – no worries it will be much more finessed as the future product, but this helps give us an idea as to where things need to go.
And yes, we’re thinking some brick or brick-like floors… and more to come on that topic, soon.
But digression. Because in the back, we’ve also added a brand new studio for us, where we can store client samples and more from our home.
This will help us greatly with all things files and organization and the whole work from the home thing in the meantime.
And hopefully help us spread out a little upstairs, even though I love their shared room. It’s my favorite creation in the history of ever, and I’m not ready to part with it just yet by moving one kiddo out. So we’re basically riding the cash cow all the way to the bank until he {the oldest} asks. Shhhh don’t tell him. This is just for future changes.
Honestly, I think we just can’t wait for the entire basement to feel cleaner and nicer and just welcoming in general. Right now, I’m still a little scared that something will bite me if I stay down there too long. #bugguycomebacksoon
We have more up our sleeves for the laundry area, so stay tuned. In the meantime, the crawlspace has been moved to the outside {BUBYE} without it feeling so dark and scary.
You may have seen fridge on our furniture/layout plans above. In the meantime, we are thrilled to see this guy again. He’s been sitting in storage for a while, and will also be downstairs to hold all the extra things. Kind of important for all things entertaining with a family of five. And it helps that he’s super cute, so he’ll blend nicely.
Here’s a quick sneak peek of the main wall area, where we plan to place a TV, and plenty of storage with built ins.
A little of the design aspect that we’re thinking, with the whole storage issue we’ve so desperately been needing.
And to help you understand the way the entire space will flow, here’s the outside now…
And while we’re trying to make sense of the space {we’ll be sharing more on this soon} the outside will look very close to this.
We’d like for it to be not quite so obvious that this was once upon a time, a garage.
So that’s where we are on all things progress, and planning.
Have any of you guys finished off a basement before? What was your experience like?
Stay tuned because we can’t wait to share more as we go along!
Carrie says
Do you not have any plans to have a garage at all? Or do you have a plan to build one in the future? I know it’s not very cold in Tennessee… But it is nice to have a garage for storage or tools and such
ashley @ the handmade home says
Yes – we have plans to build a small carriage house, but the future of the land {Septic- AGAIN} kind of dictates that. The best thing that could happen to us is sewage coming through – if not, then we may not be here forever because their rules are so ridiculous. In the meantime, we have a shed on property. But yes, a garage is in the plans, just really far down the list. ;}
Anna says
This looks like it’s going to be pretty epic! I would expect nothing less from you two. You always have such great ideas for space planning. Thank you for sharing!
Jill Catrinel says
It’s going to look amazing! It must be so exciting to finally move forward and build your vision. I totally understand the pros of waiting. Sometimes you just know the best direction and life doesn’t get in the way of accomplishing it, but other times taking a step back is more fruitful in the end. Can’t wait to see how this develops!
Lisa says
Wow it’s so spectacular to see in drawing and pictures the vision you guys have had for this basement area! I LOVE it! It’s going to be SO great! Hats off to the both of you for making this work!
Kim says
We’re just starting the process of getting quotes to finish our basement, so this is good timing 🙂 I’m curious what your plan is for the ceiling. My husband is in the camp of needing access to all the “stuff” in the basement ceiling, I want some noise dampening options, and we don’t want to spend too much $$ on it , of course 🙂 I also really want to make the space interesting and not so generic basement-y….yep, that’s a word! So I’m looking forward to your posts to see what all you do. Good luck!
Tammy says
Kim, we are in the same boat! Can’t wait to see what they do!
Chris says
Looks great so far. Keep of the good work.