This is a view from the bottom of the stairs looking towards the end of the basement. To the left is the "laundry room" which was essentially a SMALL old gass dryer which had the vent going into the room itself and a SMALL washing machine. They were basically in a small closet with bifold doors accross the front. The wall along that side was unfinished and horrible to look at. Beyond that is the bathroom and directly in front is the basement bedroom. To the far right is the main family room where there was an old bar and directly to the right is the utility room.
The "laundry room"
The bar (keep in mind that that pegboard behind when removed is basically a window to the utility room)
This is the best before pic I have looking back towards the stairs. There was originally a wooden closet in front of the stairs. (Which of course was actually wallpapered on the inside):
You will notice that I had already ripped it out and the tile and carpet on the floor had also been removed at this point.
You will notice that I had already ripped it out and the tile and carpet on the floor had also been removed at this point.
And just when you thought you had seen enough wood panelling...this is the main family room from the "bar" end of the room. When we pulled back the stinky gross carpet, we found 1' tiles underneath and the concrete floor below that.
First things first...had to get that carpet and tile out. This was the first thing I tackled when we took possession and I spent the first 2-3 days doing it.
Bar torn out and flooring cleared
I did not enjoy this part of the job at all!
Once the flooring was cleared out, we decided we needed to brighten up the room. The outer walls in the basement are not actully framed but rather strap framed and not insulated. The wood panelling is just nailed to the strapping. Since we didn't have a huge budget and only 3 weeks until we were to move in, we decided to just paint the walls and leave them for another time. Keep in mind this room had to be ready for a Princess birthday party for the twins 2 days after we were to move in. Strict orders from the boss!
All the walls primed and ready to go. We actually painted the ceiling tiles as well but ended up taking them down when we found out we had to do electrical throughout the main floor.
The walls were painted with Benjamin Moore "Yellow Squash" which really lightened up the room.
Next we put down the flooring. We decided to go with a laminate due to this being a main living area with lots of traffic. Under the laminate we put down landscaping fabric (to keep down the noise), then Delta FL from Lowes. It was a tossup between using this product and another (Dricore) for an underpadding. Both are recommended options but this was easier to put down, seamless and less expensive. One more layer on top of that was a layer of standard foam underpadding. Together, these made the floor very sturdy and comfortable to walk on.
Black = landscape fabric
Grey = Delta FL
White = Foam Underpadding
I took the laminate right up to the wall behind where the laundry room was. I should take this opportunity to explain that we were planning an "open concept" laundry area so I ripped out the entire closet area that the washer and dryer were in.
Ultimately, I will frame in the wall behind and have the electrcal and water come through it. Around the laundry will be countertop and cupboards something like this (picture courtesy of Heather's Pinterest):
Because we ended up re-wiring the main floor, we took advantage of the fact that the ceiling had been torn down for that and decided to put in new lighting in the basement family room after drywalling the ceiling.
Two rows of 4 recessed pot lights 1/2 installed at this point. This made a huge improvement in the lighting situation in this room!
Because we were re-wiring, the wall shown above was completely ripped down (wood panelling) and re-done with drywall. We moved the outlet down lower and installed light switches. One controls the pot lights shown above (on a dimmer) and the other controls the lights in the laundry area. You can also get a small look in the utility room which basially has a work bench and shelving.
Since there are 7 people running around the house most of the time, we decided to replace the washer and dryer with an updated set. It's a set of Maytag Maxima which we bought at Geomans here in London. They were fantastic to deal with! I was very excited about this purchase.
Finally, here are a few completed pics of the basement once we got some furniture in and some decor done. We picked up a new Oakdale sectional couch from The Brick which was a floor model so we saved some money there. Heather also had a really nice area rug which finished off the room very nicely. We've had lots of compliments on the final results.
Here are some comparison shots to get an idea on the transformation. We'll add pictures of the laundry/mud room area once we've completed it.
Living room
Other end of the room
That about does it for the basement for now, we still have some trim to finish, but that should go up quickly once we have a chance to get it outside to paint it.
Once we get the bathroom and bedroom completed down there, we will have separate posts for them since they are currently torn down to the bare walls.
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