1987 Fixer Upper : Basement Remodel Before and After

When we bought the 1987 Fixer Upper, the plan was to move into the partially finished basement while the rest of the house was under construction.  It had two finished bedrooms, one finished bathroom and a couple of finished storage closets.  My uncle Dave, who was helping us with the construction, moved most of the old kitchen from upstairs to the basement and constructed a kitchen for us in a portion of the unfinished space so that we could have some semblance of a normal home.  Well, that didn’t last long. ;)After only a few weeks in the dark, dusty basement that was quickly filling with construction tools and refuse, we made the decision to bite the bullet and finish the basement too while we were at it.  We knew that once we were done with the main part of the house we wouldn’t want to live through a basement remodel any time soon.  We also knew that in order to sell this house in the future, the basement would most likely need to be finished, so we jumped in with both feet.  Here’s a look at the transformation this space has been through over the last couple of months…

I’ll share the remodeled bedrooms and bathroom later, but here is the basement remodel of the main living space.  When we bought the house, this is what the family room area looked like:

This basement space is deceiving.  The complete basement (bedrooms, bathroom, and storage rooms) is larger in square footage than our entire CA house.  That is insane!  We seriously could just live down here and be more than completely comfortable.

When we first moved in, with the new/old kitchen.  It has seriously been a life saver to have this kitchen.  I can’t even imagine what these last four months would have been like without any place to cook or store food! YIKES!

Once we decided to move forward with the basement renovation, things got extra bad…

Yes, we have been living in this for the last four months! Can you believe it??!!  Light bulbs hanging from the ceiling, sawdust, drywall dust, nails, tools, you name it…it has been a disaster.  And that doesn’t even include the crazy noise from all the construction inside and out all day long.  If you’re wondering why I’m crazy, now you know why. lol! 😉

Ash has never been happier than when the utility closet got some walls and she didn’t have to see the “spooky” machines anymore. So funny.  It reminded me of that scene in Home Alone where Kevin always imagines the furnace with a mouth full of fire trying to eat him.  She was so scared of the furnace and water heater.  So funny.

Slowly but surely it started to take shape and look like a real place to live…

Real walls and lights were a HUGE change.  The concrete floors were no biggie, but man, those walls and lights made such a difference!  It was so much brighter and happier.

We added some doors and floors and a little ship lap for fun.  I’m usually an all wood floor kind of girl, but knowing that this room would be used for lots of movie watching, we went with a plush carpet that is comfy to lay on and warm during the winter.  In the kitchen area we went with a vinyl planking.  I had actually never heard of it before, but after doing a little research on what is best for basement spaces, I decided against real or engineered wood due to moisture issues, and went for something durable and water resistant.  Bonus…it looks great and was very reasonably priced too, perfect for a basement.  Now, we finally have a space that minus a few pieces of trim and a little touch up paint (and the decor of course), looks much more like a home.

So, what is in store for this new, finished space?  Here’s a peek at the design plan:

The main use for this basement will be a kids hangout.  I am happy to host a houseful of teenagers and tweens playing games, watching movies and eating.  I have always believed that just like Field of Dreams “if you build it, they will come” that with teenagers “if you feed them they will come.” 😉 So, a fully stocked fridge and freezer, ice machine, and impressive soda selection are definitely part of the design plan. 😉  Here is the inspiration board I have pulled for this room.  Click on any affiliate image to be linked to more information about each product.

I need lots of seating, but because the way the room is shaped a traditional sectional won’t work in this space.  We’ll do a sectional with a chaise on one end to maximize seating without making the room feel like it is cut in half.  Plus, this one is leather which for me is a must so I don’t have to worry about spills and smells seeping into the fabric.  A foosball table, reading nooks with comfy leather recliners, game table and barstools will complete the space.  I’ll also layer a large rug over the carpet to help protect it from messy kids, it will also be a great way to bring in a little pattern to the room.  I have three on the design plan because I can’t decide which direction to go just yet.   The large media unit will hold a TV as well as books, craft supplies, movies and games.  All the ingredients for fun. 😉

I can’t even tell you what a relief it is to sit here, writing this post from a room that feels like a room!  The vinyl planking went in while John and I were gone and it was such a treat to come home to!  The new bathroom cabinets are going in today, yay!  I have big plans for the kitchen including new cabinets and reconfiguring the room a little bit, adding a peninsula with an awesome cement tile front, open shelving back behind the counter tops, and maybe some exposed brick…but that will all be a bit later. 😉  Right now I’m just going to sit here on the couch, watch some TV and enjoy looking at a room that is free of construction debris.  There is still plenty of that upstairs. lol!!

happy designing-

Tammy