Monday, January 25, 2010

What You Didn't See

I was fortunate to have the sitting area of my basement renovation featured in the July 2009 issue of Better Homes and Gardens (click HERE for article) and basement bathroom in the winter 2009 edition of Kitchen and Bath Makeovers (click HERE for article).  The articles featured many wonderful pictures of the completed projects but did not to show some of my favorite features of the renovation. Here is what you missed.
To get to the basement before the renovation we had to enter through this door.  It was constantly being left open by the kids. As it is located in the main downstairs hallway, it really got in the way. 


After much thought, we decided to open up the wall to make the basement more accessible and to make it feel more a part of the rest of the house.  Here is how it turned out.




The only minor adjustment that had to be made was moving the light switch down a few inches. The columns on either side were made to match the rest of the woodwork in the house. 



 I also was able to find this wonderful little light on Ebay to install at the top of the landing.  Less expensive than a comparable new light, I love how it adds a touch of character to our home.



Another major change was the stairs entering the basement itself.  As you can see, they were standard, enclosed pine treaded stairs. (Isn't that sofa pretty!)


I really do not like carpeting, especially in high traffic areas like steps.  One of my absolute requirements for this renovation was to have the basement stairs match the stairs in the rest the house.  This meant oak treads.  We were lucky that our builder was able to pull out the old treads and simply slide in oak treads instead of rebuilding an entire staircase. You can see a few of the treads missing here already.


The new basement staricase looks like this now and is very similiar to our staircase upstairs.


Here is the before looking back towards the the stairs.  Notice the steel columns.


Here is what it looks like today. Steel columns wonderfully concealed and a little bar area under the stairs.


As part of this renovation we also replaced all the door knobs in our entire house with vintage crystal knobs bought on Ebay.  I was able to find retro fit kits, also on Ebay, in order to use them on my existing doors.  They are available in regular and privacy sets.


The basement renovation also included a bedroom.  The colors of this room coordinate with the rest of the basement, making it one cohesive space. I do not have any before pictures of this space, but here is what it looks like now. You can just see the bottom of the other crystal chandelier hanging above the bed.



So that is the compete tour of the basement as it stands today.  There are still parts that are not finished.  The floor is just painted concrete except in the bedroom and bathroom.  I am thinking I will eventually use a prefinished hardwood but I may end up changing my mind.  In all honesty the concrete (although a bit cold in the winter) with a few scattered area rugs, has worked just fine. We do not have a place for the TV so it will remain sitting on a small bookcase until we have an entertainment center built.  I would also love to add some more furniture. 

19 comments:

Linda@Coastal Charm said...

I"m lovin' what I see with your makeovers...they are both outstanding...awesome idea about the doorway! Hope you have a wonderful week!

Blessings,
Linda

Kathy @ Creative Home Expressions said...

Beautiful! I love that you removed the door and just opened it up. What a great use of space underneath the stairs, too!

Anonymous said...

Opening up the door and wall to the basement make all the difference! It really feels part of the home.

P.S. I admire your strategic ebay shopping! The light fixture and door hardware look fantastic!

Cindy said...

Lovely, I love how your basement turned out. Sure wish mine looked like that. oh well, in another life maybe. Your "fix" for your doorway was great. Love it.

Thanks for sharing.
Hugs,
Cindy
www.homesimplehome.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

Love the basement! Very clever way to open up the top of the stairs too. We had a totally enclosed stairway like that and those columns would have made all the difference in the work. That was two houses ago though....

Thanks for the platinum tip! I have so much jewelry that I no longer wear but can't bear to get rid of. DH was just asking about it the other day. This is something I must look into!

Thanks,

Ellen

Maria Killam said...

Wow that looks fabulous!

Boxwood Terrace said...

The changes are small, but are amazing. I love what you did with the doorway to your lower level.

Stacey said...

Your basement is amazing! Thanks for sharing your renovations with us.

Viera said...

Excelent renovation. I like how you open up the space.
X
V

Living It At Home said...

Oh my! I remember that feature! What a wonderful renovation. I am so happy I stumbled upon your blog. Very inspiring. I would like to invite you to stop by my blog "Living It At Home".

Have a great weekend!
~jamilyn

Seagrass Interiors said...

Beautiful Renovation!

Melissa

Brabourne Farm said...

Your basement looks fabulous - love what you did with the door and the basement posts! Leigh

Anonymous said...

What a great transformation. My favorite part is how you opened up the entry to the basement. Such a clever idea and it looks great!

SMccracken said...

i've been looking for a chandelier like that as we used to have one and I adored it! Do you have the ebay buyer name you bought from? would love to see if they have any similar ones...

Thanks!
SHM

Red Door Home said...

Thanks for asking about the light fixture. Unfortunately I do not have the name of the dealer.

Amber said...

Wow, everything looks beautiful! I love how you opened up your doorway...and I love the openness at the bottom of the stairs...I think I might try and convince hubby to do the same thing in my basement! LOVE IT!

Emily {Frilly Details} said...

I can't believe this is your basement!!! I vividly remember getting my BH&G magazine last year and seeing your basement featured. I showed it to my husband and we were amazed by what you had done with the space. Great job on the whole project. It's absolutely fabulous.

Pine Tree Home said...

I am learning the hard way that I should just be happy with concrete. How did you finish yours?

The mum of all trades said...

This is an amazing transformation. I love how you disguised the steel beams and actually made them into an interesting feature. Great job!

Blog Widget by LinkWithin