BASEMENT Archives

Our 88 pound Bernese Mountain dog, Elliott is the reason we made the best decision on our basement renovation.

We were on the tail end of our kitchen renovation and budget when we realized we had an issue in the basement.

Apparently, our little Berner rescue decided not to inconvenience our kitchen contractors to open the back door when he had to do his business.

He is so thoughtful. He knew how much mom wanted to move her coffee pot back to the kitchen that he did not want to slow their workday.

So to keep the contractors on schedule he just did his business in our basement.

best decision in our basement renovation

On the carpet.

At least on the days, the contractors were at our house. So most days except Saturday and Sundays.

And over the course of six weeks, a large section of the carpet was destroyed.

Vinegar and dog carpet cleaner can only do so much.

It was hard to fault him with his smooshy face and after all, it was loud and we had Zoom calls that he patiently sat through.. waiting.

best decision in our basement renovation, remodel

Until he could wait no longer.

We confirmed our suspicion, that it was beyond an industrial cleanup when we pulled up a section of the carpet.

The second my husband and I agreed we needed to replace it I tore out the section of carpet and hauled it to the garage while my husband went to check on flooring options.

Tip: I found that sometimes it helps if I start the teardown to minimize the chance to move the project to a later date.

CARPET TO LUXURY VINYL FLOORING

Over the past ten years, we updated our basement as our needs changed for the lower level multi-purpose space. Ipulled this photo out of the archives.

This was when we began our basement remodel plans. Probably after uploading this photo.

INITIAL BASEMENT RENOVATION INCLUDED

replaced the windows facing the front of the house
add wrought iron spindles
replaced the granite tile countertop and honey oak cabinets (to match our kitchen cabinets).
updated the bathroom + built this Pottery Barn knockoff vanity.

So we put our ensuite bathroom remodel on hold and tackled the basement flooring.

This is the area on the adjoining wall of the room above.

Those window treatments likely were a reflection of my mental state with three kids, two dogs, a husband who recently quit his job “to own his own business” and my new venture into real estate.

But now, all I see is the hockey goalie and I just smile at the memories.

Our basement is ground level with an egress (entry door) exit to the garage.

Our dogs and family are in and out of the entry garage door all day long.

And since my husband moved his office to the basement he basically created a WeWorks space with refreshment and a big-screen television on the lower level.

THE BEST DECISION

We had two carpet estimates and were leaning towards carpet because the basement is chilly. And, with a wood subfloor underneath we wanted padding and carpet.

BUT, our neighbor and friend who is a custom home builder suggested we look at luxury vinyl flooring for the lower level. When Bob the Builder offers free advice we listen.

KEEP IT UNIFORM

We have hardwood floors on our main level and carpet on the upper level and four flights of stairs. Unsure of the costs to add hardwood to four flights of stairs, we opted to add the luxury vinyl flooring to only the lower level and the two steps to the garage entry door.

We left the carpet on the four flights of stairs.

Realtor tip: As a homeowner, try to minimize the number of flooring options on one level or open floorplan. It breaks up the space and can look choppy when a home has carpet, wood floors and tile on the same floor.

Of course, in this market, you could sell your house with plywood floors and a missing garage door, but in a balanced market try to minimize the number of flooring options on a level. #realtorlife

I added this rug for my husband’s office.

Do you know why it is called luxury vinyl?

Because it is pricey! Now we did have some hardwood flooring to remove around the bar, but it was more expensive than we anticipated.

So it is a good thing we absolutely, positively love, love love the decision to add vinyl flooring to our basement renovation.

LUXURY VINYL FLOOR IS THE BEST DECISION

You guys of all the updates we made in our basement this is our favorite. I wish we had done it years ago. It is dog-friendly, kid-friendly, husband friendly, weather friendly and paint friendly.

BENEFITS OF LUXURY VINYL FLOORING

Makes our basement look larger
Basement feels ten times brighter
Scratch resistant
Easy cleanup

We love it!

We added a dog bed (from Costco) in my husband’s office (the dogs love to listen to his conference calls). and a 2nd dog bed near the garage entry so they always here when someone comes home (or the UPS driver).

You may have seen this on my stories after we installed a Ring doorbell.

We recently purchased a pool table here and had three generations of our family playing pool over the holidays.

We love it! If you have any questions please contact me here.

As a Realtor, I have toured many finished basements. Over the years, I learned a key to staging a basement is to have a little bit of everything for all family members or potential buyers. And, if your bonus room looks tired or plain here are a few simple tips to stage a bonus room.

The best part of a bonus room makeover is you get to define the space. Yes, you get to let guests or potential buyers know the purpose of the room.

And, the fun part is you get to decorate and stage the room.

I talked about how I defined our loft (small space) here.

We have a bonus room in our basement that, over the years, had multiple titles and responsibilities. The extra room was once a playroom with a minefield of Legos and Lillian Vernon cardboard brick boxes.

In recent years the room became a home office. And, the guest room for a pile of high school kids who had no back issues after sleeping on the floor.

The bonus room always had just one job at a time. But after our quarantine spring, we needed a room that could adapt.

Simple Tips to Stage a Bonus Room

With my sister and brother-in-law joining us for Christmas, we made the decision to invest in a sleeper sofa for the bonus room. Best decision ever!

Tip:

Sleep on the sofa before the guests arrive. Or, better yet, have one of your kids sleep on it.

My sister and brother-in-law were the first guests to sleep on the sleeper sofa. They both suggested a mattress topper. I found one online and at Costco for future guests or my sister!

A few years ago we decided to reconfigure a closet that was situated outside this room. It is just behind the couch and to the right.

Even the closet has multiple job titles. We keep linens for guests and a printer for the office in that closet.

Tip:

A legal basement bedroom needs egress and buyers usually prefer a closet in a bedroom.

Our bonus room in the basement had just enough space for a desk and chair. We took advantage of the bookshelves around the dual-sided fireplace for my husband’s paper files. I added this rug to anchor the room and give a bit of cozy.

The dual-sided fireplace was one of the reasons we loved the house. The sellers had a builder-basic finished basement.

Over time, we updated the entire basement. I can’t wait to share the entire basement remodel. The flooring changed the entire feel of the basement.

Tip:

This room originally had french doors. It just did not work with our style of brownstone meets industrial meets, Colorado. The barn doors were the only project where we were ahead of the trend. I freaked out when this lady emailed me to tell me she shared our barn doors on her blog.

The doors provided privacy (versus the glass french doors) and the solid doors added a bit more of a sound barrier for conference calls.

We added a rug for our newly installed floors to add warmth and a cozy landing for chilly feet in the morning. I shared the DIY live edge coffee table here. Soooo easy to make a coffee table!

That’s it!

Now, when guests come they will have their own little studio apartment. And, when they live we have a home office.

Thanks for stopping by! I would love for you to sign up for my once a week newsletter with ideas, one hour projects and giveaways!

Subscribe to Everyday Edits Newsletter