Beaux R'eves

Friday, October 19, 2012

Remodeling a Groovy 70's Basement

Help!  I've been held captive all week in this 70's Basement!  

Well, I guess it was consensual captivation since I did willingly sign up for the job of renovating my clients basement back in June.  Things are all happening at once which is both exciting and exhausting at the same time.   Painting, cabinetry, tile, granite, oh MY!!!  I haven't shared any of this with you so I guess I had better start at the beginning.  
This is the same house that I just finished remodeling the Master Bath.  The basement hadn't been touched since the 70's I'm guessing. This is what it looked like when it was up for sale.
Here it is all cleared out on move-in day.  Should we start with the obvious?  70's carpet, Mirrored columns, and can someone PLEASE tell me WHY in the world anyone would build a mile long bar butting up to the Fireplace????  
This is the view from behind the bar.  Squint real hard and look at the tiny little windows up there.  They don't let much natural light into the room.  The three doors lead to (starting from right to left) A storage room, a bathroom and the sump pump room. 

 We spent a lot of time kicking ideas around for this space. 
pinterest
 Things that the clients knew they wanted included a new bar,
pinterest

  a media space, 
google
 a place to play poker, 
pinterest
 and to turn the storage room into a craft room,
google

All on a budget!  
Whew!  
That's a tall order! 
As much as we pondered and planned 
the budget always won out.  
Doesn't that always happen?  
That's reality!  
What was great is that it forced us to get creative and re-purpose and narrow down exactly what it was that the clients wanted out of the space.  

Here is a little peak at the progress.  
See the new windows?  
That just by itself is the best improvement that could have been made!  Brick is being applied to the columns and lots of other good things are happening.  But you will have to wait a little longer for the full reveal.  
I'll continue to update you as progress is being made but for now I have to get back to my command post.

Until Next Time,
Beaux R'eves
XO Cindy

 Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday
  Marty at A Stroll Thru Life for Tabletop Tuesday

15 click here to Comment:

Babs said...

Boy, do I understand the budget always winning out! That happened when we remodeled our basement. We wanted to remove a wall, but it would have required a steel beam, so we still have the wall. Actually, it turned out not to be so bad.We just have two separate rooms instead of one large one.
Can't wait to see the reveal of the one you're working on.
Babs

Daniela @Frugal Aint Cheap said...

we transformed our basement into our master bedroom and even added a full bath. The windows really change the feel of the room!

Maureen Wyatt said...

Definitely changing the window size has improved the room. The mirrored pillars were making me dizzy just looking at them and I'm sooo glad you kept that change in the budget! ~ Maureen

sweet violets said...

So the basement is really above ground??? Is that why you could put in larger windows?? The basements around our area are actually below ground with only tiny windows, you'd have to excavate around the foundation!!!

Unknown said...

No sweet violets, the basement is below ground. The excavators dug a hold next to the foundation and sawed out the concrete, put the windows in and then put in the window well. You can see the window well in the picture. It looks kind of like fake rock. They do let in so much more light now!

Michele M./ Finch Rest said...

Oh WOW- can't WAIT for this reveal - oh my goodness, already hard to believe it is the same space.

Well done, so exciting - we will one day finish our basement, wonder how much it costs here to do that window thing - didn't realize you could improve them AFTER a house was built, that alone is one of the best pieces of learned news I have heard in ages, thanks so much!!!!!

Blondie's Journal said...

Wow...this is a lot of space! The windows were a great addition and I'm glad they decided on a new bar. I can't wait to see what else you do!

XO,
Jane

Marty@A Stroll Thru Life said...

Such a fabulous space. I would love it. Can't wait to see it all done. Hugs, Marty

Cristina Garay said...

That's a big basement! With the little that's being done, it already looks way better. I can wait to see the magic touches you put to this space!

Federal Way Handyman said...

I am glad to stop by your site and know more about basement remodeling. Keep it up!

Unknown said...

The renovation looks absolutely gorgeous and I like that the contractor thought of providing ample storage systems, be it built-in or not, in the new room. I always tell my mates that ample storage systems are essential to any living space as it will always help to declutter the space. Just don’t forget to do some spring cleaning once in a while; otherwise, you will end up with more clutter stored and hidden from your eyes.

Unknown said...

Well, doing things on a budget does bring out the resourcefulness in us. In fact, sometimes having excess budget is detrimental, as we tend to be lazy mentally. By the way, is the basement in the pictures above the same basement as the ones below? It looks really elegant!

Lynn Williamson

Unknown said...

The whole project and also the remodeling job was way more than wonderful. Could you please tell me an estimated cost? Good luck from, http://www.mikefitzpatrick.com/.

Unknown said...

Your articles don’t beat around the bushes exact t to the point. maya construction blog

Cath Brookes said...

Beautiful transformation. I'd love to have that look on my old basement too.

Cath Brookes
Personal Injury Lawyer San Antonio

Post a Comment

Leave a Comment and let me know what you think, or just say "Hi".