Oh our lovely basement.
Like many of our other house projects, this one basically began when we moved in. The basement was always in need of a complete overhaul. You can see from the photos below, there was asbestos tile, yellow wood paneling, a fake fireplace hiding plumbing, and a very lovely Dr. Seuss mural. Our plan all along was to add a bedroom and bathroom to the space.
We knew a complete renovation was going to be an arm and a leg, so we strategically spaced out the projects over the years, so we wouldn’t be spending a chunk of change all at once.
The Progress
The first of the list was, of course, gutting it.
In the fall of 2015, with the help of friends, Ryan torn down all of the wood paneling, which exposed wonderful cinderblock walls. Another thing that had to go? That Dr. Seuss mural. As ugly as it was, it broke my heart that it had to go. Our neighbor’s told us it was the house’s original owner’s daughter who painted it.
Spring of 2016 – we hired out the egress window.
Summer 2016 – Spring 2019 – we took a major break. Other projects took priority over other the basement and frankly, we just didn’t have the motivation to work on the basement.
Summer 2019 – Ah, then we hit summer. We started trying for a baby, so we knew we had to put the basement renovation on super speed. In late August/September, Ryan took the major project on of removing the asbestos tile himself. Not only was removing the tile a job and a half, but then the process of removing the glue and residue was a whole other story. Finally, late fall the basement was fully gutted and prepped.
Late Fall 2019 – Now – Finally, late fall the basement was fully gutted and prepped. Ryan and some of my family members has spent multiple weekends framing, completing electrical, finalizing plumbing, rerouting HVAC. Stay tuned for a progress update in a few weeks.
