Our basement remodel was an investment of time and money. But the outcome was worth it and more! We now have a bright and clean, yet cozy and comfortable space that adds to our home in so many ways. The truth is, we've been so busy enjoying our new basement space (and planning a wedding and other 'minor' things like that), that it's been more than a year and I'm just now getting around to showing you all the finished product! First, let's have a quick reminder of what our basement looked like before the remodel: Scary, right?! Like how on earth could that possibly become a usable space? Let … [Read more...] about Basement Made Beautiful: Part 4 – Final Touches & Reveal
DIY Industrial Media Console
With the basement construction complete, we began our quest to furnish it. In particular, we knew we needed a TV stand and/or media unit to house some of our electronics, DVDs, etc. I knew I wanted something long, but also shallow in depth. And because I wanted to the basement to feel as spacious and open as possible, we opted to build a simple, open, industrial shelving unit. Our build supplies list consisted of: Three 5' x 11" (1 1/2" thick) wood planks Four 10" galvanized gas pipes (for the top shelf) Four 12" galvanized gas pipes (for the bottom shelf) 16 galvanized pipe flanges … [Read more...] about DIY Industrial Media Console
Laundry Room Overhaul – Dark and Drab to Bright and Fab
I'm writing this post months after this project was completed (wish I could say that's a first...oops). And if I'm being perfectly honest, I'm still worshipping the glorious thing that is pure, unadulterated, beautiful white paint. More specifically, the kind of white paint one uses to spray the $%@# out of your dingy, dark, dirty basement laundry room. Of course, no explanation of my love for white paint is going to be just without proof of it's capabilities. As proof, here are some before pictures of the laundry room in my basement. If you can recall from when we began finishing the basement, the space was … [Read more...] about Laundry Room Overhaul – Dark and Drab to Bright and Fab
Basement Made Beautiful: Part 3 – Flooring
Faux wood tiles were the perfect choice for our century-old basement floors. Extra thinset was used to offset the uneven original foundation. We were left with some pretty gorgeous flooring (IMO) for our renovated basement. Okay so I'm skipping a post about drywall because a) that would be really boring and b) I can't wait to tell you about my new basement floors! If you saw how awful the foundation floor was in my basement, you might have a hard time believing what I'm about to reveal! It was so bad! It was probably the original foundation, and to replace the rough, bumpy concrete would cost a little … [Read more...] about Basement Made Beautiful: Part 3 – Flooring
Small Bathroom Solution: Built-In Shelves Between the Studs
DIY built-in shelves between the studs were perfect for our small bathroom. We installed the shelves behind the door for a discrete storage solution. My upstairs bathroom is itty bitty. And it has an itty bitty vanity and sink to match. So storing toiletries and other essentials has always been a challenge. I plan to one day build a new custom vanity and increase my storage and countertop space, but in the meantime I decided to try my luck at building and installing some built-in shelves. I had been eyeing up a spot behind the door for sometime, and after a stud finder gave us the go-ahead, we started to … [Read more...] about Small Bathroom Solution: Built-In Shelves Between the Studs