Our unfinished finished basement

July 06, 2009

Our basement is pretty large, and last year I was feeling frustrated with the TOTAL DISGUSTING PIT it had become. (You'll see what I mean in a second.) What a waste of space! And our son was getting to the push toy/ride on toy/large massive take up ten square feet toy stage.

I was on a mission to make the space usable and enjoyable to be in, which is a feat for an unfinished basement. I started with the stairs. They were unfinished, with white walls and kitty litter greeting you as you went down. Uhhhh...welcoming:
Grody. So I bought a gallon of paint, painted the walls, replaced the $5 ugly light fixture, and bought carpet and really good padding for the steps that my father in law installed:

I found this massive NYC photo at Goodwill, SCORE!! It is perfect in this space:
I used the stair treads that were on the steps, put them under the stairway, and put the litter in that spot. 

Perfectly out of the way:
As you come to come down the steps, this is what we used to see:
A bunch o' crap. 

Oh, just wait...it gets worse. This is what it looks like now, as my "craft/tool room":
I purchased three of the white shelving units, not much else. We had everything else, I just made it work. 

I've decided this area will be my girly area -- I don't have any other space to do this in the house, and it's getting totally girlified:
craft area in unfinished basement As girlified as you can get with cement floors and walls, but still. Stay tuned for some updates.

As you walk to the left, this is what it looked like: OH my goodness, I told you! Can I tell you this wasn't even the worst of it? 

I had already started sorting this area before I took this picture. This is what it looks like now:
Dang it, I have room to work out.

To the left again, this is what it looked like: This is it today:
playroom in unfinished basement

kid play area in unfinished basement Total play area, and we all love this space. The carpet was a GREAT price, $80 for about 12 by 16 feet. The train table was $10 at Goodwill, the "roller coaster" is being borrowed from a friend who didn't want it in her basement. HA!

As you walk in a little more, this was before:

This is it now. Hubby works down there, it really is that comfortable:
The area to the right will eventually be his office.

As you look back into the basement, this is what you used to see (stairs on the right):
Atrocious.

 
Here it is today:
And finally, the area in the back, that will be the office:

Is now just storage. Let's count the Christmas bins, shall we? storage bin room basementI still want to do yet another massive purge in this area this year to get rid of half of this stuff. We'll need to in order for it to fit into what will eventually be the workout/storage room.

We have grand plans for this space, but it will still probably be next year before we finish it. Until then, I've turned it into a whole floor that we really, really do use, comfortably. 

In total, the stairway transformation cost more than the whole basement did. It cost very little for remnant carpet, new, brighter lights and some storage.

Oh, yeah. And getting rid of your crap is free

I love basements. What about you -- do you love them, hate them? Do they creep you out? Or do they make you feel all warm and cozy? Is yours finished? 

Email subscription form header
Your email:*
Please enter all required fields Click to hide
Correct invalid entries Click to hide

Comments

  1. Lesson learned. Take pictures of the areas of home that are cluttered. Photos don't lie. Maybe I'll put them on the frig and really force myself to look at them. I just have too much stuff.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Wow, you did so much!

    In California, I have only seen 1 basement in my whole 30 something years and it did indeed give me the heebie jeebies. It just isn't done here, but I would love to have all of that space.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Great job! I know that has to be a great feeling to have an organized basement. Mine is unfinished and looks really Silence of the Lambs-ish.

    ReplyDelete
  4. wow i am totally inspired!! We've only been here one month and I can't believe how things are stacked in the basement. Thanks for inspiring me!!! Hope you have a blessed day!! Cher

    ReplyDelete
  5. Wow...great job! I can't wait until we get a house with a basement!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Nice job Sarah! I have a lot of crap too, but we are down-sizing so most of mine is dumpsterfied! (This is after a garage sale, donations and some stuff I still have to sell on Craigs List).

    Currently we don't have a basement, but it is on my list of things I want in the down-sized house. Our first house was a ranch and had a full basement that we finished - absolutely great to have to expand just that little bit more. I'm intending on having my office in it. It's already decorated in my head so we kind of have to have a basement now - at least that's my story and I'm stickin' with it!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I think it helps alot to put those before photos out! Ive done it too, it makes the mess more real, and helps put it in perspective!
    Well done, you did a fantastic job!
    Sue

    ReplyDelete
  8. I LOVE BASEMENTS! I AM SO SO JEALOUS! VERY HARD TO FIND A HOME WITH A BASEMENT IN NM! Great job!

    ReplyDelete
  9. wow!!! amazing job - looks great even though it is still "unfinished"!!

    I love basements - but we don't have them here in Texas.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Wow , Im so impressed! I love before and after pictures. Also that is the biggest basement Ive ever seen! I just love how you and your hubby have your work spaces and then the cool play room. To cool.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Great job! Looks like a fun place to be. What a wonderful place to let the kids play while you workout or work on the computer. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  12. I think it looks great and is functional! I vote you have a massive garage sale so you can earn money to fix up your basement. I love basements!

    ReplyDelete
  13. FABULOUS!!!!! Love those basements!

    ReplyDelete
  14. just how far north do I hafta move to get a basement???That space is killing me...what I would DO to have all that space......man oh man!!

    Lots of progress! Go Sarah!

    Suzanne

    ReplyDelete
  15. Way to improvise! We had a basement in our last house that was unfinished and I did the same thing that you did...made do because we were outgrowing the upstairs.

    I now live in a split-level and we just finished our basement last year. Love, love, love it. I have an area for kids to play, an office, and a place to snuggle and watch movies. It took us two years to finish it, but eventually we got there.

    Good luck to you on finishing the basement!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Looks SO much better than before. I struggle with organizing and KEEPING it organized! I have never liked basements though, I always feel like someone is watching me when I'm down there!

    ReplyDelete
  17. We don't have basements in Texas but I sure wish we did!!!!!!!! We have to stick all of our crap in the attic and everything gets warped by the heat!

    ReplyDelete
  18. We don't have basements in Texas but I sure wish we did!!!!!!!! We have to stick all of our crap in the attic and everything gets warped by the heat!

    ReplyDelete
  19. I am so jealous! I don't have a basement and I would love one, even if it was a here's-where-we-hide-all-our-junk room!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Great space! I wish I had a basement to hide my cat's litter box in :) I love that massive NY pic you got at Goodwill.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Wow, it looks awesome. You have been one busy person. I love the way you set it up for diffent areas of use. That way everyone has their own space. Living on the West Coast most of my life, I have never had a basement, and they don't do them in the desert either. Such a shame. I think one would be wonderful. Yours is super, and I know you will enjoy it. Hugs, Marty

    ReplyDelete
  22. We had a basement when I was growing up...creepy! Until my mom cleaned it out, then it was a great hang out space!
    Lucky you! I wish we had a basement now...

    ReplyDelete
  23. It looks great Sarah! Not many houses here in AZ have basements, but I wish we had one!!!

    And can I say that throwing stuff away is free should be my new motto!!

    ReplyDelete
  24. That is amazing! You should be enjoying that space, you worked hard to use it!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  25. Oh, snap! Those awesome before-and-after photos make me feel lazy! You've done an incredible job, so KUDOS to you! I need to get to work on my craft room, LOL.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Sarah, that is AWESOME! :) Thank you for being *REAL* and showing us the befores. I think it looks fabulous. I wish I had a basement, even an unfinished one would be good. For now, that space exists in my dreams. ;)

    ReplyDelete
  27. Wow! I'm totally impressed! We do have a basement and it looks about like your before pictures! LOL One part is finished and it's been a bedroom and an office over the years. Right now it's ummmmm........storage! ha ha

    My goal is to clean it up and organize what we keep. I'd like the finished room to become my craft room. I do have to go down there to do laundry so I have to look at it quite often. You would think that would be incentive enough to get it done but ummmmm......nope, not so far! Your pics are inspiring though and that just might do it!

    ReplyDelete
  28. Wow! What a transformation!

    Growing up in Wisconsin we always had a basement and every basement in Wisconsin had a bar! But I've spent most of my adult life in California and Arizona which there are no basements. I really do miss having one just for the storage aspect alone.

    ReplyDelete
  29. I LOVE basements and attics. But it's pretty rare to find a house in CA that has either. Probably something to do with earthquakes and such. I can remember visiting my grandma in PA and just exploring her basement and attic for hours...she has the neatest things stored in them! IF I ever have a basement, I want it turned into a workout room/movie room/craft room!

    ReplyDelete
  30. It looks like a great space to play and hang out! I love basements and won't live in a house without one (I live in Georgia and we do have tornadoes and very bad storms and a basement is the only safe place when that happens)!

    Manuela

    ReplyDelete
  31. Thank you SO much for your post today! I needed that inspiration-we are trying to dig ourselves out of a mountain of toys, books, and holiday stuff in our basement. I am constantly surprised at how much space just ONE child can claim in a house!! For years we didn’t keep up with our son’s massive accumulation of gifts (Toys! Games! More toys!) and then we had a baby in November and we feel totally swamped with STUFF. It can be so overwhelming! It’s also hard to purge in the toy department because I can never figure out what to keep for the second baby-as if he’ll be 3 and need something I got rid of and it will be the end of the world, lol.
    So thanks for posting!

    ReplyDelete
  32. Nice work! And yeah, I gasped when I saw your Christmas boxes. LOL! I only have two so I figure I earned the gasp.

    I call our basement 'downstairs' because it's all above ground and has enormous windows every which way. I couldn't live without it as the entire floor is pretty much my office. (my line of work needs alotta space for decal prep)

    Now, I need an additional real basement like yours for a playroom and crafts. I'm jealous!

    ReplyDelete
  33. Impressive!

    Our basement is WAY worse than your before pics! Serious!

    It's on my to do list though. Especially because my oldest daughter needs her own room, so we're trying to get it organized and finish up a room for her in the basement.

    I love how it turned out for you!

    ReplyDelete
  34. JEALOUS!
    My basement is scary and unfinished-we had a flood, then asbestos-so everything is yucky now-nasty floor, horrid lighting, cement walls...goodbye paneling and carpet and tile! And goodbye the WALL between the furnace and the rest of the basement thanks to the flood...so the kids can't play down there :(
    I need to learn how to build a WALL!
    Then the kids can run amok :)
    It looks awesome.

    ReplyDelete
  35. Wow...what a HUGE improvement! I know it took so much work, but look at the amount of usable space you have now - great job :)

    ReplyDelete
  36. I haven't ever had a basement here in TX. I WISH I had one. I think they are fab! By the way, that long table looks like the perfect, quiet and secluded spot to do some scrapbooking!

    ReplyDelete
  37. I *wish* we had basements! A basement is a rare thing in this area...so I'm always in awe of those of you who have them!

    ~ Sarah

    ReplyDelete
  38. At first I thought you had taken pictures of my basement and posted them on here! (No joke.) I think it looks amazing! I'm a sucker for ANY type of organizing, and you just went crazy with it! Kudos to you! I love it!

    ReplyDelete
  39. You've worked wonders with it. Mine is waiting for Hubby to purchase lumber and drywall so we can call it a 'finished' basement. *sighs* someday....

    Di
    The Blue Ridge Gal

    ReplyDelete
  40. Wow. Just seeing your really MESSY basement makes me want to have my own disaster area, and THEN!! to see it cleaned? Well, I'm flat out jealous, that's what I am. :( boo. We don't have a basement here in kentucky, as most homes here don't since there's so much rock. Darn it. I won't have my own work out area. lol I sure wish I could have a comfortable space like that though, be thankful! It's awesome!

    ReplyDelete
  41. Girl, I want to give you the biggest high five ever. Your basement turned out soooo well. What a project! I've got about three rooms in my house that look just like that. You're giving me the gumption to go forth and conquer! Your crafti space looks so fun! I can't wait to see what all you do with it.

    ReplyDelete
  42. Awesome! I bet it feels good to have it all organized. I don't know anyone in Texas that has a basement, but I would love one. Can you imagine trying to store all of that stuff in closets in your house? It's not easy!

    ReplyDelete
  43. Wow! Just the inspiration I needed to get to work on mine tomorrow...seriously, I'm sending my little "helper" to Granny's house so I can tackle my huge pile o'crap for a yard sale. I'm totally jealous that you found a train table at Goodwill for $10. You must have the best Goodwill ever.

    ReplyDelete
  44. I am so jealous of all that space! I have an attic that I am always climbing up in to get to my decorating stuff. It is a PAIN! I would so love to have a huge basement like yours!

    ReplyDelete
  45. Oh, you did a great job. Give yourself a big pat on the back and enjoy your newly organized/decorated space.

    ReplyDelete
  46. It makes me drool. I love it. It makes me want to show off my storage area because I love tubs that much. I know, we are pretty crazy. While you were crazy working in your basement - I was in my garage. I'll keep you posted!

    ReplyDelete
  47. Great Job!!! We don't have a basement, but we do have a barn - full of my 'to-be-painted' projects and all my old floral design junk. Before I tackle that, I've been working on my house. You have to understand that in the 7 yrs we've lived there, we've had 3 months to ourselves - just hubby & me. Mil, grown son, grandson, son's friends, etc., etc. And just when MIL moved out (can you see my Happy Dance?) my own mother got sick and I've been at her house (30 min away) for most of week. When I come home it's hit-the-ground-running organization, dejunking, painting. Luckily, Hubby is pretty good at my to-do's. Haven't even had a chance to post pics yet on my blog. Just happy we're getting there. So, once again, you've inspired me. Thanks so much. I'll let you kno when I post some pics of my own dejunking.

    ReplyDelete
  48. We just moved from TN (where basements were very rare) to IL where it is rare to not have a basement. So our new house has a basement and we have no idea what to do with it. We are going to have to add a bathroom and another bedroom done there and have NO idea how to do it. I hope you post your progress on the basement it will really help us.

    ReplyDelete
  49. I am so proud of you for showing those shots. I would be way too chicken to show shots of my basement. I hate basements. Mine is a natural disaster area. But I love that roller coaster and have been watching for them at garage sales!!!

    ReplyDelete
  50. What a great space! I wish I had a basement!

    ReplyDelete
  51. Ok...so jealous of you lucky people with basements. Sadly, we do not have basements in the south. I wish! I sure could use that extra space...finished or not. I think yours turned out great. And I love that you kept it real with the "before" pics! Great job.

    ~Amanda

    ReplyDelete
  52. Great job! I love how you made the space totally useful for you guys. Seriously!

    Oh, and can I tell you how much I wish I had a basement?! NO BASEMENTS in Oklahoma...and you would kind of think we would with all those twisters and stuff. I have to store all of my junk (um...meaningful momentos) in the garage, leaving only enough room for my little car to squeeze in. Argh!

    ReplyDelete
  53. You did a fantastic job! You've actually inspired me to hit up my master closet and garage tomorrow!

    Thanks. :)

    ReplyDelete
  54. this is our next big project too. I have let the kids spread their toys everywhere. I have to sit down when I think about fixing it. Your pics were great. thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  55. Hi Sarah!

    Outstnding :) Even your light fixtures look shinier! I would KILL for a basement - OH! But here in California, no such luck. You did a fabulous job; makes me want to tackle a kid room or somethin'!

    ReplyDelete
  56. You mean I don't have to wait until we finish the basement before I "finish" the stairwell? Well! I think I will have fun this winter! (really all I want to do is put up beadboard, and paint the stairs...shouldn't be too difficult). Thanks for the inspiration!

    ReplyDelete
  57. Wow, what an amazing space with so much potential! You've made a great transformation, can't wait to see it finished. I'm assuming you don't have the same problems with damp that we have in our cellar!

    ReplyDelete
  58. No basements in the Houston area but my garage looks alot like that! Garage did come with some shelving & peg board which I use sorta. Need to get out there organize when it's cooler than 100degrees!

    ReplyDelete
  59. Kim @ The Pottery ShedJuly 7, 2009 at 8:00 AM

    Dang girl...you did a magnificent job. Too bad we don't have basements here in Florida, or I would have been motivated.

    ReplyDelete
  60. I love your website! You do such a great job of making your home lovely without breaking the bank. Your basement looks great! We are currently having ours finished. I hear the hammers as we speak. However, we lived here five years with it unfinished. We also wanted to be able to use the space as a playroom/tv room. We did not have concrete walls through out so our walls were wood with insulation sticking out every where. We took our packing boxes apart after we unpacked them and used a staple gun to attach them to the walls. Instant sheet rock! They were then used as bulletin boards for the kids art work and we even let the kids paint on them in some places. My husbands father was getting rid of carpet in his office so we took it, cleaned it and laid it right on top of the concrete. It really worked well for us. Thanks again for your great tips on your website!

    ReplyDelete
  61. Mine is an indoor pool every tme it rains so we can't finish it without some major drainage reconfiguration. It's not that big anyway because our garage is in the basement. Your basement is looking pretty awesome!!!

    ReplyDelete
  62. Thanks for keeping it real and showing everyone the before shots. :) Here in NC, lots of homes have basements. Our home has 3 attic spaces, but our basement is more of a crawl space. Love that your basement has space for a roller coaster. I mean, nothing says "space" like a roller coaster in your basement :)

    ReplyDelete
  63. Oh, you lucky woman. What could be better than a basement just brimming with possibilities?

    Thank you for reminding me that getting rid of stuff is FREE. If I can make myself get rid of some of our junk, I have a feeling that I'll discover some quite usable space. Thanks for the inspiration!

    ReplyDelete
  64. Great Job!!! Come to my house and help me, please! No basement, here (that is most of my problem) -but plenty of clutter -in disarray.

    ReplyDelete
  65. Wowza! You did a ton of work, but it totally paid off. Looks GREAT. Basements can be so tricky. It's easy for them to become the place where all of our old stuff goes to die. Ha.

    We finished our basement a couple of years ago and now it's one of my favorite places in the house--because I can send the kids down there where I don't care about the mess and noise! :-)

    ReplyDelete
  66. I think you did an incredible job of making it functional and cozy without spending much money. Awesome job on the decluttering and organizing too!!

    We finished our basement about 8 years ago and now we have a HUGE family room, a full bathroom, a spare bedroom and storage/craft area for me. I love it! Totally worth it!

    ReplyDelete
  67. Our basement looks very much like your before pictures. Every time we get it straightened up, something massive happens and we are back to mess again. You have inspired me! You have REALLY done a lot to finish an unfinished basement. Be proud! Linda

    ReplyDelete
  68. You did such a great job! I love basements when they're usable - and as a kid I loved having an unfinished basement to play (and rollerskate) in!

    ReplyDelete
  69. It looks great! We had a basement in our previous house...it was finished, and we still had a bad habit of junking it up with all our 'extra stuff'...until I had finally had it. Then I had my cake business down there in half the basement and my craft studio in the other. That was SO much nicer.

    And BTW...I'm having a tour of my home on my blog if you wanna check it out!

    ReplyDelete
  70. I'm glad that you showed before and after pictues! What a great change. I only wish we had a basement, even if they are a little creepy if not finished.

    ReplyDelete
  71. I just found your webpage and I just love it!! You are funny and I can sooooo relate to everything you are saying! Looking at your basement pictures made me feel so good, because I thought I was the only one on this planet that had a basement like that!!! You are so motivated. I bow down to you!!!

    ReplyDelete
  72. Wow! What a transformation! You did a great job!!! I'm jealous. Our basement is disgusting and dirty and is not really livable.

    ReplyDelete
  73. OMGosh! Fantastic transformation! Love your new space!

    ReplyDelete
  74. I love how bright it is! Our unfinished basement is so dreary and just has light bulbs screwed in the ceiling. What kind of lights are those? Maybe if we could see, we'd use the space too! Love the redo!

    ReplyDelete
  75. Fantastic! What a great workable space you now have. I'm in big time decluttering mode, preparing for a move. It is amazing how good it feels, isn't it?

    ReplyDelete
  76. how great that you have all of that space. great job decluttering. i'm in the process right now and i feel better already!

    ReplyDelete
  77. Wow girl, when do you ever get the chance to sleep????? AMAZING! Something for every member of the family. I moved from a home that had a huge unfinished basement too, and had a major case of deja-vu seeing yours. You would have passed out if you saw all the "stuff" in mine. I never took on the task of organizing it like you did, so when we found our current home with a mostly finished basement AND 2 unfinished (his and her's) storage rooms, I thought I'd hit the lottery! Now like you, I have an organized work room (where my miter saw hangs out), a golf swing practice net, and a curtained off area to hide all 8 feet of Christmas decor bins stacked to the ceiling in my space. Oh yeah, snuck a full bath in mine too. I'll bet that will be your next project, right? You'll never have to leave the lower level again!!! As usual, such a great family space you've created darlin'! Jules :)

    ReplyDelete
  78. I'm so jealous of all that space! We don't have a basement. If we did it would probably be another bedroom at least.

    ReplyDelete
  79. You did a wonderful job. I love how you created workable zones for different activities, and I really like your designated play area. We are lucky enough to have a finished basement, that actually is a walk-out, with a separate storage space with a door. I am in the process of de-cluttering it, and redecorating the space to have more of an adult lounge feel for mom's night's-in, entertaining friends, and to be the far-in-the-future segway to a ground-level deck. Wish us luck...Great job!! Abbie

    ReplyDelete
  80. Absolutely amazing! congrats!

    ReplyDelete
  81. What an amazing job you did...now can you please come to my house and do that for me? We here in CA don't have basements, it's just our garages that are that messy!!! LOL

    ReplyDelete
  82. Wow! I am so proud of all you have accomplished there. I have some areas in my home that look similar... I am totally inspired to do something drastic (like purging & dusting):D btw I *lurve* your roller coaster my kids would go wild!!!

    ReplyDelete
  83. I have an unfinished basement almost exactly like yours!! You've given me hope that one day it will be usable. :) We did a massive new year purge and organizational blitz but it's still way too crowded with our stuff (aka crap). I love how you've made play area for your boy. Love it!

    ReplyDelete
  84. Thanks for the pictures. I love watching those shows where decluttering happens, so I really enjoyed these pictures.

    ReplyDelete
  85. I can see how much work that took! Way to go for taking it on!

    http://www.repurposed.wordpress.com

    ReplyDelete
  86. I can see how much work that took! Way to go for taking it on!

    http://www.repurposed.wordpress.com

    ReplyDelete
  87. Oh my, oh my, oh my!! You have been busy! You are totally inspiring me. Our basement is on my list of shame and it needs some help. Loved touring your organized basement. Awesome space.
    I need a craft area as well and I keep saying, well as soon as I clear out the basement.
    ~Michelle

    ReplyDelete
  88. Love your basement! I wish mine was that nice!

    Ever heard of a Michigan basement? Yeah, well mines about 2 notches up from that. Ugly. Dirty. Not fixable. Time to move! :)

    ReplyDelete
  89. My my you have been busy. What a transformation. We've been cleaning out our basement for awhile and today my daughter said it finally looks like an old hotel - not a new one, but not a dungeon!

    ReplyDelete
  90. We have a totally finished basement with 9 foot ceilings. The high ceilings really help take away the "cramped/underground/clostrophobic (<--spelled that wrong)" feeling.
    My kids hang out down there all the time. It's great.

    ReplyDelete
  91. Congratulations!!! Projects like that are always hard to start - almost overwhelming. You did a great job and you have your own space - priceless!

    ReplyDelete
  92. did you have the edges of the carpet remnant hemmed or did you leave it loose?

    thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  93. I don't usually like basements (scary! where monsters live!) but yours looks soooooo warm and inviting, concrete and all! Nice job, you :)

    And thank you for the decluttering reminder - must do that soon.

    ReplyDelete
  94. first let me say i love your before/afters! not to mention all the other fun home decor ideas you grace the web with!

    i just had to comment after my husband and i just completed a complete diy basement remodel. we are putting on the finishing touches...and your handrail idea is one i am borrowing for sure! you can see pics on my blog:

    www.katherinechapman.typepad.com

    ReplyDelete
  95. When we built our home, 75% of our basement was finished as part of the deal. After being here a year, we had a media room, full bathroom, storage area and walled up our water heater and softener room. We now have a special basement we all love spending time in. My husband works from home so me and the three kids practically live down here, hence the need for the bathroom. We have a large playroom and I have a wonderful scrap room where I can work and still see the boys. So I can honestly say I LOVE MY BASEMENT!! Speaking of yours, I don't know if you've considered painting the walls or not. I didn't know they made concrete paint, but we have a walkout basement which means lots of exposed concrete outside. I painted ours and it's really nice. We can sit on our back deck and patio and not feel surrounded by grey concrete. Just a thought. I can send you photos if you're interested. Great job on the purge! I am in the midst of selling loads of stuff on Craig's List. It's wonderful. I make about $100 a week selling my old junk!! Happy Thursday to you! Jen

    ReplyDelete
  96. Wow you did a great job! I wish we had a basement! All we have is a super hot attic! I think we need to move so I can get me a basement! :)

    ReplyDelete
  97. We have a huge finished basement it is beautiful

    Pamela in NE OH

    ReplyDelete
  98. Amazing!! I love your blog, you are full of talents and ideas!!

    ReplyDelete
  99. Great job! Basements are so underappreciated. I'm a seriuos woodworker and furniture maker, so the basement was my first and biggest challenge upon moving in here.
    Basements rock.

    ReplyDelete
  100. What an amazing transformation! You are the inspiration I need to finally change our dining room into my craft/playroom. We never eat in there and the little one needs a place for her toys to take over. I wish we had a basement for such a great multipurpose space like this!

    ReplyDelete
  101. I just found your blog but you give me a little bit of hope that someday my house will not be full of clutter. :)

    ReplyDelete
  102. You are my inspiration. Good job on that basement looks nice and tidy!! Love the kids play area, I'm all for that this week. We are going to clean up for good around here!! Thank you for posting photos.

    ReplyDelete
  103. This is exactly what I ws looking for. My brother stops by and visits ever so often so I thought he needed his own space since sleeping on the couch was getting old. We have an unfinished basement and I'm toying with the idea of placing a room down their for him. This post was very helpful aand motivating. Question. Do you have a furnace in your basement? Was it exposed? We do and it's smack in the middle of the room. Any solutions to this would be helpful.

    ReplyDelete
  104. thanks for posting photos i needed inspiration I want girly space!!!!
    Colleen

    ReplyDelete
  105. This is great! I have been trying to get ideas on how to utilize (and clean up) the unfinished area of my basement. You have some great ideas on here! Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  106. THANK YOU FOR SHARING IN DETAILS with your pictures. I'm about to move into a townhouse with an English basement (unfinished) and have been thinking about how to tweak it for an office and play room for my twin daughters (5 years old). You have give me some great ideas and I actually look forward to getting started!!!!

    Angel

    ReplyDelete
  107. I love this space! I shared your tips on my website (and new blog), www.momhomeguide.com. Your space looks almost exactly like the basement I've been dreaming of for my home! Thanks for the great post.

    ReplyDelete
  108. Great job! I have recently decluttered my basement - I was afraid I was on the road to becoming a hoarder, which horrified me. Now I have a nice empty area. I would like to turn the space into my sewing and fitness area, but am afraid it might be too damp even with a dehumidifier. Do you have problems with that? If so, how have you resolved it?Thank you again for your inspirational basement clutter story.

    ReplyDelete

If you have a specific question I will do my best to answer you back here!

You can find our paint colors and links to items at the "Our Home" tab at the top of my site.

THANKS so much for reading!