Basement of the Week: Smart Cost Cutting, Beautiful Results
When this family's home started to feel like it was bursting at the seams, they looked underground for a big multipurpose room where they could gather and entertain friends. Bright and inviting, this basement now includes a multipurpose family room, a bathroom complete with shower and a new laundry room. Tim Moore, design manager at OakWood Renovation Services, says many basement renovations of this scope and size can cost more than $100,000, but by using standard finishes and a few other cost-cutting measures, he kept the budget at approximately $45,000. Here's a look at how he lightened up the room and stretched the budgeting dollars.
Basement at a Glance
Who lives here: A family with young children
Location: Ottawa, Canada
Size: 600 square feet
Budget: $45,000
BEFORE: Like many basements, this one was used as an unfinished messy catchall for storage; it was also a very depressing place to sew and iron in. "It was in very rough shape and was just ugly," Moore says.
AFTER: The traditional-style house is 80 years old; upstairs the rooms are small and compartmentalized, and no one room can hold many people. Down in the basement, the ceilings are low — just 7 feet high as finished, but light-colored paint and pot lights help them seem higher.
BEFORE: Saving the 1960s paneling along the staircase helped the bottom line. The wall's unique texture looks great with a few fresh coats of paint. Also helping the bottom line was the lack of structural work required, a lucky break for the homeowners.
AFTER: "When it comes to basements, you can never have too many lights or too many ways to control it with dimmers and switches," Moore says. The pot lights in front of the cabinet doors add ambience.
He also used some clever tricks to give the illusion of natural light. If you look closely at this picture, you'll see that the only real window is the small one to the left of the built-ins (there is one more small window on the other side of the built-ins). However, using glass on the cabinet doors and a windowpane mirror lends the illusion of natural light in the underground space. In truth, the ground is just 6 inches below the bottom of the exterior window, and the glass door leads to a new laundry room.
The firm's in-house carpenter created custom bookcases, cabinets and the electric fireplace's surround. Using painted pine and premade glass cabinet doors helped trim costs.
The glass cabinet doors, lit from above, mimic windows and reflect light. They also conceal media equipment and toys. The fireplace surround is California tumbled slate in 1- by 2-inch tiles, which add warmth and texture.
The floors are laminate with an acoustic underpad. "This is a standard product which saved us a lot of money over other flooring options," Moore says.
The room can also serve as a guest room. The renovation included building a small bathroom with a shower, and the sofa can accommodate overnight guests. The double doors on the right lead to an unfinished storage space.
Doors: Riverside
Your turn: Show us your finished basement!
