Basement Update

It’s been awhile since I have shared about the work we are doing in our basement. Why? Well, because summer took over and life happens. The last update I shared was in July, so it’s been awhile!

It really hasn’t felt like we have accomplished much, but when I look back through the pictures, I can actually see a few updates! I had to use our point and shoot camera since we are having issues with our DSLR. Hoping to get that resolved soon!

What’s that? A couch? Yes, yes it is. It has some great texture – and a fun little herringbone pattern. Pretty sure that once the couch arrived, all basement progress ceased for at least a month. The basement officially became usable. If only we had TiVo in the basement… Netflix and Hulu will have to do for now. The coffee table is an antique trunk I found, and then we added some castors to raise it up a bit. It really should be a little bigger, but it will do for now.  Better pictures coming soon (maybe!). Oh, and ignore the lack of decorating. I pretty much just carried down a few things that have been pulled off display upstairs, and then set them in the vacant spots downstairs. Still waiting on the doors, shelves and crown molding for these cabinets…


I found this cabinet at Nadeau in Minneapolis. Fun fact: it was full of little Buddha’s in the store. They even gave us one to bring home! The little bench with the W pillow was made by an Amish carpenter about 12 years ago. It fit well in our first home, not so much in this one. Thinking a coat of paint might help…? It has great storage, and I’m not ready to let it go yet.


I am super excited about this table! I found it at a local flea market. It has a cast iron drafting table base with a solid wood top. The crank actually works, so the table height is adjustable. Our plan is to use this as a family game table, and then as a high top bar table when we have company. I just haven’t decided what to do about stools yet. The cardboard underneath is because the base is cast iron. We plan to put some kind of finish coat on the underside of the feet so that the table legs do not leave rust spots on the carpet (assuming there is ever moisture in the basement). It will eventually move over, invading the treadmill space. Not sure what to do about that beast. I use it too much to let it go, but we just don’t have a great spot to put it.


The trim around the patio door is newly finished. In the last month I painted the patio door (one coat of primer, 2 coats of paint) and then last week hubby put the trim up around the door. It’s amazing how finished it makes that corner look! Now I just need to prime/paint the screen door. Also going to try painting the little pieces for the alarm system (the little brown rectangular piece in the upper left corner of the door).


This is my absolute favorite part of the basement. If only there were doors, shelves and molding. Patience…??  What’s that?!?


The wall color looks crazy blue in this next photo, and not at all accurate, but I wanted to try and capture how the lights spotlight the fireplace. The painting over the fireplace is too small, but I had to fill the space with something I already had. What better to use than an oil painted that was hand painted by my Grandma! She also made the vase that is sitting on the hearth. She was very artistic and I miss her a ton.


Some other basement progress not shown in these pictures:
1. We found a bedframe for the bed in the spare room – no more mattress and boxspring on the floor. Our guests have appreciated the upgrade!
2. I painted a set of nightstands that I found on Craigslist. Right now they are extremely poorly styled (like most of the basement) with teeny tiny cast-off lamps that used to live in our master bedroom (10 years ago). If I’m honest, one of the lamps still needs a lightbulb. Maybe I will take care of that tonight…?
3. Construction on the bathroom vanity has begun! Slow and steady. I should probably start looking for the perfect paint color…
4. We have been researching surfaces for the bar counter-top. My choice would be granite. Pretty sure hubby is happy with whatever we choose, as long as it is cheap. Ugh. That means that granite is out. At this moment, I think we are going to try pouring a concrete countertop. This could get interesting!
5. A decision was made about part of the trim that still needs to happen on the stairs. It’s just waiting for paint and installation.
6. We picked up some rugs for the bathroom. The shower and toilet work, so it’s usable, but you just can’t wash your hands yet… We have hand sanitizer on the shelf :)

The weather here in Minnesota will soon be taking a severe turn for the worse (remind me why I live here?!?), which means we need to prioritize some of the painting that needs to happen. Last winter I had a painting station set up where the couch is sitting, and it seems like I was completing some phase of trim painting several times a week. This year I need to do all of the painting in our garage, and it’s not heated… yet… Guess I will be working on painting as much as possible over the next month…

I am hopeful that I will have more exciting basement updates to come soon. Updates would come faster if we had some volunteers to help us make progress.  Anyone interested??