So it took me all of 4 separate days totaling maybe 6 hours to write 4 posts on a project that took darn near 365 days........wow. Here we are, the finish line and boy are we thankful, relieved, elated.....all emotions that describe just happy to be done.
Needless to say my construction knowledge is a bit more plentiful albeit when you start at pure ignorance there's only one way to go....
We just want to thank everyone who helped us both great and small, family, friends, strangers, 2nd shift Lowes employees who listened sincerely while a guy who has no words to explain what material(s) he needs use words to describe that thingy or the "ya know that part that goes here or there" Thank you to Jeff, Dad Dill, Matt, Brent, and Dad Zeller for your patience, time, and most importantly your love in helping us get this to completion.
I also want to give thanks and credit to one of my best friends Joel Cox from JC Photographic for taking the pictures of the finished product for me. He is a great photographer and even better friend of 15 years. Thank you so much Joel.
As you've waited for, here is the final project from fully finished stairwell to the hidden rough yet functional areas of the utility room and storage.
Remember that chandelier we found well there it is. Kim sprayed it with some gunmental metallic type spray paint and then distressed to her liking. This had to be probably my favorite or second favorite part of the whole reno. I just loved the character of this light.
Once You get to the bottom of the stairs you can really tell the layout has changed. I did my best getting before and after pics but some of them aren't angle for angle the same.
The before (Notice the change in the angled wall to the storage room):
The after:
Notice how the red beam is black and those supports are well hidden. :)
Here is the shot from the french doors before and after:
Full disclosure here I took pics before Kim had time to "accent" the wall above the sofa. There are greens hanging there now so sorry babe for not having them on here.
For the curious minds about where we bought this from:
Windmill Clock - Floral Designs
Rug - Floral Designs (Magnolia Market Collection)
Lamps - ones we had when we first got married. Kim just painted and aged them
Vintage Chairs - Floral Designs
If it's hanging on the wall - Floral Designs
Coffee Table/ Trunk - This was an heirloom from my Grandma Zeller that was made out of cedar. Kim aged that as well. Her and I differed on this as I would have rather seen the natural wood but hey in the end it looks great.
Couch - We got a steal. We went to Ashley furniture one night to look at couches and found one we liked. Price $599. Kim just happened to go down to UFS albeit with her Walther PPK in tow and check out their furniture. She found the EXACT SAME couch for $399. Ummmm yes please. I've already assessed that it's a great napping couch and parentally peaceful down there. :)
Now for our custom pieces. Remember that desk I wanted that I told you about, well the end result is the custom piece Brent made for us. 55" X 36" X 30" I wanted something deep with plenty of workspace unlike our old desk. This fit the bill. These original corncrib 2 X 12s were sanded to perfection. I left the finish raw without any sealing done so the wood could age naturally. This may change over time but I loved the craftsmanship that Brent turned out here as it was exactly what I was hoping for.
As you can see the bill filer is quite full, probably from all the basement ones that came due. :)
*Chair & Pendants from Floral Designs
So this was mom Dills idea to have the sliding door in front of our washer dryer. This would allow us to increase the footprint of the basement and not sacrifice space by keeping the door linear. I love how it turned out even though it sounds like thunder upstairs when someone is opening it.
Dad dill whipped this custom door out for us from some old barn ship lap and some custom iron work that he fabricated.
So this is a shot of our utility door and how we finished both with frosting the glass and using lettering from a company called "Simply Said". Kim found a great steal for knobs through Etsy which made the whole door come together. We loved how these turned out but again the work to get there was the hardest out of anything in the project.
I'm really glad we went with a more detailed trim on the door. It really softened the linear lines of the basement with adding just a touch of character to the doors. I feel like our basement feels bigger because of all the entry's we have now. The Utility room, the sliding door for the laundry, the Storage room, and the Theatre room.
This is a peak into the utility room. One way we minimized the clutter around the desk area was to have our dedicated files and printer back in here since it's wireless. Really helped with the clutter.
Lastly the storage room. I think this was most exciting to get this room organized and better finished than what it was before. It's that room where you can go in and just kind of exhale when you feel so cramped by all of the kids stuff that is around. The pictures don't do justice to how we configured this for more storage but I thought I'd include them anyways since this was part of the big reno.
Use the pole as your refernce. Again here's what we did.
Removed the drop ceiling and recovered with plaster board
Removed the table in the center
Removed the storage rack on the right
Repurposed the fluorescents from the main basement area
Added uber shelving for storage.
Squared off slanted wall.
Before:
After
So there you have it. A years worth of work, sweat, blood, tears, stress, and the adjectives could go on and on but we are thankful. There are a lot of things going on in this world and I believe Kim would agree with me when I say that this basement taught us a lot.
It taught Kim that things just don't get done as quickly when you're married to a talentless salesman. It taught us that many problems are first world and need be put in their place. In the time of preparation to finish this it reminds me that HE has gone to prepare a place for us. For Kim, for me, for Rowen and Hudson, and for you.
Thank you to each of you for always asking me how the project was going, even in the end when it turned more to jeers (totally understandable). We appreciate each of you and love you all. Until the next project...
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