The basement stairs had one side open. The only railing was a 2×4 handrail, and we were worried about kids falling out the side. I will add a more detailed post later (hopefully). I also still need to paint.

I tallied the total cost last night.

• Tools: $49
• Materials: $89

That is what I bought. I ended up a bunch of cable and  Spax screws left over for future projects. The bolts you see are elevator bolts that I had left over from another project.

As you can see there is still some organization yet to do. That is a future project.

The Basement Before

So the plan was to finish half of the basement, making it into a family room on one end and a sewing/craft area at the other. The other half of the basement would stay unfinished and contain storage, a small workbench area, laundry area, and food storage. A Pittsburgh Potty and shower were also on this side. The shower just drained across the floor to the nearest floor drain and was nowhere near the rest of the “bathroom”, so it was removed.

Sketchup Model of Basement

I planned out most of the work in Google Sketchup, but of course some changes happened along the way.We planned to leave the ceiling open and paint it black. It works well anddisappears. Recessed lights help hide it as well. The two existing pull-chain bare bulb lights became outlets, so there is an outlet on the ceiling at each end. In the sewing area this will come in handy for use over sewing tables or ironing boards.

The walls were covered with 2″ of foam insulation and then horizontal and vertical furring strips to add depth for outlet boxes and to make running wires easier. Drywall was installed over that. I installed about 150 Tapcons putting the furring strips up, that was not fun. The cold air returns and water/gas pipes along the perimeter were boxed in with soffits, but the supply ducts run in middle of the room and soffits would make me hit my head, so we just painted them black. There is also a closet in one corner that has the water meter, a shutoff for an outside water outlet that has some storage space for random things.

Cabinets for a workspace

Along the wall next to the closet we installed Ikea kitchen cabinets and countertop to serve as a work area for sewing and crafts. The lower cabinets had gaps left for legs so there would be two “desks” that could be used for a  sewing machine, computer, or just sitting down. Network and electrical hookup we installed below in these areas for computers or sewing machines.

The family room area has 4 data drops and electrical in place for an entertainment center. We only have an old TV that rarely gets used, but if the need arises we will be ready.

Future plans involve removing the shelves under the stairs for a kids area, and some reworking of the basement bathroom.

Thanks to Jesse who helped carry drywall downstairs and Nate for helping hang the drywall. Thanks to my family for putting up with me disappearing to the basement for hours on end, and the Eli for acting as a screw dispenser.  Also thanks to my father and father-in-law for borrowed tools, hopefully I will return them soon.

Also check out my Basement Remodel Tool All Stars post for the tools that made this project go so much smoother.