DIY The Basement Renovation, Part One: The Demolition Begins!

Hey ya'll! So, subsequently spending the firstly 10 months of the twelvemonth working on the upstairs master copy degree of the house, it's finally fourth dimension for us to enterprise downstairs as well as start renovating the basement level. I know you lot guys get got been thence curious nigh this purpose of the house, as well as I'm thence excited to finally live able to percentage it amongst you.
By the destination of today's post, you'll totally sympathise why I've never blogged nigh the basement before, but we're only going to live honest nigh things as well as savour the journeying that is renovating an quondam 70's house.
I'm feeling excited, terrified, hopeful, as well as slightly nauseous.

Since the basement has never been blogged nigh before, we'll start at the beginning. Our solid is a separate level, thence when you lot walk inwards the forepart door, at that spot are ii sets of stairs...one leading upward to the master copy expanse (that we've spent the past times 10 months renovating) as well as i leading down.

Those stairs Pb to the basement degree which is comprised of 3 rooms: a living room, a bedroom, as well as a total bath.

We'll start inwards the living room. This is a pic of this room when nosotros firstly moved in. It had the same beige carpet, xanthous walls, as well as nighttime forest reduce that the residue of the solid had.

Please banking concern complaint my endeavor to elevator this room's spirits amongst sequined pillows.
It champaign did non work.

After a few months of living hither as well as feeling a niggling overwhelmed past times how much this solid needed, I tried my best to improve the basement. I painted the walls as well as reduce (my go-to recipe for semi-success when you lot lack the funds to practise much else) as well as and thence inwards my attempts to brand Jesse a human being cave, I accidentally made some other adult woman cave.

I was working amongst 100% thrift shop materials as well as got a niggling sidetracked past times candlesticks as well as birds. And Jesse pretended to dearest it, which I don't hollo upward I fully appreciated until this really moment.

My woah-man cave didn't in conclusion really long i time nosotros started renovating the upstairs, every bit it chop-chop became my dumping ground. For anything as well as everything.

And as well as thence it became the flooring contractor's dumping the world for all of his equipment, thence at that spot were months at a fourth dimension when I never stepped human foot downward here.

Here's the opposite view...that's Rock Wall Two. He's located straight below Rock Wall One upstairs, which should laissez passer on you lot a improve thought of the flooring plan.

Here's the see of the stairs leading upward to the entryway landing.

I know. That carpeting is a niggling scary. I knew it was getting removed i time nosotros were done amongst the upstairs, thence I only kinda went into neglect-mode.

Basically, pretty upstairs, HOARDERS EPISODE DOWNSTAIRS.

Also, those miserable neglected stairs. I was supposed to prime number as well as pigment the risers similar I did on the upstairs set, as well as and thence reduce them inwards unopen to the sides nigh the wall.

But, I was a tad overwhelmed at the time.

So, I'll live adding that to the basement to-do list.

Hold me.

So, this in conclusion weekend, nosotros rented a dumpster, as well as finally began gutting the basement. We started past times removing all of the reduce as well as carpeting inwards the living room.

Luckily the carpeting wasn't glued downward inwards here, thence removing it was fairly easy.

The residue of the basement demo wasn't thence easy.

Here's a pic of the hallway that leads to the bedchamber (directly ahead), the bath (to the right) as well as the garage (behind).

This hallway was originally forest paneling, but it was painted earlier nosotros moved in. I'll live re-painting it as well as replacing the reduce move as well as doors.

And in all probability removing that side-boob light.

Behind that 1970's door is a large bedroom. We used it every bit a gym for the firstly brace of years, as well as and thence eventually it became the dreaded 'cat room'. Cheese likes to larn inwards at that spot as well as stink it up, no affair how difficult nosotros seek to brand her litter experience pleasurable.

Tootie is SO horrified past times this, as well as hopes that i time at that spot is some novel flooring inwards here, Cheese volition larn it together.

Here's the see of the opposite way, looking dorsum towards the hallway. All that materials on the the world is carpeting glue, which makes prying carpeting off of cement actually fun.

Next upward is the bathroom. The basement bath is pretty spacious, but definitely needs some help.

My goal from hateful solar daytime i was to snuff it along the flooring inwards the basement consistent throughout, which requires demo-ing the tile inwards the hallway as well as bathroom. While nosotros were at it, I decided that I was only going to redo the entire bathroom.
On a budget.

So, Jesse began disassembling the vanity (which doesn't facial expression all that terrible, but I hope you, upward unopen it was kinda gross).

And slice past times piece, he slow removed the entire thing.

I e'er thought this materials seemed actually intimidating earlier nosotros started renovating this house, but the to a greater extent than nosotros do, the to a greater extent than approachable it seems.

Of course, I was only standing inwards the corner amongst a camera, thence you lot should in all probability negate my opinion.

Also, who noticed the ornament wreath? Let's pretend it was never downward here.

In typical 1970's style, nosotros also works life some sassy linoleum underneath the tile.

And subsequently all of the materials was out of the bathroom, Jesse began the procedure of chipping upward the tile.

After spending nigh an hr on 3 tiles, nosotros decided to hire out this purpose of the demo. It damage us nigh $200, but was worth every penny.

That tile was NOT willing to larn without a fight.

So, yesterday a overnice human being came as well as jackhammered my flooring for nigh half dozen hours.

I only noticed...you tin come across the original nighttime forest paneling downward past times the flooring where the reduce was pulled up. I've debated pulling this paneling up, too, but I'll in all probability only supersede the reduce as well as repaint the paneling to agree the color that I pigment the residue of the walls.

Or I could live non-lazy as well as withdraw it.

Time volition tell. :)

Now that nosotros get got all of the flooring removed inwards the entire basement (and a lav crammed inwards my shower), we're create to motion on to the side past times side phase. Jesse as well as I volition live doing the flooring installation on our own, firstly this weekend, thence my hope is that nosotros endure as well as that it doesn't get got us whatsoever longer than nosotros expect.

That's champaign an irrational goal, but accomplish for the stars, girl.

I'll live dorsum presently to percentage my flooring choices, my overall innovation for the basement, as well as whatsoever other niggling tidbits or progress that happens along the way.

In the meantime (before I pass my weekend getting sweaty inwards the basement), Jesse as well as I volition live celebrating our v twelvemonth marriage ceremony anniversary. I experience thence thankful for the unconditional dearest this human being has shown me over the past times 12 years, oftentimes despite myself, as well as I don't know if I would live the adult woman I am today without his dearest as well as encouragement.

My dearest for him grows every day...especially when he says things similar 'Hey girl, you lot get got a intermission on this one. I'll rip upward that cat-poo carpeting for ya.'.