This week, I wanted to share the amazing progress we’ve made on our basement renovation after several months of slower, less visible progress.
We slowed progress over the summer as our attention shifted to outdoor projects, yardwork, and gardening tasks. We also were working slowly through some plumbing projects that had minimal visible impact but were absolutely necessary to continue working.
A few months ago, we shifted our dryer into its new home, and this month we were finally able to move the washer into place to finish outfitting our laundry area.
There is obviously still work to be done to finish the walls behind these machines and tidy the space, but it’s fantastic to have the machines side-by-side again for ease of operation. The boxes beneath each machine serve as a convenient storage spot for laundry baskets and make it easier to move the laundry in and out of these machines.
With the former laundry area cleared, my husband A. was able to demolish the old plumbing lines and paneled walls from this space:
The entire basement feels so much more open already with this section cleared, and now we can move full steam ahead at framing the new bedroom and closet spaces that will replace the old laundry site.
Within a week, A. had marked out the new wall locations using a laser and built shelves on one side of what will eventually become an enclosed pantry/utility closet:
The side wall where the doorway will go to this closet was also raised. This actually occurred prior to the demolition of the laundry area and the installation of these shelves.
And then finally, on the opposite side of the basement, A.’s brother was a huge help in framing out the closet space that will exist beneath the stairwell. We have jokingly called this a new bedroom for my oldest son, (Harry Potter style), but it will really be a great storage space for off-season jackets and less frequently accessed items.
I look forward to sharing the further progress we anticipate making this coming week as we host a “framing party” to raise the walls of what will eventually become the other half of our pantry/utility closet and the bedroom planned for this space!