My Big Amazing Renovation

Well, not really, but amazing to me. We are going to go forward with finishing our basement. Contractor is already pulling the permits and we are very excited, but also very busy as a result. I never knew how much work it was just to get started on a renovation. So many appts with contractors to vet them out, get a good price, find out what can/can't be done. And then meetings with the bank to get everything set up and in place financially. Add that to the stress at work, and well I guess I just haven't been keeping up with my blog or my stitching the way I used to.

Anyway, I'd like to document the transformation my basement is going to make here in my blog, so I took some before pictures tonight. DH and I already started ripping down the ceiling tiles in the one room of the basement that is already finished because we are having the contractor do this room like the others to bring it up to code (it is a DIY "finish" right now) and so that the basement will look seamless when it is finished. Here are my before pictures with a short explanation of our plans.

As you come down the stairs this area is on the right - it is the largest area and will be a huge rec room. It is actually larger than what I could fit in the pic.

If you continue to travel right after coming down the stairs there is a doorway in the right wall that leads to this already finished room. This room will be my craft room. See our demo work on the ceiling - yeah, lots left to do. The exterior walls are just painted cement, so this room is not up to code - we will have drywall and electric put in around the exterior walls in here and the ceiling replaced with drywall like the rest of the basement will have.

To your immediate left when you come down the stairs is another doorway - this one leads to a large walk-in closet. Believe it or not this was actually a big selling point of the house. I've always wanted a large game type closet for the kids to shove all their toys into. In here we aren't doing much, cause well, its a closet - but we will have dryall and insulation put up on the exterior wall and put in some nicer shelving.If you continue left, you come into another large open area. This will also be a large rec area. Except that the leftmost 1/4 or so of this pic is where the full bath will be.If from there you look to your right at the back wall this is what you now see. We are going to install two egress windows - one on the left where it is now solid concrete (in the large rec area) and one on the right where the existing well window is.If you continue to turn slightly to the right, you can see the area where the existing well window is. This will be a legal bedroom once the new egress window is installed and we've removed the workbenches and finished off the poles into the walls.

And lest you think I've given up stitching - I assure you I have not! I have my latest section for the Mira RR all but done - just waiting for a missing spool of kreinik to arrive in the mail so I can finish it. I also have another nursery ryhme afghan square in the works - "Rub a Dub".

I was dissapointed to have to miss out on a GTG this weekend, but I stitched some on my Alhambra Garden in honor of those fine ladies as it is what I stitched on last time we were together. Will have to show progress pics soon as it is getting close to being able to see the light at the end of the proverbial tunnel.