A Happy, Bright Update for the Basement and Storage Room!

Welcome to the 728th Metamorphosis Monday! How is 2023 treating you so far? I hope it’s going well! I’m feeling a lot better now after having caught a bug at Christmastime. I have a basement update for this week’s Met Monday. Here’s a quick recap if you’re new to the basement updates I’ve been making–I added stair lighting along the right side of the stairway going down.

Beautiful Stairway Lighting

 

I also added recessed lighting above. The stairway is no longer a dark corridor going down to the basement/terrace level.

Basement Stair Lighting

 

I had the walls, trim, and ceiling painted here in the partially finished half of the basement.

Basement After Painting

 

I also replaced the hot water heater and added a whole-house surge protector. All this side needs now is flooring and it will be complete.

Basement Renovation, After Painting, Before Flooring

 

The Unfinished Half

When I started this basement update, my goal for the unfinished part of the basement was to make it feel a bit more friendly. I didn’t want to finish it in because I wanted to keep this long room as a utility/storage room.

 

I painted the gray concrete walls white to brighten up the space, but what about the wall with all the insulation?

Unfinished Side of Basement

 

I didn’t like seeing the insulation whenever I was in this space.

 

Last week, I had drywall installed down that long wall and across the end of the room. The room still needs to be painted and have baseboard installed, along with flooring like I have in the garage, but this is a big improvement, for sure.

Utility Room in Basement

 

The thing that most shocked me about this phase of the renovation is how much bigger this unfinished area feels now. I thought adding drywall would make it feel smaller and more closed in but it actually had the opposite effect! The room feels so much larger now–so weird that adding drywall did that!

Updates for unfinished basement

 

Remember this storage room that’s located at the end of the room? You may remember me mentioning in a previous post that it was once a creepy crawl space with an earthen floor that many years ago I had converted into a storage room with a concrete floor and shelving.

Turning Crawl Space into Storage Room

 

The entrance to that space was also drywalled in and prepared for a door.

Door into Storage Room, Previous Crawl Space

 

Before when standing inside this storage room looking back out, this was the view.

Storage Room, Previously Crawl Space

 

Now it looks like this with the drywall in place.

Storage Room Shelving, Crawl Space Conversion

 

I’d like to add a louvered door here so that this space will continue to receive good airflow. I’ll be checking into that later this week.

Door into Storage Room, Previous Crawl Space

 

There’s still a lot to be done in this space including paint, baseboard, and flooring. I don’t have plans to add a ceiling since this is just a storage/work room and I like having all the mechanical stuff open/available in case it ever needs to be accessed, but it does feel a lot more pleasant to be in this space now when I’m working on something or grabbing something from the freezer. I may eventually have the ceiling painted black. I like how that looks in storage rooms of this type.

Updates for unfinished basement

 

Hope you enjoyed seeing this quick update! Looking forward to all the great Before and Afters linked for this week’s Met Monday!

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Comments

  1. Thanks so much Susan! Your storage space is amazing, and looks so pretty now with all the updates!

  2. Thanks for the party, Susan. I’ve added the backlink at the bottom of my post, but the bot is not picking it up.

    Your basement is coming along nicely!

    Have a great week!

  3. Your basement is really gorgeous, and I love all the storage; what a blessing. Thanks for hosting and have a wonderful week.

  4. Jackie Allen says

    What great space – so jealous!!! looks perfect!

  5. Those spaces have come a long way–so much work! Possibly the room with new drywall feels larger/longer because your eye just sweeps across it. Whereas before the eye just kind of stuttered across, stopping at each stud. Just a guess.

  6. That’s looking so great – I bet you’re so happy when you go down there now! Are those stairs as steep in real life as they look in the photos? The lighting will really help! Thanks as always for the inspiration, and for hosting the party! Happy Second Week of 2023!

    • lol I think it’s the angle of the photo. The staircase is the premade kind, not built on site…so it’s a standard staircase. Yeah, definite improvement! Now I’m itching to get the floor in!

  7. SharonFromMichigan says

    Every house we ever purchased had dark paint or very ugly paint used in the basement. (I think people just used up whatever colors they had left over) What a difference light bright colors make. White always make a basement “less scary” to go into. Have you considered a nice screen door instead of a louvered door? Both would increase air circulation. I have a vinyl screen door on my pantry in my kitchen to increase air circulation in there. Just a thought.

    • I thought of a screen door as well. I think it would work!

    • I so agree, Sharon! I think the lighter colors make it feel less basement-like and more like the rest of the house. I was telling a friend that the changes have made it feel like I went from having a 2 story home with a basement to a 3 story home because I’m using it so much more now. I hadn’t thought about a screen door. I think I want that storage room to not be so visible, kind of a hidden, surprise storage, so that’s why I’m considering a louvered door. Thanks for that suggestion though because I hadn’t considered it!
      XXX

  8. Glad you are finally feeling better Susan! It stinks when one is sick over the holidays, heck it stinks anytime to be sick. Thanks for the updates! The dry wall looks so much better then looking at insulation. I found out too, that with dry wall up, it makes a room look bigger. When we added on our house back in the early 90’s, I thought the bedroom looked so small just seeing the studs, but when the dry wall was added, the room appeared way bigger. Funny how that works! lol Everything is looking really great, once painted you won’t recognize the storage spaces! lol And the flooring will make a huge difference in the partially finished side and on the storage side. Everything will look amazing! Hugs, Brenda

    • Thanks, Brenda! I was thinking today, I actually feel better now than I have in months. I think I’ve had a sinus infection brewing for a while now and just didn’t realize it. I have sooo much more energy now than I have in months!
      It truly is amazing how much bigger drywall makes a room feel! I was not expecting that at all. Yeah, I can’t wait to get it painted and the flooring in. Not sure when I’ll do that since I’m thinking of renovating one of the baths upstairs next.

  9. Glad to hear you are feeling better! Wow, the improvements are just plain wonderful. Adding a doorway didn’t seem to affect the storage area at all. I guess you will have a door that opens all the way so when you are taking out/putting back items there’s no hindrance. You are so lucky to have so much space for storage. Can’t wait to see the flooring in both areas.

    • Thanks so much, Kathleen! That’s a good point, I will want it to open all the way back. It will most likely open out toward the windows at that end. That was one of the things that really drew me to this house 30+ years ago–all the storage. My last house was much smaller and had almost no storage.

  10. What a wonderful basement space you have! The new drywall really makes that space so much better! Having your basement as a finished space definitely adds value to your home!

  11. franki Parde says

    Susan!!! It looks BRILLIANT!!! What a difference and you are going to enjoy this more & more!! franki

    • Thanks so much, Franki! Sometimes it feels like I’m moving at the speed of molasses. lol I try to remind myself from time to time how much I’ve gotten done down there. Some are things that you don’t notice, like a new hot water heater. I like the fun stuff that shows–like paint and drywall! Ha!

  12. Mary from Virginia says

    What a big change! It looks great. I’m jealous (but in a good way!) of all your storage space.

    • Thanks, Mary! That was def one of the things that drew me to this home so many years ago. It really does have a lot of storage space. If/when I move one day, I think the next family who lives here will really appreciate the storage, especially with the new improvements.

  13. Wow, what a wonderful space! Happy New Year and “new” basement!

    Best regards,
    Julie M.

  14. Susan,
    The basement looks great!!!
    Thanks again for hosting this charming party!! I truly appreciate the time and effort that goes into it! Stay safe, healthy and happy!!
    Hugs,
    Deb

  15. Tina W Reynolds says

    Your basement improvements are wonderful, and they add so much value to your home. But, to me the point is how much value these improvements add to your daily life. You’ve done a great job! Basements can be a tough nut to crack!

  16. Looking GREAT, Susan! WOW- what a huge difference and what an amazing home you have. All that storage space blows my mind! Love your basement!!!

  17. Cyndi Raines ì says

    Good job Susan. Brightens the area for sure. I know it will look great when done.

  18. Cyndi Raines ì says

    Good job Susan. Brightens the area for sure. I know it will look great when done. Really like what did to your stairway also.

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