Help with basement renos!

7 years ago

Hi everyone!

We've been living in our 1960s bungalow for 2 years now and would like to update the basement so that it is more welcoming. The basement is quite dark and we purchased the home with stained, green carpet, honey oak cabinets, and fireplace with a very large hearth. The room also has too smaller windows. We've mostly been using it as storage. The area of this space is about 400 sq feet.

So far, I'm planning to update the basement by:

- Painting the walls Benjamin Moore Cotton White

- Remove the oak trim and replace with white MDF trim

- Update lighting (remove the hanging red lantern)

- Update the ceiling tile panels and install recessed lighting

- Remove the carpet and replace with laminate flooring

We are also considering painting the honey oak cabinets white and white washing the fireplace.

I've been so inspired by a lot of the basement renovations here. Really like the warmth of this basement:

Pretty, Beachy. Basement Bungalow Renovation. · More Info

The fireplace is taking up a ton of space... What are your thoughts on our plans so far? Do you have any suggestions on how to minimize the fireplace and/or revitalize/update the space?

Thank you so much in advance!

Featured Answer

thinkdesignlive

7 years ago

Before you worry about finishes for the space I'd say really think about the function....how will you use it? Will there be a TV and where will it go? Will you use the fireplace? Is the space cold in the winter? Do you need all that storage? How will the furniture be placed? Answering these questions will then allow you to make better decisions about the finishes....for instance, your inspiration pic would lead me to say remove the fireplace and built ins. But if that doesn't make sense from a functional perspective then I would maybe have you rethink your finish direction (even with painting everything white you have a lot of visual 'texture' in the space between the brick and built ins and a nice textured carpet will provide the visual relief the space needs and I think a wood laminate won't necessarily improve the look of the space....and if the fireplace has to stay I'd say instead of white paint I'd say dark so the hearth blends in and the fireplace visually pops). Good lighting is always an improvement for a basement. Lastly, egress during a fire should be considered if you plan to use the space for more than storage.

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Comments (8)

thinkdesignlive
7 years ago
Posting a dimensioned plan of the space would be good. I question spending the time effort and money on painting those oak units but that's up to you.
Elizabeth Nanthavong thanked thinkdesignlive
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felizlady
7 years ago
Painting the brick fireplace a lighter color will help it visually recede. Removing the fireplace would be a big job and may involve removing a chimney and repairing the basement walls, ceiling and floor. It may also involve the room above the basement.
Don’t start the project without a plan.
Elizabeth Nanthavong thanked felizlady
thinkdesignlive
7 years ago
It would be interesting to see a mock up of light vs dark for the fireplace. You paint it light and the black chimney thingy (yes that’s a technical term :) and black hearth become very visually prominent. You paint the brick dark and just the white fireplace box becomes a focal point. I know which one I’d pick. All that aside you also have a column to contend with (which I suggest cladding in a simple box and paint out in your overall wall color).
deb s
7 years ago
agreed have a strategy for how to use the space there are a few glaring things I would try to resolve-- get rid of the drop ceiling- finish properly with a generous amount of lights - home depot has a version that does not require a box so your ceiling height can be higher (they are dimable, color change-white/yellow, and re only like $45 and led. The vertical brick on the underside of the hearth would drive me nuts- I would paint black to match the hearth. The two spaces left and right of the chimney is hard to look at - if you do a mounted tv see if you can angle in that corner (paint the back wall black so it recedes) Careful of laminate in a basement if you have moisture- make sure to seal the floor and have installed properly.

If you do not need the cabinetry to the right for storage eliminate - maybe take the top half off - paint the bottom half and put in a counter to make a nice bar area-- or I almost imagine a nice squared off sectional in that corner with the tv wall on the left wall of the fireplace-- this is not a traditional layout but it could work well as it seems the room is smallish ? so a couch facing the fireplace may be constraining
Elizabeth Nanthavong thanked deb s
Elizabeth Nanthavong
Original Author
7 years ago
Thanks all for your feedback! Really appreciate it.

I would like to put a TV in the space. The space would ideally be a good place to entertain and watch TV.

I created a floor plan - not to scale.. but gives you the dimensions of the rec room and the layout of the rest of the basement.

A note about the rest of the basement:

No updates will be made as they're outside of our budget:

- Bathroom is very dated

- The bedroom is small, would ideally like to tear down the wall between the closet and bedroom to make it one large bedroom... some day!

- The flooring outside of the bedroom and rec room are linoleum

- The walls outside of the bathroom and utility room are lined with dark brown wood paneling
thinkdesignlive
7 years ago
Show where the column is in the plan please. That is your major obstacle in planning out the room.
thinkdesignlive
7 years ago
First order of magnitude IMO would be to get a good flooring contractor out to price both LVP and carpet. If you will be using this area to entertain you would want to consider starting new flooring at the hallway outside the space. I question the door to the rec room - is that needed? If not it will be a better feel for the rec room to have it open to the hallway (and do you gain any more daylight from the back door by doing so?) Once you know that $$ you will be able to plan what other items you can tackle design wise.