Back on the ranch of my Connecticut friend, and one area we both thought had major potential but needed A LOT OF WORK (picture the television show THE SWAN where ugly ducklings...not my words, but the real description of the show...were given major makeovers to become, what the producers thought, were "beautiful"). Unlike the show, that gave nose jobs and facelifts to participants then forced them to diet, making them look more like strange aliens in costumes, we imagined this lower level and its great possibilities. With a bedroom, full bath, walk in closet, kitchen area, living area, office area and about a thousand square feet of unfinished space, the options were ENDLESS in our minds (the realtor photos make the red room look far more interesting than it was in person). I immediately said the Days Of Our Lives-inspired glass brick wall HAD TO GO (it felt more like a dentists office) and the addition of windows would make a HUGE difference. We replaced pet-urine saturated carpet with tiles from the Home Depot that look like wood floors ($1.75/square foot), took down the ugly ceiling tiles and replaced with sheetrock, insulated and sheet rocked the walls and added an accent wall of shiplap tongue and groove to the far wall. The space you see in the after shot is the space at the far end of the first photo near the glass wall. The other end will house a new wood-burning fireplace and bar area (that photo will come soon). COST OF THE BASEMENT MAKEOVER TO DATE: $4,750.00, mostly due to labor of installing three windows and the cost of a thousand square feet of drywall and insulation. To date we have created a new bedroom and entry upstairs, added a new dining room and reimagined the space downstairs to add a cool bar area, comfortable fireplace area for winter, tv watching zone, bedroom and bath and gym ALL FOR FAR LESS than the air-conditioning estimates of $18,000+. STAY TUNED
