Basement Reno- Planning and Finishing Large Spaces

Planning and finishing large areas of space can be just as difficult as figuring out to do with small ones, so for this post about our latest project, i'm going to focus on how we planned the space. Like most unfinished basements, we start with the basics of what we know: where the furnace, ductwork, supporting beams, windows and plumbing are. Though we can move latter, most things on that list are untouchable.

We then start to design the basement based on the needs of the client, and get a vision for the finishes that they want to see in their dream space. For this particular project the list of requirements were standard: a bedroom, bathroom, a large furnace room and a rec room. The construction and finishes, however, were mostly upgraded: spray foam insulation throughout (which we subcontracted out to Insta-Insulation prior to the contractors starting), DRICore Subfloors, Roxul sound insulation in the ceilings and walls, solid three panel doors, 5" baseboards, and other upgrades you'll see throughout.

 

As much as I would have loved to show you the finished space in its entirety, the client moved everything downstairs so quickly that I didn't have a chance to come and take photos. I take that as a compliment- since that means that they were so eager to use it!

We'll start the tour at the bedroom (which is now being used as an office so i'll respect the client's privacy there). We had two frosted glass doors installed at the entrance. To maintain the flow of traffic, there is another main coridor that is not shown.

Bedroom Before

The rec area in the basement is a lot larger than this space, but I wanted to crop out most of their personal items. On top of the DRICore subfloors, we had the contractors install this gorgeous Classic Plus laminate from Quick Step, in Midnight Oak. It's micro-bevelled, so you get the look of wood flooring. The clients had a few people ask if it was engineered hardwood.

For lighting, the client wanted less focused lighting so we opted for three flushmount fixtures in combination with pot lights.

Another view of the rec area



Stairs Before

(Above) The stairs are now faced with oak treds and risers that are stained to match as best as possible with the multi-coloured laminate.






Bathroom/ Furnace Rooms
before

(Above) - The bathroom was a very large space, so I sggested the idea of adding a listello (band of accent tile) on the floor instead of just in the shower stall.

The glass shower featured the same accent tiles, with a Kohler shower system. We had the contractor create a niche for the shampoos and soaps, which also helped break up the large space visually.