The Basement Project

kw18

For the last three months, AfroAnnnie and I have been working on our basement, fixing it up to turn it from blah to AWESOME.

This is our journey.

Flooding damaged the carpet, so Afro decided to install hardwood flooring. Here's some before shots:









Most notable about the basement before we started work on it was a coy pond. Yes, some crazy dude who lived in the house before us decided it would be a good idea to install a fish pond in the basement. And he, like, SUPER GLUED the f-- out of it to ensure it would be hard as $hit to be taken out. Unfortunately we don't have any shots of the pond itself, but here's a shot of the pond destruction progress:



After that, we were left with an oddly shaped spot at the bottom of the stairs. What to put in it?



We already had a spot for the bar ...





... and the vinyl ...


(Before)


(After)


(with PJ CD shelf installed)

So with two of our deep passions covered (music, booze), we turned to our third: Books.

So right now we're in the process of installing a built-in bookcase for the basement. Here's how it's coming along:


(No more fish pond!)


(All the wood Afro kept talking about ...)


(Our living room during staining.)


(Our dining room during staining.)






(Finally!)

We hope to finish the bookcase by Friday, and we'll update the thread then. We'll also post some other pictures of the basement after it gets cleaned up, and as we start putting framed tour posters up.

Thanks for reading!

- AfroAnnnie & kw18

afroannnie

It's so exciting to see the transformation of our basement over the last 3 months...

As you can see, as soon as kw moved in I put him straight to work...
( :wave: sweetie!)

Once the bookcase is fully assembled with the books loaded we both plan to sit at the bottom of the stairs and stare at our finished work

Jamminonthe1

Love it!

afroannnie

Jamminonthe1 wrote:

Love it!

Thanks!

kw18

afroannnie wrote:

Once the bookcase is fully assembled with the books loaded we both plan to sit at the bottom of the stairs and stare at our finished work

Because that's totally normal. :P

JK_Livin

Built-in book cases are nice. Are you guys handy with woodwork or are you just learning as you go?

You should've kept the pond.

afroannnie

kw18 wrote:

afroannnie wrote:

Once the bookcase is fully assembled with the books loaded we both plan to sit at the bottom of the stairs and stare at our finished work

Because that's totally normal. :P

Of course! I'll bring the popcorn...we may be there awhile..

catefrances

I have a case of basement envy.. have for a few years now... we don't have them here in oz and ive only ever been in 3. *sigh*

afroannnie

JK_Livin wrote:

Built-in book cases are nice. Are you guys handy with woodwork or are you just learning as you go?

You should've kept the pond.

I've had some experience handling wood :shifty: , but kw is the more experienced one...he's built bookcases in the past...just not quite this magnitude... :shock:

I used the fishpond as a huge "cooler" for my housewarming party...40-50 pounds of ice and tons of beer...but that thing is a bitch to clean out... :fp:

We'll definitely get more use out of the bookcase

afroannnie

catefrances wrote:

I have a case of basement envy.. have for a few years now... we don't have them here in oz and ive only ever been in 3. *sigh*

Basements are definitely nice! Aw...sorry you don't have one...but the next time you're in the US you can visit ours and bump it up your total to 4

JK_Livin

afroannnie wrote:

JK_Livin wrote:

Built-in book cases are nice. Are you guys handy with woodwork or are you just learning as you go?

You should've kept the pond.

I've had some experience handling wood :shifty: , but kw is the more experienced one...he's built bookcases in the past...just not quite this magnitude... :shock:

I used the fishpond as a huge "cooler" for my housewarming party...40-50 pounds of ice and tons of beer...but that thing is a bitch to clean out... :fp:

We'll definitely get more use out of the bookcase

How did you drain it?

catefrances

afroannnie wrote:

catefrances wrote:

I have a case of basement envy.. have for a few years now... we don't have them here in oz and ive only ever been in 3. *sigh*

Basements are definitely nice! Aw...sorry you don't have one...but the next time you're in the US you can visit ours and bump it up your total to 4

ive been in the basement of city lights bookstore so I guess im already at 4... but #5... im looking to that.. where abouts you at?

you would think a country as hot as Australia would benefit immensely from basements but alas were without them.

kw18

catefrances wrote:

I have a case of basement envy.. have for a few years now... we don't have them here in oz and ive only ever been in 3. *sigh*

That sucks. :(

I wanted to build a mini Batcave, but SOMEONE shot that idea down pretty quick ... :shifty:

:wave:

afroannnie

JK_Livin wrote:

afroannnie wrote:

JK_Livin wrote:

Built-in book cases are nice. Are you guys handy with woodwork or are you just learning as you go?

You should've kept the pond.

I've had some experience handling wood :shifty: , but kw is the more experienced one...he's built bookcases in the past...just not quite this magnitude... :shock:

I used the fishpond as a huge "cooler" for my housewarming party...40-50 pounds of ice and tons of beer...but that thing is a bitch to clean out... :fp:

We'll definitely get more use out of the bookcase

How did you drain it?

It didn't have a drain, so I had to 'scoop" the water out using a bucket.. :fp: :fp: And thus, the fish pond was used as a cooler only once.

catefrances

kw18 wrote:

catefrances wrote:

I have a case of basement envy.. have for a few years now... we don't have them here in oz and ive only ever been in 3. *sigh*

That sucks. :(

I wanted to build a mini Batcave, but SOMEONE shot that idea down pretty quick ... :shifty:

:wave:

yeah see I already know that if I ever got a basement itd immediately become my library... I can picture the bookcases... the rugs... the sofa... im there, I just need the basement. in fact whenever im staying with a particular friend of mine ,whilst doing my laundry id lean against his washing machine and totally renovate his basement in my vision.

afroannnie

catefrances wrote:

afroannnie wrote:

catefrances wrote:

I have a case of basement envy.. have for a few years now... we don't have them here in oz and ive only ever been in 3. *sigh*

Basements are definitely nice! Aw...sorry you don't have one...but the next time you're in the US you can visit ours and bump it up your total to 4

ive been in the basement of city lights bookstore so I guess im already at 4... but #5... im looking to that.. where abouts you at?

you would think a country as hot as Australia would benefit immensely from basements but alas were without them.

We're in Pennsylvania...about an 1 1/2 hours from D.C. It gets really hot here too...with high humidity, so yeah the basement is awesome in the summer...it's at least 10 degrees cooler down there...

So why no basements in oz?

afroannnie

kw18 wrote:

catefrances wrote:

I have a case of basement envy.. have for a few years now... we don't have them here in oz and ive only ever been in 3. *sigh*

That sucks. :(

I wanted to build a mini Batcave, but SOMEONE shot that idea down pretty quick ... :shifty:

:wave:

When we get tired of the current renovations...you can turn it into a batcave...you know 30 years from now...

catefrances

afroannnie wrote:

We're in Pennsylvania...about an 1 1/2 hours from D.C. It gets really hot here too...with high humidity, so yeah the basement is awesome in the summer...it's at least 10 degrees cooler down there...

So why no basements in oz?

I don't know why no basement in oz. im thinking id have to look into the history of basements in america to see why you have them to figure out why we don't. right now im thinking that maybe its got something to do with fuel storing for harsh winters??? but that's only a guess and maybe an incorrect one.

afroannnie

catefrances wrote:

afroannnie wrote:

We're in Pennsylvania...about an 1 1/2 hours from D.C. It gets really hot here too...with high humidity, so yeah the basement is awesome in the summer...it's at least 10 degrees cooler down there...

So why no basements in oz?

I don't know why no basement in oz. im thinking id have to look into the history of basements in america to see why you have them to figure out why we don't. right now im thinking that maybe its got something to do with fuel storing for harsh winters??? but that's only a guess and maybe an incorrect one.

:think: Hmm...interesting...Some places in the US don't have basements, but it usually has to do with the soil, water levels, etc.

catefrances

afroannnie wrote:

catefrances wrote:

afroannnie wrote:

We're in Pennsylvania...about an 1 1/2 hours from D.C. It gets really hot here too...with high humidity, so yeah the basement is awesome in the summer...it's at least 10 degrees cooler down there...

So why no basements in oz?

I don't know why no basement in oz. im thinking id have to look into the history of basements in america to see why you have them to figure out why we don't. right now im thinking that maybe its got something to do with fuel storing for harsh winters??? but that's only a guess and maybe an incorrect one.

:think: Hmm...interesting...Some places in the US don't have basements, but it usually has to do with the soil, water levels, etc.

well yeah that makes sense.. if you have a shallow water table having a basement could be problematic... the soil where I live is clay so thatd be a bitch to dig through if one wanted a basement.

rick1zoo2

we have a huge basement with three finished rooms and we never use them. but it is nice to know we could :roll: