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    107 Year Old Basement Plan and Updates

    October 24, 2017 |

    Hi friends! We've been going like crazy updating our home. When I announced we were moving and buying a new house, the original plan was to work on the house two and a half months before closing. Things change and rarely go according to the perfect plans in our heads, and we closed the day before we moved in.

    The first of our renovations, which started the week after we moved in, was to quite literally, start at the foundation of things and do work in the basement. Below you'll see our master plan and goal for the space. It's so funny looking at these pictures now, because it looks SO SO SO different!

    We've been working on something or other non-stop and it's just now getting to the fun part - where we have actual progress to share, not just piles of renovation mess and shuffled around stuff.

    before of our old basement, what we plan to do to update it.

    Scary? Maybe a little. For 107 years old, it's not as bad as it could be. The scariest things we found were an asbestos wrapped pipe, a tiny bit of seepage, and a plug in electronic rodent repeller.

    I also found a framed image of St. Jude, the patron saint of hopeless causes. My first thought was "oh cool, this family was Catholic too?" My second thought was "wait, is this home and renovation a hopeless cause?!?!?!" Maybe God has a sense of humor and we've gained a new patron saint. Haha! Either way I plan to reframe it and hang it somewhere else in the house.

    St. Jude, pray for us, we need all the help we can get, LOL.

    before of our old basement, what we plan to do to update it.

    before of our old basement, what we plan to do to update it.

    before of our old basement, what we plan to do to update it.

    Like those telephone poles holding up the house? 🙂 It's not bad, but it needed work.

    We know this is an old basement, so we won't completely finish the space. The goal however is to create storage (without threat of water damage!) and create a family living space. But there's a lot more we needed to do first!

    Here's the basement master plan, for now: 

    This is one area where we WILL have work hired out.

    • have asbestos professionally removed from around pipes (before moving in)
    • take down existing paneling and shelves on walls
    • replace all existing support posts
    • replace and add in new I beam to support house
    • add in extra support posts (so we can remove walls upstairs)
    • jack up the house to fix floor sloping issues
    • strengthen/fix bowing walls
    • improve drainage
    • dig out perimeter of basement and add drain tile leading to sump pump
    • replace all windows
    • tuck point bricks and walls
    • paint floors
    • paint walls
    • paint pipes/ceiling
    • add temporary carpet?
    • make a playroom area with toy storage
    • create a cozy living space
    • empty storage POD into basement
    • new washer and dryer?
    • add laundry room upstairs, move washer and dryer
    • fix basement stairs

    before of our old basement, what we plan to do to update it.

    These photos were taken the day we closed on the house, July 29th. A little more than 2 months later, this view I'm showing you looks 100% different!

    We've knocked out 17 of the 20 items on our list, and even slept down here last week while having other work done. Not only did we sleep down here, it was wonderful and cozy. I wouldn't have entertained that idea in the room as it looks up above even knowing how it looks now, LOL.

     

    What do you think about the plan? What would you do to this space? 

    More projects

    • Before and After - 1910 House Living Room
    • 1910 House Renovation Plans and Timeline
    • Simple Home Office Organization
    • Looking Back on 2017 - Project Recap

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    Comments

    1. Paula Appleton

      October 30, 2017 at 10:44 am

      It is so fun to watch your progress and see the improvements and changes you make! This is a huge project but so so exciting! I'm looking forward to watching the basement evolve and I can't wait to see how the play room and toy storage turn out!!

    2. Sharon Heasley

      October 26, 2017 at 6:22 am

      Ann Marie,
      Wow, I forgot how it looked before! It looks so much better!
      I am excited to see your other changes also!
      Mom

    3. Carol

      October 25, 2017 at 2:25 pm

      You are amazing to take on such a huge task! I'm looking forward to seeing the finished product. We lived in a house that was pre-revolutionary. Tree trunks held up the first floor, and large stones were the foundation. Hence, we really could not do too much with the basement. Oh, and the floor was just dirt. It was interesting, and I loved the old house. It was cold in the winter when the wind blew, and we would see our curtains blowing in the house also. Can't wait to see what you have done with this project.

    4. Denise Shelton

      October 25, 2017 at 2:21 pm

      We are making a bedroom and bath in our basement and also moving the laundry room upstairs. In order to build to code, we have to dig down about a foot and excavate. Hugely expensive and since it needs to be done by hand, we are having a hard time finding anyone willing to do it. We had an architect draw up plans, pulled the permits. Had an emergency egress window installed. And now nothing's happening. Sigh!

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    Hi, I'm Ann Marie. I want to help you find peace in your home through simplifying your life, taking on small projects, and learning to find your style. Learn more about this site and why I started it...

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    Hi, I'm Ann Marie. I want to help you find peace in your home through simplifying your life, taking on small projects, and learning to find your style. Learn more about this site and why I started it...

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