My Basement Reno-2 years after the fact.

Yesterday, I made hubby take this large table down to the basement, and I realised that I have never posted pictures of the basement reno we did two years ago.   This was part of our house that we never ventured into, except to do laundry.  My then 21 year old daughter would throw in her laundry and run upstairs as if the bogey man lived there. 

 It was that bad. It was the home of the washing machine and the kitty litter.

A landscaping issue forced water into one of the windows when it rained.  Fortunately the original builder had made a severe incline in the floor to the drain (35 bags of self levening cement to fix it) and it mostly flowed right into it.  Once the foundation was exposed, cracks were evident and had to be repaired, as did the landscape grading.  The 6 inch high windows which no longer met building code were replaced with 24" windows with large window wells with French Drains.   Inadequate insulation and a lousy dropped ceiling made this room dark and cold. We also added pot lights.

This was once my dining table.  It pulls apart and I made 2 enormous leaves from plywood and could seat 10 people. I purchased these 2 cane chairs from My Back Shed in Oakville and the owner Lisa, recovered them for me in this spotty linen/chenille Robert Allen fabric.  The empty plaster frame with the ratty string is my idea of art, but people can't resist the "who stole your Mona Lisa?" jokes. 

 This area was originally going to house a wet bar, however the budget was so far over due to the water, drains and cracks, we nixed it in favour of this old cabinet also from My Back Shed, painted black.  (Benjamin Moore ready mix black, pearl finish).  The walls are Ballet White by Benjamin Moore.  All trim Oxford white.  Ceiling Cloud White.

That chair in the corner was a decorating mistake that I had to own as it was far to deep for the clients room I purchased it for.  I opted for a velvet sofa and a linen armchair (not visible) from a local manufacturer Gresham House.  The ottoman is Pottery Barn and is a little lopsided.(I should have returned it).  I usually have a larger rug here, but I took in a stray dog and he peed on it, so it is at the cleaners. 

This table I bought from Craigslist for $110.00.  It is the heaviest thing and quite lovely, except you have to sit on the side with the drop down leaf, as the drawers are so deep you can't get your legs under.  It was in the kitchen until yesterday and this space was empty. No art.  Nothing but a blank wall. We hauled it down and I dressed the space with bits I had lying around. 

I decided to make an art wall, the center being this metal cow sign with a cow that came from a dairy farm in Ontario.  It has marks in it that look like someone used it for BB gun practice.

Top left is a photo my brother look in Botswana of 2 boys wrapped in blankets with their donkey and below is my daughters grade 3 art piece of an African woman. To the left is a little woven straw puse from Chile.  Under the self indulgent "C" are my Lebanese prayer beads from my friend Leena.  You can see the post I did on prayer beads HERE

They weigh a ton and are so beautiful. 

The fireplace was originally going to be an old reclaimed one, but it looked odd so I sold it.

I opted for a very simple boxed in look that one day I will clad in a horizontal marble of some kind, but it's not on my priority list.  I added a sparkly sconces on each side. From Home Depot.

We solved the issue of the support beams by encasing them in two pillars that also house the heating vents.  (Simon (contractor) is brilliant). 

The large piece of art with the man and lady is a batik brought from India by my other brother. 

 It took me 20 years to frame it.

    I got this laminate flooring from Home Depot on clearance for 99 cents a square foot and I love it. I had to get it from 3 different locations to find enough.

 This was a three month reno. When you uncover existing floors, walls etc, you find problems.  In this case lots of them.  We did have to consult with engineers when needed, but when you have foundation cracks and water coming in, you have to do it right.

Later this week I will post the bathroom/laundry room we added, but I need to fold the laundry before I shoot it.