The Basement is (Finally) Finished

After about three years being in this house, we finally got around to deciding what we really wanted to do with the basement. Right after we moved in we built the storage room, Jas' workshop, and the classroom. We used the main area for the kids' toys, then pared those down and turned it into a game room (complete with ping pong, air hockey, darts, and pop-a-shot). The classroom eventually turned into the computer room, because the kids (and me, if I'm honest) really preferred schooling upstairs with plenty of natural light. Then we got about $5600 worth of Interface by Flor carpet for the basement in May in St. Louis for $100. All we had to do was come pick it up! It looks amazing! The colors are very neutral - tan and blue and grey flecks, but the effect is fantastic (there's even a subtle leaf pattern embedded). Flor carpet tiles are fantastic (they're the industry leader), because when laid wall-to-wall they require no adhesive. None. So installation is super easy. And what a difference it makes to the basement! For one thing, the floors are much warmer (this carpet has a very nice pad underneath).

Next up, we finalized plans (in early August) for finishing the basement. We were going to leave it just a game room, but then decided we'd much rather do a massive home theater. For one thing, we love to watch tv and movies and so this was really the perfect solution to make this "room" get used all the time. Second, adding a giant sectional and adding a computer area makes it more of a "family room", which we definitely wanted. Third, it will really come in handy for family gatherings/holidays. In mid-August we purchased the lumber and building materials necessary for finishing the walls. We studded out all the walls and covered them in the same paneling that we used a few years ago. We decided not to drywall for two reasons: this is cheaper and much easier to install, and we like the richness and warmth it gives the basement. We're not huge fans of all types of paneling, but this stuff is so light and it just makes the rooms so cozy. That was definitely the vibe we were going for. Plus, no sanding and no painting! And if it ever gets wet it's much easier to remove and replace. And did I mention no sanding and painting? :)

The sump pump was in the main "family room" area, so we built a closet to conceal it. The closet has a bi-fold door and it's own light, plus plenty of room to store the ladder and space for Jas to get in there if he needs to work on plumbing, etc.

After finishing the walls we began acquiring the audio/video components and the seating. We also worked on plans for the computer area, which was to be added to the back of the main family room/home theater room. We decided on an eight foot desk (plenty of room to spread everything out!) to fit the section next to the sump pump closet. Jas was going to build me a custom computer desk (I'd already sketched it out and we'd discussed materials) when we decided to use an 8 ft. countertop instead. For less than $40, we found one at Menard's with a granite-look that I really liked and fit well with the space. Plus, when you set a drink down on it you don't have to worry about water spots! And it was so cheap!

The next order of business was to hang the suspended ceiling. Nothing complicated, really, but it is tedious and very time-consuming. We spent a week of evenings hanging the perimeter and the grid, and then a weekend putting in the tiles and adding new lights. This was where we lucked out with an amazing deal: we bought eight recessed can lights with cfl bulbs for less than $5 apiece at Lowe's! They were running a special, so we were worried that maybe that would mean the lights wouldn't be as good. But as soon as we got them all up and the old lights removed, we were sold. They give off the perfect amount of light, but yet they don't light the ceiling as much (they keep the focus on the walls and floor). They're very unobtrusive and they wash everything in this wonderful glow. Plus, they use hardly any electricity. Win win!

We knew early on that our main expense (other than the audio/video equipment) was going to be the seating. After toying with the idea of creating custom seating, we came across a beautiful (and humongous) microfiber sectional with a chaise at Slumberland. For $598! It was a special limited-time run, so we wasted no time in getting up there and checking it out. It fit all our requirements: amazingly comfortable, the perfect color, seating for a bunch of people, and a chaise. (I was adamant about the chaise, because I like to sit with my feet stretched out in front of me when I watch tv.) Plus, who could argue with that amazing price? Similar sectionals we'd looked at were at least three times that price. So we bought it.

The good deals continued on both the surround sound speakers and receiver. Best Buy ran the Yamaha receiver we wanted at a steal compared to what we'd seen online, and Jas found Klipsch surround sound speakers and a sub for a song on Woot. Jas knows the home theater equipment from his time at Stereo One, so I let him make the call on what we wanted to get. Because we plan to use this setup not just for regular television every night, but also to watch movies, we knew we wanted a top-notch receiver and speaker system. This was not a place to skimp just to save a few bucks. And you can't go wrong with Yamaha or Klipsch. They're both high-end. As luck would have it, though, we spent less than $500 for an amazing receiver and speakers and all the necessary wiring. As soon as he hooked them up and we tested everything out, it was as if the musicians were actually IN our basement. The audio quality is phenomenal!

Our original plan was simply to buy a bigger television, but then we decided to up our game. We could spend a few thousand on a 70+" flat-panel, or we could buy an HD projector and a really big screen. We opted for the latter, and settled on a 106" screen and an HD Epson theater projector. The screen is so massive, and as soon as we hung it up we were speechless. This makes all other tvs look so tiny! We wanted a high-end projector that displays excellent contrast (our Samsung tv upstairs has really spoiled us with excellent picture quality, so we knew we wanted something fantastic) and a sharp, clear, high definition picture. The Epson we bought was by far the most expensive part of this whole basement overhaul, but it was well worth it. Tons of good reviews, and the picture quality is amazing! I don't know if we'll ever get used to the screen size, but it's fabulous. Plus, we hooked up the xbox downstairs as well, so Forza 4 can be played on a movie screen. Awesome!

All in all, we love our new family room. This was definitely the best use for the space, and with the game room stuff moved to the old classroom, we have the best of both worlds. Plus, having such a big finished space is going to come in very handy at holidays and parties. (Update: we hosted both sides here for Christmas and the family room was perfect!) We use this space every day, because we watch all our television shows and movies down here. The Wii stayed upstairs (for now, anyway), but the xbox is down here. In addition, we built a large counter against the south wall at the bottom of the stairs for the kids to play Legos on, build with blocks, etc. There is an enormous amount of storage underneath the counter, plus bookshelves to hold all the Lego sets. The kids love having a space to spread their stuff out and create!

Jas built us a custom coffee table and end table for the space, and we found a small entertainment center at Target in a dark espresso finish that was perfect for containing all the a/v equipment. I printed up some of our favorite movie quotes in Photoshop and had them printed at Shutterfly, then added them to 11x17 canvases for the walls. My mom got us a "Theatre Room" sign for Christmas, which finishes everything off nicely.

This was A LOT of work, and a bunch of nights spent working from supper to bedtime. And a lot of weekends spent working with no breaks except mealtimes. But it paid off. As always, we love being able to do the work ourselves and not depend on others to do it for us. There's such a sense of satisfaction when you descend the stairs and look at what YOU'VE done. Plus, the sheer amount of money we saved doing it ourselves is a huge bonus. So it's definitely worth all the time and sore muscles!

It is finished.

Well, thank goodness for that!  Last weekend Jas and I finished the last of our outdoor projects.  We built the flower boxes for the front entry.  Originally, we had planned to make tiered boxes that sat inside the corners of the front steps.  But that turned out to be a wee bit complicated, so I had picked out a large planter box style instead.  These would have cost us a fortune to purchase, but luckily Jas can build pretty much anything.  After I told him what I was envisioning he drew it out, we picked up the necessary material at Lowe’s, and we got to work.  I think they turned out fantastic! 

 

The boxes are about two feet x two feet, which is pretty massive.  Luckily I found some ornamental grass that reminded us of our Barefoot Cottage in Florida (these grasses were a big part of the landscaping down there) to give some height to the middle.  Then I went with petunias around the perimeter for a nice pop of color.  As soon as those petunias drape over the side in a few weeks they’re going to look absolutely perfect!  I added a couple of birdhouses to the front (the one on the right my cousin Laura made – isn’t it awesome?) and it turned out great.

Amazingly, this was an easy and inexpensive project, which was a nice way to wind down our spring of building projects.  So let’s recap the last few months, shall we?  We went from this bare backyard . . .

to a 10’ x 16’ deck

and a 10’ x 12’ storage shed with ramp for the lawnmower

and the three-sided front entry

and the landscaping

and finished with the flower boxes.

It has been a long few months filled with weekend after weekend of back-breaking work.  But you know what?  As usual it feels so awesome to know we’ve done it all ourselves.  We didn’t have to pay lots of money to have someone else create what we wanted.  And at the end of that day, that just feels wonderful.  We may be tired and sore, but there is an amazing sense of pride in our accomplishments.  And we wouldn’t have it any other way.

What is wrong with us?

Depending on who happens to be reading this, you may come up with a variety of answers to that question.  :)  What I’m referring to, however, is our innate ability to begin massive outdoor projects when the weather is not conducive to them.  Like, for example, putting up our metal storage building in strong winds.  Or building our front entry in between rain showers.  Or this weekend’s landscaping project on the hottest weekend of the year.  What’s up with that?

It all started innocently enough last Thursday.  The kids and I were going to Lowe’s that morning to survey the plant situation.  I had made my plans and taken lots of measurements, and we were going to check things out.  It turns out that Lowe’s had some really good deals on the perennials I was looking for, so we wound up buying them.  I spent less than $120 on all the plants I needed.  How is that possible?

All the perennials I was planning to purchase were sold in two or three different sizes.  I could have spent a lot more money by getting the larger, more established plants.  Instead I opted for the smaller varieties.  It saved me a TON of money and I’m willing to wait for them to grow.  Most of what I bought are fast growers, so it shouldn’t take forever.  I can be patient.  :)  A few of the plants are not in this photo above, because I’d already placed them on the north side of the house in the shade.

Jas went by Lowe’s Thursday afternoon and purchased the landscape edging we had already selected.  I didn’t want to mess with the stone blocks.  We’d gone that route at the old house and we decided against them for two reasons:  1) too expensive, and 2) a major pain to install.  You can’t just plunk them down on the ground and call it a day.  The job of making them level and fit nicely together is more than we really wanted to tackle.  I really want my plants (when they get nice and big) to be the stars of my landscape, so we opted for no-dig black edging.  The kind we chose is simply driven in the ground with stakes, and it was super easy (and super fast) to install.  And it was a lot cheaper than stone blocks!  We liked the look of it because it’s very unobtrusive, and once we mulched everything it gave it a nice, clean look.

Our tiller was not working, so we had to make a trip to Sappington’s Saturday morning (amid picking up the rabbit and purchasing groceries) to get parts.  Jas worked on it Saturday afternoon, and by Saturday evening we were tilling up all the areas for the future planting beds.  It was sickening outside, but we worked in the shade so it wasn’t completely unbearable. 

The next step was to lay out the edging material in the design that I wanted.  This stuff is really easy to bend and shape, so that didn’t take very long.  We had just enough (yay!), so after that we were ready to begin planting Sunday morning.

Sunday was exceedingly hot, and we had to take several breaks to avoid getting too overheated.  It didn’t work, with Jas throwing up (and then feeling much better) Sunday night and me barely able to move on Monday.  But we got everything planted, fertilized, watered, and mulched by about 7:30.  I didn’t have the energy to take any photos that evening, but I did take some this morning (Tuesday).  We still have a little work to do, which I’ll explain in a minute.

The front yard has two variegated barberry bushes in the middle, flanked by two rose bushes.  On the end closes to the steps are two daylilies and two variegated liriopes.  As soon as those bushes grow a little this is going to look really nice.

The north side of the house (above) has four hostas of different varieties.  In case you’re wondering, the big open space in the middle is being saved for the peonies I’m getting from Susie this fall.  We didn’t get them in the spring, and now it’s way too late to do anything.  Oh well, I can wait a few months.  As you can tell in all these photos, I just watered right before I took these (hence the dark spots).

The backyard has some Golden Eonymous, a couple of Cranberry Cotoneasters, some beautiful purple salvia, two Snowmound Spirea, and a Crape Myrtle.

The grass under the deck has been sprayed with Roundup, and now we’re waiting a few days for it to completely die.  Once that happens, we’ll add more mulch to cover all that.  I’ll probably end up replacing these photos when that happens, but this gives you an idea of what it looks like.  Just imagine that grass being gone and mulch being in its place!  :)

On either side of the steps to the deck we have six marigolds and a Moonbeam Coreopsis.  Over by the air conditioner is another cotoneaster and a spirea.  The spirea are supposed to get nice and big and fluffy white, so they should hide the air conditioner nicely.  Just like before, the grass you see under the deck will be dead and replaced by mulch this weekend.  We also need a little more mulch to finish out under the a/c unit, and then we’ll be totally finished.

Everything is small now, but it won’t stay that way forever.  And even though I normally have trouble being patient when it comes to home improvement projects, I’m actually looking forward to nurturing these little plants and watching them grow. 

Ultimately, we survived the atrocious weather this weekend by drinking plenty of water and Gatorade, and taking breaks when necessary.  We also worked only in the shady areas, which definitely helped as well.  At least it’s done, and that’s another project we can cross off the list.  All that’s left is to add the planter boxes for the front entry, which hopefully will get finished this weekend.  Then we can sit back and enjoy the fruits of our labor.  We’ve worked like dogs all spring, and it will be nice to sit back and relax for awhile.

Landscaping Part One (The Front Entry)

Last Saturday afternoon we began work on the front entry to our house.  We have been all over the place for the last few months in terms of what we wanted out there, which is one reason why the deck and shed were completed first.  We came up with no fewer than four plans for the entry, but finally decided last week on a landing with wrap around stairs.  We worked during intermittent showers Saturday, but we did get the landing finished before the steady rain set in. 

We built it in much the same way as the deck, but it’s obviously a little smaller. :)  The final dimensions ended up being about 4 foot by 5 foot.  It’s the perfect size to allow you room to swing the door open and move around a little bit.   Instead of concrete piers (like the deck has), we used deck blocks.  They’re  a concrete block with a design that allows for a 4x4 post to sit down in it.  This makes the entry easier to build, plus it is technically portable.  (Not that we ever plan on moving it!) :)

Because of the three days of rain following this build, we didn’t get to start the stairs until Wednesday evening.  Jas decided to cut all the stringers, stair treads, and risers Wednesday night, and then begin assembly Thursday evening.

After supper Thursday evening we started the front set of stairs.   We placed concrete blocks in the ground and then attached the stringers, making sure that each stringer was level and the bottom of each one was resting on a concrete block.  Because of all the digging and leveling required to make these steps perfect, we only got one set of stairs finished.

Friday evening after supper we started on the south side stairs, and then Saturday we finished with the north side.  We were originally going to have the stairs wrap around, but we decided to make planter boxes for the corners instead.  Much more color, and it will be very pretty.  Those will have to wait, though, probably until we’re home from vacation.  Then we’ll make those and do the rest of the landscaping.  But the stairs are beautiful, and we’re so glad to finally have an entry to the front of the house. :)

The Shed Finally Gets Built, or “When will the wind quit sweeping down the plains?”

Saturday saw us inside re-caulking our shower while 35+mph winds blew outside.  Lyrics from “Oklahoma” float through my head, and I wonder when we’ve had a windier spring.  This is getting to be ridiculous! 

By Saturday evening after supper it was mostly calm, so we headed outside to get the floor frame and structural beams and supports put together.  We finished all that in a couple of hours, and were wrapping up by dark.  After checking the weather forecast and seeing that Sunday’s forecast called for another day of strong winds (when will this quit already?), we seriously considered putting some lights up and just working through the night to finish construction.  After all, the winds weren’t supposed to start up again until late morning.

But we decided to call it quits for the night and just get up early Sunday morning and get to work.  We were up with the sun and quickly headed outside to begin construction.  I have zero photos of the construction process, because we were working at a fast and furious pace to get everything finished.  We had the walls up by 8 am, and were feeling pretty good.  But as soon as we started attaching roof panels the wind decided to rear its ugly head again and we were fighting it the rest of the day.  Fortunately, Jason’s dad came to help us when he got up Sunday morning, and with his assistance we were finished by 4:30.  Even with the wind.  (Jas said it probably added at least two hours to our construction time, because all three of us had to work on one piece at a time.)  Those big metal pieces were like sails as soon as you picked them up, so you can imagine how much fun that was.  :)

 

We lucked out in the fact that almost every single one of our holes lined up perfectly.  We were also fortunate that Jason and his dad work so well together, and each could anticipate what the other was thinking, which made the process much smoother.  It was a long exhausting day, but it feels good to be able to cross yet another project off the list. 

Jason plans to anchor the shed even more with some lag bolts this week, as well as build a ramp to get the lawnmower in and out.  The floor kit we got for free from Sears (in the box in the above photo) is going to be used for extra bracing and to make some shelves.  Depending on the weather this coming week, we can hopefully get all that finished.

After that, landscaping is all that’s left!

Shed – Part One

 

We’re building the floor for our new shed today.  In 50+ mph winds.  40+ sustained most of the day.  Not the best weather to be working in, but you work when you can.  The last two weekends have not been construction-friendly, so we’re working today.  Wind or no wind.  The floor was obviously all we could accomplish today, because there’s no way we could assemble a metal building without the pieces ended up five counties over.  :)

We built this floor frame similar to the deck a few weeks ago.  The construction is also similar to the platform bed frame Jas made for our bed before we moved.  It’s essentially a giant platform (or stage, as the kids like to refer to it!), leveled by concrete blocks.  I don’t have any step-by-step photos, mainly because of the wind.  There wasn’t really a chance for me to stop and take shots, so I’ll just describe the process.

Our first order of business was to cut all the perimeter pieces to length.  We used treated lumber for the perimeter, since that will be exposed.  We cut all four pieces and then assembled them in the rough location we had chosen for the shed.  After assembling them we added 2x4s to the inside of the front and back.  These sit a little lower than the exterior boards so that the plywood sheets end up sitting flush with the exterior boards around them.  We checked for square after that, and then leveled the whole thing.  I figured leveling it would take a really long time, but surprisingly it did not.  We cut all the joists to length next, and then attached them to the frame.  Jas added 2x4 braces down the center between the joists to prevent any sagging down the road.  Next up was the plywood sheathing for the floor.  We have two courses of plywood for an extra sturdy floor, and they sit nicely inside the treated frame.  We had to cover it with a tarp, however, because rain was coming. 

You should have seen us attempting to cover this floor frame in the outrageous winds.  The tarp was very difficult to control, but fortunately we covered it (with Connor’s help) and everything was safe from the impending weather.  As soon as the weekend rolls around (provided the weather holds), we will attach the shed to the floor.  Wish us luck! :)

The Storage Shed Situation

As with everything else we do, plans for the storage building have revolved around tons of research, discussion, and drawings.  We have been back and forth on size, materials, location, and just about anything else that could be an option.  For the last few months, however, we had pretty much narrowed it down to what we wanted.

Our first decision was on size.  We knew we needed at least an 8x12 to house all that we planned to store in it.  For those who are interested, we plan to keep the lawnmower, weed eater, garden tools, bicycles, Connor’s large collection of outdoor Tonka toys, and the patio furniture cushions in the shed, as well as the flower pots and outdoor toys when not in use.  After measuring and discussing, we were confident we could fit all of that in an 8x12 building without overcrowding and making it impossible to find anything.  We discussed the possibility of going larger, but just like with our storage room downstairs we knew we’d fill any size shed up with extra junk if we had the room, and we don’t want lots of extra junk.  So just like the storage room, we planned for what we needed along with some extra room, but didn’t go crazy with the size.  :) 

Second was location.  We had pretty much decided to place the building next to the LP tank.  Of all the spots in our massive yard, that place made the most sense.  Which way it will face is still up for grabs.  Aesthetically, it would look nicest if the doors opened toward the yard.  But that would be facing north which we’d rather avoid.  We’d like the doors to open to the east for minimal rain issues, which will probably be the way it faces. 

The issue giving us the most fits has been materials to construct it out of, particularly the exterior.  Jas figured up several months ago that he could build the floor and interior framing for around $250, but the roof and exterior sheathing were not figured in that price.  The roof was not as big of a deal, but the sheathing options were not cheap.  Our 8x12 building was going to be at least $650, and that wasn’t including the roofing materials. We really didn’t want to spend that much if we could avoid it, so for the last couple of weeks we’ve been looking at metal storage barns and sheds.  We’ve looked at Lowe’s, Menard’s, Home Depot, Sears, and any other place we could think of.  Nobody’s had a good deal on anything in the size that we’re looking for (and with good reviews). 

That all changed yesterday (Saturday) morning, when Jas checked out Sears’ website and discovered that (this weekend only) they had a 10x12 metal storage building with a barn-style roof for $399.  It even came with a free floor kit.  After some discussion on floor frame options, Jas discovered that he could build the platform for the building to sit on for less than $100.  So we bought it online (they had one left in stock) and picked it up yesterday afternoon.  Yay! 

This means that for less than $500, we will have a bigger shed than we had planned (10x12 vs 8x12) with a taller roof for more interior height.  It also means that we’re getting it for $150 less than if we’d built it ourselves out of wood.  More than $150, actually, because that price of $650 hadn’t included the roof.  Double yay!

We checked reviews from plenty of people who’d purchased and set up this building, and almost every single one was a great review.  That’s always a good sign as well.  About the only real issue was from a man in the northeast who said he had snow load issues with the shed after several storms with 16+ feet of snow.  That’s not a pressing issue for us here in Southeast Missouri, so we threw that one out.  :)  He hadn’t bothered to purchase the extra snow load support kit, though, so . . .

Plans to build this building are up in the air right now.  Obviously with the atrocious winds today we’re not working on it.  They’re tentatively calling for rain this weekend so I’m not sure if we’ll be able to do it then or not.  I promise pictures, though, as soon as we get started.  :)