So we are finally remodeling our basement. It is going from completely unfinished to mostly finished. We are building a gym, family/living area, kitchenette, craft room (which will convert over to a bedroom when the kids get older), bathroom and lots and lots of closets and storage (yippee). We started construction about 3 weeks ago and it is amazing how fast it goes. My big concern was that we stupidly did not dig our basement deeper when we built the house 8 years ago. DH hates basements and we thought we would never need to finish it because we thought we would only have one kid. We have two. We were lucky that they were able to move ductwork around to minimize the funky soffits.

I am in the process of picking all the finishes and deciding things like do we want to wire for surround sound and where we want tvs. It is really a major job. I am trying so hard to keep on budget. I know I will be over but I am trying to keep it down and still make it nice. Yesterday we picked flooring and I went cheap so I could do some nice tile. We budgeted to pick a granite remnant but so far we can't find any we like. It gets harder because we need a 7" piece. The smaller the piece that you need, the easier it is to find one.

Today we have to finalize our choices for a shower faucet and light fixtures for the bathroom so the plumber and electrician can finish in there. So almost all of it is framed and a lot of the electrical is done.

(Oh and I have a little crush on the contractor's assistant guy). lol

Can't wait for any updates and lots of photos!! good luck

Sounds awesome..photos?

That sounds fab, that will be one awesome basement. Good Luck! Looking forward to hearing the updates!

Goodluck! We are in the process of doing our basement. It is a lot of work.

Sorry, I have been so busy with two kids going back to school and basement stuff that I forgot to post. Today, they did about 90% of the drywall, but it is kind of a mess down there. As you recall, one of my biggest concerns when we started was the ceiling height. My contractor had his HVAC guy come in and move around some ductwork to minimize the funky soffits and he did a really good job. I am pretty picky but I think they really did the best they could with what they had to work with.

We have picked all of our items out except the paint color and we have to make a final decision on the flooring in the gym. I can either go with fake hardwood vinyl or rubber mat, which is about $1000 more. We have the fake hardwood at my Jazzercise class and it seems fine but they said if we use weights and drop them, it can ruin it. We don't use a lot of weights so I don't see that being a big issue.

I have to order my bathroom cabinet. I should try to get some pictures of what we choose to show you.

Yes Allison...pics please!!!

Ok, well they are priming today to paint. I didn't really see much change over the last several days. They did the drywall, taping and sanding. I picked the paint colors and I ordered my bathroom vanity. I opted to use the money I saved on the flooring to go with the nicer vanity.

Originally Posted by Allisonfaye

Ok, well they are priming today to paint. I didn't really see much change over the last several days. They did the drywall, taping and sanding. I picked the paint colors and I ordered my bathroom vanity. I opted to use the money I saved on the flooring to go with the nicer vanity.

want to share some rhyme or reason how you choose paint colors? i am so bewildered by paint. i went to sherwin williams, got 18 sample colors, and have started painting strips onto the walls to test for various rooms. but i am so confused what to choose, and how to tell what will look best!

Originally Posted by LamborghiniGirl

want to share some rhyme or reason how you choose paint colors? i am so bewildered by paint. i went to sherwin williams, got 18 sample colors, and have started painting strips onto the walls to test for various rooms. but i am so confused what to choose, and how to tell what will look best!

Haha. I wish I knew that one. I turn into a blithering idiot when faced when picking paint colors. I stupidly picked off a swatch when we moved into our house. I was going for a simple beige for most of the house, or so I though. We were told they would paint a bit on the wall so we could see if we liked it but when they asked us to delay our closing and we said no, they said nevermind. So they painted my whole house that color and it turned yellow on the walls and I hated it the entire time. So when we went to repaint, I was paranoid of making the same mistake. So I picked up a bunch of swatches and it turns out that there are about a million different shades of beige...green beiges, pink beiges, yellow beiges..you name it. I was pretty happy with the color we picked but in some lights, I still see more yellow in it than I would like to.

This time, I picked some swatches, gathered up my granite, tile, carpet, etc. swatches. I was at the granite store because they didn't have a sample I could take away. The lady at the store helped me pick. lol. She seemed like she knew what she was doing. You definitely have to try it in several different lights.

Originally Posted by Allisonfaye

Haha. I wish I knew that one. I turn into a blithering idiot when faced when picking paint colors. I stupidly picked off a swatch when we moved into our house. I was going for a simple beige for most of the house, or so I though. We were told they would paint a bit on the wall so we could see if we liked it but when they asked us to delay our closing and we said no, they said nevermind. So they painted my whole house that color and it turned yellow on the walls and I hated it the entire time. So when we went to repaint, I was paranoid of making the same mistake. So I picked up a bunch of swatches and it turns out that there are about a million different shades of beige...green beiges, pink beiges, yellow beiges..you name it. I was pretty happy with the color we picked but in some lights, I still see more yellow in it than I would like to. This time, I picked some swatches, gathered up my granite, tile, carpet, etc. swatches. I was at the granite store because they didn't have a sample I could take away. The lady at the store helped me pick. lol. She seemed like she knew what she was doing. You definitely have to try it in several different lights.

i have 6 different shades of soft grey right next to each other on my wall close to the window, also farther away, and in multiple rooms. so i see them, i see they are different, but how am i supposed to know what looks best? i am so bad at color theory one is more of a purpley grey, one is a beigey grey, one is a true cement crey, one is graphite, one is mauvey grey ect ect. they all look just fine. if only it was like choosing a bag! then i could be more decisive

congratulations on your project though, looking forward to pictures!

Originally Posted by LamborghiniGirl

i have 6 different shades of soft grey right next to each other on my wall close to the window, also farther away, and in multiple rooms. so i see them, i see they are different, but how am i supposed to know what looks best? i am so bad at color theory one is more of a purpley grey, one is a beigey grey, one is a true cement crey, one is graphite, one is mauvey grey ect ect. they all look just fine. if only it was like choosing a bag! then i could be more decisive congratulations on your project though, looking forward to pictures!

Well, do you like warmer or cooler? Is your room more traditional or are you going for a more contemporary look? I tend to prefer warmer colors. My style is traditional.

I hear ya...I suck with picking colors. I am using Pinterest and HGTV to look at how colors go together, etc.

Originally Posted by Allisonfaye

Well, do you like warmer or cooler? Is your room more traditional or are you going for a more contemporary look? I tend to prefer warmer colors. My style is traditional.

well, i kind of have this 'more is more' taste i just can't quit . so lots of mirrored pieces, velvet, tufted, lacquer, but everything is in very neutral tones, and a lot of white. hence wanting to have the walls something else, so these white pieces 'pop' more. i am also tying in my favorite colors in the accessories (purple and turqouise). i know i don't want to go beigey... but i am a little torn whether i should pick up a little purple undertone in the grey paint or stay 'true' grey.

Originally Posted by dr. twiggers

I hear ya...I suck with picking colors. I am using Pinterest and HGTV to look at how colors go together, etc.

likewise! i find all these colors i love in pictures on pinterest... but then i see the paint in person and it's completely different, it's crazy how photo editing and lighting changes things.

Ugh. The color I thought would work in the bathroom was dark and I would probably be ok with it but DH hates it. The lighter one that I just threw on for comparison turned out to be the one I like the best for the bathroom and the entire basement. BUT....the way the basement is configured now, (no door) I can't transition from that color to the existing color upstairs. The color that I want to paint downstairs actually turns out to be much closer to the color I was trying to achieve when I painted the entire house 8 years ago. More taupey but I ended up with more ivory, yellowy beige. So, now do I paint the downstairs the color I like and repaint the upstairs? Do I paint the landing halfway up a transition color? Is this too much of one color in the entire house? I HATE THIS. DH painted two patches upstairs to see if it worked with the rest of the house. He doesn't love it. I kind of do but I am afraid I am creating OTHER decorating problems if I do it. I have some fabric that i bought a few years ago that I love and once the basement is finished, I planned to make something out if. I didn't have enough yardage for drapes in the living/dining room. I can't decide if it matches the new color. It has a tiny shade of it. I HATE THIS. lol. I need to decide by tomorrow. I really need a decorator's help here.