New floor plan – Basement

Aaaaaannnd last but not least, the plans for the basement:

The floorpan of the ‘before’ basement is misleading in that it seems wide open and inviting – when in fact there were no proper lights, the mechanical was taking up a huge swatch of the floor plan, and the columns had large footers you could trip over. The ceiling was mostly around 7 feet tall already, which we’ll expand a bit so we have code-appropriate ceiling heights (we have to dig out the floor anyway to put in a totally new water service).

[Kripa: It’s current state has a real “I’m going to steal your organs” vibe. We’re hoping to move it into a less murder-y direction.]

In the new floorpan, we’ve defined the space a few ways:

Rec Room. When you come down the stairs, there will be basically an extra living room. Maybe we use it for a TV/projector room, maybe it’s where our kid plays as he gets older. There’s going to be a column in it, which is something we’ll have to figure out design-wise.

Mechanical. Nothing too exciting here, basically a room for the HVAC.

[Kripa: That’s a laugh. Brian needs central air like he needs actual air. I like how he’s all, “HVAC, NBD,” when in reality if we’re in a humid place and there is no A/C he has a toddler level meltdown.]

Bedroom. We’re adding a bedroom in the basement bump-out which will be across from a bathroom. Good for guests, might also be good for Airbnb?

[Kripa: We have definitely not talked about this yet. Glad to have heard about it through the blog.  #rollingeyesemoji]

Bathroom. A basic bathroom where we might have a little more fun design-wise.

Mudroom. We’re imagining that during the rainy and snowy time in Chicago (e.g. November-April), we’ll want a space to track muddy shoes in when you’re coming from the detached garage through the back yard. This is a large mudroom, where we’ll add coat storage and benches. We’re also adding a laundry hookup so, if/when we sell the house, there’s an option for basement laundry (which some people prefer).

[Kripa: This is so strange to me but apparently laundry hookups in the basement and second floor is good for resale. Who are all these laundry-loving house buyers?]

Bedroom / Woodshop. This is the 2nd bedroom in the basement, but we’re going to use it as a WOODSHOP!! I enjoy doing house projects and woodworking, but haven’t ever had a dedicated space (though I was able to build a few pieces at the Chicago Industrial Arts & Design Center). When we lived in Arizona we did some house projects, which involved parking the car outside the garage until the project ended. My plan is to add a hearty dust collection system and operate a small indoor woodshop.

What’s next? Well, we have plans, we have permits – now it’s time for demolition!