granada basement   |   vestavia, AL   |   COMPLETED 2017

2018 Alabama Remodeling Excellence Awards Winner | Basement Remodel Category

This lovely home tucked in the heart of Vestavia has served these homeowners and their three kids well for many years. After completing an extensive interior renovation and screened porch addition, they were ready to expand their home further into their unfinished basement. Mostly used as storage for excess furniture and personal belongings, they had visions of a new living space to accommodate game watch parties, Bible study groups and most importantly, be a place their kids would enjoy inviting their friends over to. The homeowners loved clean, modern design with a bit of a farmhouse slant. A Pinterest board of sliding barn doors was the launching point for the design. 

The new basement layout incorporated a wall of custom built-in shelving as a focal point as you enter the room from the stairs leading to the basement from the main level. Before the shelves were constructed, a layer of shiplap was added to the wall further elevate this wall as the feature wall of the room. The built-ins were shifted to center on the seating area by adding a small storage area to the left. In order to help this storage space blend and not draw attention to itself, the door was constructed as a sliding panel painted to match the walls that rests over the left-hand bookcase when in the open position. Baseboard trim was added to the bottom of the door to help this panel further blend in with it’s surroundings. The result of adding this closet is a well-balanced focal point that aligns closely with the entry stairs and main axis of the space.

Rather than a lot funds to replace the existing stairs with new risers and treads, the stairs retained as many of the original materials as possible. Gaps were filled, nails were driven deeper in to the treads, and new riser boards were added. The new risers were painted bright white and the treads a dark charcoal color to relate to some of the other design decisions on the project. The side wall of the stairs was opened up far enough to make the stairs feel less cavernous but not too far to expose the side of the steps. A new painted guardrail with stained handrail on top keeps the stair feeling bright and open. A new sisal carpet runner was added down the stairs to bring an elegant, but durable look to the space.

Adjacent to the stairs are the sliding barn doors that separate the living space from a small playroom. The daybed offers cozy couch-like seating, but also doubles as extra guest space in the event of a sleepover. The doors were custom built to exact specifications and are one of the homeowners’ favorite aspects of the project. In this room, an access panel was added to retain an interior route to the garage beyond. The access panel was sized to look like a door, but due to a floor elevation change between the basement and the garage, it functions more like an access panel.

Insulation was added between the floor joists to mitigate as much noise transfer from the floors above and movies below as possible. New drywall was run throughout the space with a few low-profile access panels to give proper access to clean outs and shut off valves above. LED can lights were added to both rooms along with a new sconce in the stairwell. Casing was added to the doors and windows to replace the drywall returns that were originally installed around the windows. The cabinet door hardware matches the kitchen hardware upstairs and brings unity from upstairs to downstairs in this home. New high-end vinyl tile planks in a dark stained wood color were added to the floor throughout. This helps the room feel warmer and more finished while maintaining the highly durable qualities needed in a basement area. Even though any previous water intrusion issues were resolved with proper waterproofing methods, any homeowner who has had water enter their basement is weary of when (not if) it will happen again. With this flooring material, they get the look of wood, but don’t have to worry if any water finds its way into the house.

In the end, finishing this basement did exactly what the homeowners hoped it would do for their family. It provides a place of rest, retreat and community in their home and it will serve them well for many, many years to come!