So Close!

I realized it had been over a month since I posted anything about our basement. Sadly, this is because we waited forever for the drywall guys to show up and complete their part! I was in the midst of having a baby when they came the first day, and then it took over a week for them to complete it afterward. Teag and I spent that first week trying to adjust to having a new baby in the house, but as soon as the sheet rock was done, we were raring to go.

When we got the original bid for the basement remod, Teag felt very strongly about doing some of the work himself. He didn't want to pay someone to paint or do trim, as he felt he could do it just as well and for much cheaper. As such, as soon as he got the go ahead, he started working like crazy downstairs. In a short time he painted the entire basement, all the trim, hung the doors, and then put up all the baseboards and door frames. I'm incredibly excited about how it all looks, and we're getting so close to being finished!

Since our basement doesn't have many windows, especially in the family room, we wanted to go with a really light color paint. We both really liked the color we picked, especially with the contrasting trim, but we've discovered it's kind of a chameleon color. It's tones change completely depending on whether it's natural or artificial light. We just hope the carpet we picked out matches now, no matter what kind of light it's in :).

So without further ado, here's the newest pics of our downstairs project. I apologize that my camera doesn't do a great job of conveying perspective.

Dany and Rory's New Room (the closet wall is what's poking out on the right)

Maisie's New Room

West Facing View of the New Family Room

East Facing View of the New Family Room

In that last picture, you can see the newly widened door leading into the Family Room on the left. It really opens up the space, and I'm glad we took our contractors suggestion on that one. We had can lights installed, and with the new paint, I think the space is a lot brighter than what we had before. Not to mention it looks so much more updated than it's sixties-era, popcorn-ceilinged counterpart. The bedrooms are definitely small, but not so small they're unmanageable, and in the end, we're getting what we wanted - more space. Our family room doesn't even seem that much smaller, so that's an added bonus. Carpet will be installed in about a week, and Teag and I picked out a new couch last night, which unfortunately will take 6-8 weeks to be delivered. In the meantime, Teag will work on hanging the utility closet doors and painting all the doors and the stairwell, so that when you walk downstairs, every single thing will look new/updated.

One of the other things we decided to do on our own was the finish work on the new bathroom.

The shower has been framed, and all the rough plumbing and electrical have been completed. We'll paint, tile the shower and floor, and put in the fixtures. We're not sure when exactly we'll get to this, as we ended up paying more for pretty much every aspect of this remodel. We'll have to see just how much money we have left over when all is said and done. I hope we can do it sooner rather than later, as I miss having two bathrooms living with a bunch of little girls with tiny bladders.

And just for fun, because everyone likes pictures of tiny babies, here's little Finny Theresa.

Once the carpet goes in, we'll be moving the girls downstairs almost immediately. Getting the family room in order might take a little longer, depending on how we configure everything, and whether or not we wait for our new couches. I'm just about bursting with excitement to get this project finished, it's going to be amazing to have ALL THAT SPACE! Six people in two bedrooms means we've all been a little too much in each others faces lately, and it's been hard as parents to keep the peace and our patience. Having our basement back will feel like a major luxury!