The basement

We've had the new house for over two months now, and although there's still plenty of work still to do, we've achieved loads - especially with the basement which we have now transformed from a functional but grim dumping ground to a fabulous new bedroom for Joe.

Before: the basement was a dumping ground 
with lovely fluorescent strip lighting and pipes everywhere

The only way we could afford to buy the house was having 6 bedrooms to rent out to members, and although when we came to look round the first time the house was advertised as having 5 bedrooms, we sussed out that the basement was pretty big and dry, and wondered if it could be used as a sixth bedroom. Some research when we got home established that, since it has large south-facing windows that lead into the garden which give adequate light levels and a means of escape for emergencies, there's no reason why the basement can't be used for this.

So within hours of moving in, we'd pulled down the crumbling ceiling and in the following week had the strip lights replaced with gentler spot lights, a radiator fitted and a load of superfluous pipes removed.

Day 1: ceiling destruction

We insulated the ceiling...

 Insulation!

...and put up new plasterboard, and then Ian and his mate did an awesome job of plastering it one night after work.

 

The new ceiling, pre- and post-plastering and painting

Then we liberally applied white paint to the ceiling and walls, and Ian put his floor-laying skills to work, covering the scruffy concrete with screed which Joe spent a weekend painting. By which point it looked a whole lot better.

The finished room - with cat

There was much hilarity moving all Joe's random stuff (including lifesized jester and pharaoh head) from the other house - just in time before our lovely new member Eve moved in and the UK went into coronavirus lockdown. And so Joe's double life between the two houses came to an end.

Moving house

After: the finished bedroom - with bed

 

 

And then with all the things!

 And so our first big project of the new house was complete. It's a great illustration of the power of community, as we did all of the major work ourselves, and only had outside help with the electrics and heating.

 Before  and  after    

 

In the next instalment, the garden...!

 - Christine