When we first began, the idea of a basement makeover seemed simple.  The basement was already covered in Spackle, thanks to all the toy dents, so a coat of paint would make a big difference.  Our basement was also feeling the growing pains of our family.  Our kids are now 10, 8 and 5 and have really outgrown a lot of their toys.  They still play of course…but we no longer needed a specific room designated as a “playroom.”

The purpose of this makeover was two fold, first to enable us to walk down the stairs without having a seizure from all the Spackle and two, to create a new space for our family and friends to hang out.  The goal was to stick to a relatively small budget by focusing on what the room needed the most; more seating and some fresh paint.

Paint

The paint color we chose was Nimbus by Benjamin Moore.  It is a light gray color, which we love and are already familiar with.  The built-in section of our mudroom is painted this color, so we knew what it would look like.  The previous color in the basement was a tan color, with a yellowish tint.  It was here when we moved in.  Painting the basement a light gray made a huge difference!  It gave the room a whole new look!

I have to admit it was a little sad painting over the coloring on the wall.  I know I’m crazy and I would never feel that way when they did it…but it was just another reminder that our kids are growing up.  Sometimes you just want to keep them small and cuddle all day!!  And yes, they drew check marks, I guess the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree!

The Find

OK, I hope you are ready to laugh because our so called simple makeover is about to get really complicated!  My husband is a big fan of Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace, so he is always looking for great deals.  As I mentioned earlier, we needed more seating in the basement.  We currently have only one chair downstairs, which doesn’t go very far with a family of 5. 

Our budget was $500 and we wanted a sectional.  After looking at a few stores, it became apparent if we wanted something new….we might be able to afford an ottoman with that budget.  Leaving us with the option of finding something slightly used.

Not long after we had began looking, my husband texted me and said he found something.  He had found a gray sectional on marketplace, so we arranged to go look at it that night.  We borrowed my parents trailer and were very interested.  It wasn’t the best timing, I was trying to finish up things for my son’s birthday party, which was only a couple days away….but with Marketplace, time is of the essence!

When we arrived, the couch looked great!  It was comfortable and it wasn’t too big, which was perfect since our basement isn’t huge.  We bought it for $400!  My husband loaded it up and brought it home.  I finished a little shopping for the birthday party and then made it home to help get the kids in bed.  It was around 9:30 pm when we were finally ready to get the couch into the basement.

The Battle

After taking the legs off, we walked the couch into the mudroom and stood it on end.  The couch came in two pieces, the first was smaller and my husband easily brought it down to the basement, but the second was 8 feet long and well….

It didn’t fit!  We tipped the top of the couch down and tried to get it around the first corner, but it wouldn’t go.  We tried to get a steeper angle, but kept hitting the light fixture in the mudroom.

Our thoughts were still optimistic!  Let’s walk the couch back outside and through the front door and try to come in from the kitchen on the other side of the stairway.  So we did that.

It didn’t work.  First, the refrigerator was in the way, so we moved it to get a better angle…but we still couldn’t get it into the stairway.

Our next thought was the egress window in the basement!  It was wide enough, but could we get the window out?  One pane of the window came right out, but the other was attached with a metal bar.  My husband carefully tried to get the panes out, but the glass in the pane cracked.  We figured we better not try any further.  It was 40 degrees outside and we didn’t want our window to completely break.   However, it already was on our list to replace…so the small crack wasn’t the end of the world.

Trying Again

We picked the couch up and brought it back outside (good thing it wasn’t that heavy, just bulky) and around to the mudroom.  We wanted to try one more time from that side.  To help, we removed the light fixture it kept hitting.

Removing the light fixture helped a ton!  My husband and I were able to tip the couch at a steeper angle and get it around the first corner and into the basement stairway!  It felt so good to make a little progress.  However, our feelings of excitement were short lived as we soon realized there is no way it was going to curve around the bottom turn.

We were so close and yet so far away.  My husband suggested going back up the stairs and flipping the couch to help get around the turn at the bottom.  As we tried to bring the couch back up, it got completely wedged in the stairway.  The corner of the couch made a deep hole in the drywall and was literally stuck inside the wall!  At this point, I had serious doubts if we were ever going to get it out of the stairway.

We needed a break

As we sat there considering our options.  The couch sectional was wedged in the stairway, no hands were needed, it just stayed there.  The first option was to cut the wall at the bottom of the stairway, which would allow the couch to make it around the last turn.  However, there is electrical running in that wall and it could be a little tricky.  The second option was to try removing the egress window completely.  However, the egress was already cracked now and was in a tender state.  It was also cold outside, so we didn’t want anything to happen to the window.  So those were our two options.

Defeat loomed! How the excitement of finding the perfect couch so quickly faded.  My husband came up with one more idea.  Instead of trying to remove the glass panes, it might be easier if he could go outside and remove the entire window frame.  With the entire window out, we could get the couch in and hopefully not shatter the glass pane more.  With new optimism we ventured outside.

It was pitch dark, so I held a light for my husband to look at the window and it appeared like this idea just might work!

Now if we could only get the couch unstuck and out of the stairway, we’ll really be in business!  Where there is a will there is a way, I was sure of it.  I wanted that couch in the basement and we were getting so close!  I mean you can’t let a piece of furniture defeat you. 

With a little persuasion, we were able to push the couch back up the stairs, into the mudroom and outside.  It was probably close to midnight now, but thankfully all the noise didn’t wake the kids up.

Victory

My husband was able to remove the window, but in the process the small crack became a rather big crack.  However it didn’t shatter, so on with the couch.   We laid a tarp down and in it came  I didn’t care that is was only 40 degrees out and the cold air was gushing into our house, what a beautiful site!

Within minutes the couch was sitting on the basement floor and I yelled, “Victory is ours!”  Yes, a little dramatic I admit…but man did it feel good to get that couch into the basement.  Over two hours of moving it around, practically disassembling everything inside our house in its way.  It felt so good!  They say love is a battlefield, man that couch was like DEFCON 5!

Back To The Makeover

The couch fits the space perfectly!  It provides ample seating, without looking too big.  Thankfully the couch didn’t get damaged with all the wedging and shoving that happened.  I did have to scrub a few paint scratches off, but nothing terrible.  I plan to buy more throw pillows and an ottoman to complete the couch.

The basement window was tacked back in place, but without the seal it is a little drafty. Since the glass was damaged, we will need to replace the window.  At the end of the day its not that big of a deal, it was going to be replaced soon…now it will just be a little sooner.

The color of the couch looks great with our paint color, which is a huge bonus.  I actually brought a paint swatch when we looked at the couch and thought it would go well, but you never quite know until you get it into the space.  Not that the couch will ever be going back out of our house after the struggle to get it in!

Almost There

Our makeover is not complete yet, but we have a great foundation.  We are working on making a cabinet door for the electrical panel, I need to add some decor, replace the window and get a curtain rod up (the curtain is just taped for now to help block the draft).  I also want to make a cushion to go over the built-in, I think it would be a great reading nook.

The curtains I bought from World Market several years ago and still love them.  They will help add some much needed color to the basement.

The space is really coming together and fits our family stage so much better now!  I will post an update when we finish, but there was so much to share now I just couldn’t wait!  Thanks for checking out my post.

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