The Chalet: Basement Reveal

The Chalet has officially been on the market for three days! Sunday was a really great open house, so many people showed up that the street, which is a dead end, was gridlock, and a bunch of friends showed up to check out what I've spent the past few months working on. 

Before I show you the rest of the house, let's travel downstairs to the walk-out basement. Those stairs give me the heebie jeebies. The faux-wood paneling started in the stairs above, led down the hall and throughout the basement. It made the room feel very dark. And it was a pain in the butt to take down.

My dad tiled the space besides the stairs so that the buyers can either install a wood stove or pellet stove, which would make the basement even cozier than it already is. The trim is split barn board, which is also around the kitchen island upstairs. 

Below was the view from the stop of the stairs back in October. I still don't understand the purpose of that weird half-wall. And you'll notice they only put the laminate down on one side. The other side was cement. There was so much junk. It's really made me think about what each person accumulates over the years and what we leave behind.

We toyed with different ideas for flooring in this room but ultimately went with a berber carpet, which I think was the best decision as it makes this space feel pretty cozy. If we'd gone with the tile I'd originally wanted to install it would feel very cold down there. The light berber also helps brighten the space. 

Lastly, there's a huge closet where the kids can keep their toys and board games, or all your holiday decor, or ski gear, or extensive movie collection to watch on the gigantic tv installed on the far wall... 

Next, we travel up those six steps into the laundry room/half bath. As you've probably guessed, I did not take a before photo of this space. But it was dark and gross. We tossed out the old washer and dryer and removed a teeny-tiny shower. We could have replaced it and had three full bathrooms but it was so small that bending over would have been impossible (god forbid you drop the soap), and I don't think anyone would have gone into the basement to shower when there are two perfectly lovely showers upstairs. So we made that a storage space instead.

Instead of drywall my dad chose to install shiplap, smoother side out, and I heard people commenting at the open house that it had the aesthetic of a sauna. It could be painted white if the buyers choose, but I kind of like the natural look, personally. 

We went with a pedestal sink in the half bath since the space isn't that big and it makes the space feel roomier than a larger vanity might. I picture the basement room being used for sleepovers or housing family over the holidays, and this half bath would be perfect for that and not having to trudge up two flights of stairs.

Speaking of stairs, these are the stairs leading from the basement and garage up to the main floor. I didn't take a picture of the garage, because who really cares about that, but it's a two-car garage, new door. Yadda, yadda. But look at these stairs! There used to be a useless doorway in the middle of this space. It was completely pointless so I removed it and now you can yell up from the basement (MA! THE MEATLOAF!) and whoever's upstairs can hear you. 

~ Stephanie