Basement of the Week: Modern Style Converts an Concrete Box

This Minneapolis couple needed more living room: a distance where they could hang out together, in which they could amuse, something which could double as a guest suite. But their lot size and town restrictions would have left an improvement hard, if not impossible. The solution for their 1914 bungalow put below ground.

“While the basement was a dark concrete box with a few engineering challenges, finishing it was the easiest way to add square footage without blasting out the back or moving up,” says Maya Khaira of White Crane Construction.

Here is a peek at the transformation of the former dungeon.

Basement at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple and their dog
Location: Minneapolis
Size: 775 square feet

Before Photo

BEFORE: Engineering challenges in the 775-square-foot area included an undersupported sloping floor, which needed four new footings and dual floor joists to carry the load. The remodeling team also had to eliminate a series of awkward articles which broke up the space and then replace them with two brand new structural steel beams.

White Crane Construction

AFTER: The principal living room in the basement is now spacious and clean, crisp yet comfortable. The designers paid careful attention to light, adding recessed lights and borrowing light from the guest bedroom to decorate the room.

The customers entertain a whole lot, and they have a dog and keep their camping equipment down here, so the durability of the laminate floor satisfied them. “The flooring is beautiful and tricks a great deal of people into thinking that it’s wood, and it is a little more moisture resistant than pads and carpeting for a basement,” says senior designer Lynne Shears. As for the rug, the modern grid of Flor tiles mimicks the grid on the glass block windows.

White Crane Construction

Amenities include a gas fireplace, plasma TV and comfortable sectional sofa. The customers also wanted a market with custom glass and wood display shelves for art pieces, seen only past the French doors in this particular shot. The strong double doors at the end of the room result in a massive closet for keeping their extensive camping gear.

The French doors borrow light from the brand new dual egress window in the guest room. Sandblasted glass provides privacy when guests remain.

Fireplace: Valor; laminate flooring: FountainHead Lake from Mineral Springs Walnut 925, Shaw; wall paint: Gray Cashmere, Benjamin Moore

White Crane Construction

White Crane Construction

In the guest bedroom, a non wall-mounted headboard makes the ceilings feel bigger. Floating shelves inserted to the headboard store floor space that nightstands would usually take up and help maintain an uncluttered look.

Wall paint: Hawthorne Yellow, Benjamin Moore; trim paint: Mountain Peak White, Benjamin Moore; rug: Flor; headboard: Ikea

White Crane Construction

The brand new double egress window brings the guest room up to code and lets in natural lighting. A brand new large window well was inserted about it outdoors.

White Crane Construction

The modern aesthetic carries to the new guest bathroom through components like a vanity, a square mirror, glass backsplash tiles and stainless steel accents. The cantilevered vanity also makes the bathroom feel more spacious by freeing up floor space.

Faucets: Purist; counter: Blanco River, Silestone; backsplash tile: Glass Essentials 502 in Abyss, 1- by 2-inch mesh mount; flooring tile: penny round tile in Milk, 12- by 12-inch H sheets, SKU 61525, The Tile Shop

White Crane Construction

Clear glass shower doors also produce the bathroom feel larger.

Shower wall tile: Setai in Vetiver 12 by 24 inches, Happy Floors; shower floor tile: Setai in Vetiver 1 1/2- by 1 1/2-inch sheet mount, Happy Floors; market tiles: Abyss 1- by 1-inch sheet mount, Glass Basics; faucet: Kohler

Here is a strategy to give you a good notion of just how things are laid out.

Before Photo

BEFORE: Gratuitous adorable dog shot. It is hard to believe that this is precisely the same space!

Next: Have you remodeled your basement? Please post a photo in the Remarks section below.

Have a gratuitous picture of your dog? We do not mind seeing it.

See related