Retracing our steps: home edition (basement).

As the year draws to a close and we marvel at how quickly life seems to be passing by with every approaching holiday, my hubby and I had a chance to sift through some old pictures of what's been keeping us busy since we said, "We do".

one of our biggest projects has been the house we're living in (and my husband's flipped property, but I'll share about that later). With a new chapter of our lives beginning with my husband beginning school full-time we realized that this was the time to try something we've been talking about for awhile: having a rental apartment in our basement.

Here is what the basement looked like when we first saw it (with the previous owners' furniture... is that weird to post?)

 cutesy artifacts, and a nice electric fireplace... has potential... 

but that ghastly green carpet has us floored (pun intended).

 the second room of the basement that served as a laundry and storage area

and the entryway. 

Not much to see with the basement, but we knew we had to do something 

to make this place livable and rentable.

we needed to do some serious damage.

We seriously could NOT have survived this project without my amazing in laws... seriously. I can't think of a single complaint about them even after spending sweaty moment after sweaty moment with them.

they.are.the.best.

After much planning, lot of painting, constructing, garbage dump trips & fuelling the FIL with coca-cola and fudgsicles, we gutted the joint & came up with this:

so long smelly green carpet!

hello, IKEA flooring, painted fireplace, french doors & a light grey for the walls

 put up a wall for a separate room or keep as-is?

we decided privacy is good! French doors open to a good-sized bedroom/study if the tenant should choose. They also have a little breakfast bar made of kitchen cabinets for their table (size is of the essence with this place!)

 hm.. bust down the wall for open-concept? Move the monstrous furnace to a better location? Decisions, decisions!!

why not just turn it into a kitchen & cover the silver beast with a nicely painted door? 

We used an IKEA kitchen, had travertine installed for our countertop, and managed to find the cutest, smallest appliances meant for apartments. It felt like a kitchen in Barbie's dollhouse!

Another look at the kitchen, perhaps? :)

*insert sigh of relief*

move this itsy-bitsy johnny-on-the-spot to another location?

We decided to keep it, but just pretty it up a bit 

(this is a bad picture, but unfortunately the only I have of it) 

We painted the walls a light blue, added a new vanity, used left over tiles from our kitchen backsplash for a mini backsplash under the mirror, installed a new shower & added new tile on the floor.

After multiple offers & renting it out above asking, 

the basement apartment rented in one day of posting it. 

one huge weight off our backs!