Challenge

The owners of this 2010 ranch-style home were ready to transform their finished basement into a suitable space for entertaining friends and family, and particularly young and older adults. The homeowners’ main objective was to make the space more functional, adding a new beverage area, media/gaming room, expanded bar, and updated finishes.

Solution

To enlarge the beverage area, we needed to move a load-bearing support column, which also carried the support of the floor above.  To make this change we referred to our structural engineer who calculated the new load bearing needs, which resulted in adding additional support beams and pouring a new larger concrete footing. This allowed for a more open beverage area with additional cabinetry and greater options for furniture types and placement.

Challenge

This family with younger children wanted to design a new living space in their 1923 bungalow basement from a cold, damp, unpleasant space to a living area they would love to spend time in. It contained an unleveled, sloped concrete floor with no floor drain system, and worn vinyl flooring and carpeting. An existing bathroom was placed on an elevated plywood floor, with a small modular shower and tiny vanity. And there was no place for a workout room. The mechanical systems (electrical, heating, and plumbing) were also outdated.

The walls were formed from plywood and drywall and covered with wallpaper, with grid drop-down ceilings. The new design also required us to remove a wall located in the center of the room in order to expand the living space into an existing workshop area. Soil stacks needed to be relocated.

Solution

Sweeney Design Remodel redesigned the existing basement space to create the following areas: exercise room, media room, 3/4 bathroom, landing zone, raw storage, and furnace room.

In addition to leveling the floor and installing new luxury vinyl tile (LVT) throughout, we reworked the entire mechanical system, including electrical, heating and plumbing, within the exposed ceiling (the first floor joist space).

We updated the finishes with laminated veneer lumber (LVL) flooring and a shiplap finish on all walls, and added new windows in the existing openings and new fixtures in the bathroom.

Other features:

• Built-in bench and wall hooks in the drop zone
• Dramatic exposed ceiling beams
• Large workout room with wall mirror
• Enclosed mechanical area

Challenge

Our client’s goal for this interior remodel was to create a movie theater experience without having to leave their home. The project included completely transforming an unused exercise room below the garage into a luxury home theater—one that would be large enough for their grown children and grandchildren to enjoy on family movie nights.

Our client came to us with a vision for their interior remodel, with the design style and features they liked. They wanted their home theater to have comfortable seating, a kitchen area for snacks and beverages, and a built-in area for seasonal storage.

The unfinished room below the garage was used by previous owners as an Iron Man training facility. The walls and floors were concrete with no windows, which made it an ideal space to convert it into a home theater but posed a challenge for heating and cooling the area. Also, the room came with an in-ground lap pool that needed to be removed. 

Solution

To start, we removed the water from the lap pool. Because the home was located on a lake, we identified ground water seeping up through the cracks in the foundation below the pool floor. Interestingly, it was not an issue when the pool was filled. To remedy the situation, we removed the inground lap pool and the pool equipment. We then began demolition on the concrete foundation to fix structural damage caused by the lap pool. The concrete slab was sealed and gravel was hauled in to fill the excavated space.

To make the room more functional and aesthetically pleasing, the utilities were kept separate in their own room. To maximize the area and keep the cabinet from taking up unnecessary space, the media cabinetry was inset into the common wall of the mechanical room. On the opposite wall of the mechanical room, new closets were custom-designed to fit the homeowners’ decorations, supplies, and miscellaneous storage needs.

The walls and ceiling were painted Universal Khaki and textured to match the rest of the house. The trim and doors were painted in enamel white, also to match the rest of the home.

Special features include custom-designed Kitchen Craft cabinets painted in a Cappuccino finish, a Virginia Ledgestone accent wall, Palliser Flicks power recliners, a GE wall oven, and a Zephyr wine cooler.

The home theater room also features A/V, surround sound, HVAC, ambient lighting, wall sconces, row seating, in-wall speakers, and heated floors for optional floor seating.

Challenge

Solution

The dark, unwelcoming basement became the focus of this remodel, turning the unused space into a warm, practical, and even fun place to spend time. Designed to our client’s stylistic tastes and functional needs, budget and timeline, the basement was transformed into a luxurious, multi-use open space, featuring Adura and Four Seasons flooring, custom shelving displays, concealed structural columns, stone finishes, a beautiful glass chandelier, and even a large fish tank that created a striking focal point and visual interest in the room. Other unique amenities include Grohe plumbing fixtures, an InSinkerator, Braun fan and Pella windows, for controlled circular airflow.

Challenge

For this basement remodel in the Seminole Forest neighborhood, the homeowners needed a multi-functional basement to serve as a place to gather with friends and family. In particular, they needed two distinct functional areas: 1) a place to drink, toast, and enjoy stimulating conversation; and 2) a separate place for watching TV—cheering on their favorite sports teams. The challenge was creating two separate, functional areas in one common room. In addition to the functional entertainment areas, they also wanted a home gym.

Solution

As like all Sweeney remodeling projects, we listened to our client’s needs and got to work delivering a basement remodel that would entertain in style. The sizable basement provided enough room for us to create an inviting, full-length bar, and a separate super fan cheering section/ lounge area with a big screen TV. Features of this basement remodel include, natural Persia Caravelas granite countertops, Woodland cabinetry, red wall accents, recess lighting, Pella windows and Everest Plus carpet flooring.

The basement remodel was further completed with a separate workout room, and a half bath featuring matching Woodland cabinets in an Alder material espresso finish, Persia Caravelas granite countertops, and Kohler plumbing fixtures.