CASE STUDY: BASEMENT
Posted on
February 1, 2018
in Uncategorized
THE CHALLENGE
The homeowners on this project had a large unfinished basement room that they wanted to turn into a theater room and bar with maximum coziness. Their first challenge was finding a competent firm who “got” the vision, and who could execute while being respectful of their home. The second challenge was the difficult site logistics, as this was not a walk out basement, which required loading everything through the house itself, and the site had only a shared driveway. Third, there was a challenge in sourcing the rustic wood we both thought would be ideal for the project. In the end, we ended up manufacturing it ourselves. Finally, there was no drain in the basement, so we had to pump the wastewater from the sink uphill.
PROCESS
We used our dependable design-build process to help the homeowners figure out what to build, how to lay out the space, what materials to use, and how much to budget. This required, as it always does, multiple iterations and presentations of different options until we settled on the perfect path forward. Our construction process remained the same as always; we try to build in critical path order while adhering to best business practice. For design intensive projects like this, our process typically includes regularly scheduled walk-through with the homeowner and production team to make sure everyone is on the same page.
SOLUTION
Once we figured out what to build, we then actually built it. Since the same team handled the design and the construction, the construction went really smoothly, with a minimally disruptive experience for the homeowners. The basement we built is fully loaded, including awesome recessed lighting, smart Phillips Hue lighting, soundproofing throughout, fireplace, wet bar, cabinetry, appliances, and a TON of rustic wood. Since we handled both design and construction, we were able to keep the house clean throughout the project and ensure the project remained on schedule. We were able to help the homeowners make design adjustments on the fly and we were even able to take care of some “Honey Do” list type stuff around the house while we were on site. Our ability to help with smaller handyman type tasks is a value-add for many of our other clients as well.
RESULTS
The homeowners LOVE the space. The kids were using it for sleepovers as soon as it was cleaned (by us, we leave jobs really clean), even before the furniture went in. They’ve used it for hosting parties, hanging out, hiding away, and occasionally doing work. They added about 500 sf of usable space to their home. The Homeowner have since referred us to friends because they had such a good experience overall, and we’ve been invited back to their house for a number of smaller projects. The finished space perfectly serves the purpose for which it was created–we helped them turn a blank, cold concrete room into something that looks like it was always part of their home. Actually, it might be their favorite part of the home.
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