I am finally sharing our modern basement remodel makeover and how much it cost. The goal was to make the basement not seem like a basement and feel like the rest of the house. Living with three generations under one roof requires a lot of storage so we decided to create multiple closed storage areas in the basement. Keep reading, I’ll be sharing how much our finished basement cost and how you can save money on your own basement remodel. This post contains affiliate links. You can read my disclosure here.
Modern Basement Makeover before & after
basement before:
We started this project right before Christmas last year and then Covid-19 hit which put a halt to everything. Jim did an amazing job converting this basement into a masterpiece with a coastal vibe.
Be sure to check out the first post before Christmas where I share how Jim and I decided to create this fun space!
We installed Armstrong Ceilings WOODHAVEN Planks in a white textured woven finish. The white woven planks are not only gorgeous but so easy to install and helped create the open concept clean look we were going after. If you are trying to create an open concept basement that feels like the rest of your home and not like a basement, I highly recommend these white WOODHAVEN Planks.
Basement Layout Ideas
The ceiling planks come in a variety of colors and add amazing architectural detail to the space. Don’t miss our ceiling plank install post for more information and pictures.
Here is a before picture:
Many times people will ask, how can I make my basement look better? One way is to add an accent wall. Regardless of whether or not you are partially finishing your basement or completely finishing the entire space, an accent wall will do wonders for your basement.
When we were thinking about our basement layout, we wanted to create a TV and Xbox space in the finished basement. To define the TV space, we added the Armstrong Ceilings WOODHAVEN Planks and clips to create an accent wall.
I cannot even begin to tell you how much character this easy DIY project adds to the finished basement. We used the WOODHAVEN Painted White 5″ x 84″ planks for our accent wall. These particular planks are paintable so if white isn’t your thing, then painting them is an option.
Basement remodel on a budget
One of the biggest things you can do to save money on a basement remodel (besides doing all the work yourself) is to not finish the entire basement. Create unfinished storage areas and purchase doors to access the storage spaces. This is exactly what we did!
You guys, these barn sliding doors from Horner Millwork are insanely amazing! We have installed a lot of barn doors over the years and these are by far, my favorite. They are not your traditional rustic X-style barn doors.
We picked the Masonite Livingston Smooth Collection which are elegant and the black sliding door barn hardware that comes with the doors coordinated perfectly lending to a modern look with a hint of rustic style.
For those of you who have emailed asking where you can find the door online – f you are purchasing online, the livingston can be found here.
This is the basement wall before :
In order to create closed storage, we partitioned off the unfinished part of the basement we call my “blog studio.” My dad calls it the junk side of the basement but I would hardly call my Homegoods, Wayfair and various other home decor finds ….Junk!
Here is another shot of the Masonite Livingston Interior door with black hardware. You will notice that we went with the same interior doors throughout the basement. Some on sliding hardware and the others mounted with hinges.
I will share another post showing the new storage areas behind all the Livingston Interior doors. Creating hidden storage spaces that are unfinished in your basement will allow you to save money and help keep things organized at the same time.
Funny story about this pantry below. When Covid-19 hit, Jim had an idea to turn this small area at the bottom of the basement stairs into a closet. Well we ended up creating a pantry and added two double swing Livingston pantry doors. My dad took over the pantry and filled with canned spam, beans and what he called “war-pantry food” for a stay at home bunker. My grandfather loved spam and would have been proud that our bunker was filled with spam. Gross!
Aren’t the doors amazing?
This picture below is one of my favorite pictures of the basement. It shows the Masonite Livingston Doors, the Armstrong Ceiling Planks and the gorgeous Harvest Oak Vinyl Rigid Core Flooring by Select Surfaces.
Basement Remodel Cost
How much did the basement remodel cost us? This does not include any labor but it will give you an idea of soft material cost. The vinyl plank flooring was under $2800 (so affordable and don’t forget we had a large space to cover), the Armstrong ceiling planks were under $4500 (this includes all the clips and track system for ceiling installation), Armstrong plank accent wall $850, the Masonite doors with sliding tracks and pantry doors were roughly $4800 (that is for 8 doors!), lally column covers $400, hardware $450, trims $1500, stair balusters/treads ect. $620 and paint $300. We had about $16,000 in soft materials give or take. This does not include your lumber/sheetrock/labor ect. Vinyl plank flooring is one of the best ways to save on flooring costs. It’s cheaper than engineered hardwood floor or regular hardwood and much better in my opinion than carpet. It’s easy to keep clean, waterproof, installs easily on top of the basement concrete and looks amazing.
Here is the basement before:
Don’t miss our DIY flooring installation post of this gorgeous vinyl plank flooring. We installed this flooring over the existing cement floor and it was the craziest easiest install ever. Jim has used this flooring in other jobs that he has done since and loves how easy it is to install.
Another part of the basement layout that we considered was creating a small gym space on the other end of the basement and my cute white desk and pink chair from my office served as a desk space for homework.
Basement Remodel Staircase Idea
Jim framed out an opening on the basement staircase wall (see our how to install balusters post and why here) which created a custom look and also helped make the basement feel more open. The black iron balusters pair nicely with the black door hardware.
Be sure to read our blog post, how to make iron balusters look expensive for under $2.
If you are looking to save money on your basement remodel, I highly suggest using the inexpensive balusters, staircase knuckles and shoes like we did. (see open basement staircase post for more details)
Here is the basement before the remodel:
What color did you paint your basement?
Did you know that there are a million blue/gray paint colors? -ha. Yes I am sure you know that. When I find one that I love, I tend to stick with it. Why reinvent the wheel. Lullaby by Sherwin Williams is a classic neutral blue/gray color and it looks absolutely gorgeous in our basement. We wanted a modern coastal vibe with a hint of rustic and all of these products couldn’t have worked any better with each other.
Jim created half walls with custom columns to create the illusion a separate TV space and Gym space. Half walls are perfect when you do not want to close off a space. We wanted an open concept basement but still have defined spaces. The columns had sophistication and add character to an otherwise boring half wall.
If you are in the central Massachusetts area and need any remodeling / custom build home work done, Jim is your guy!
Be sure to catch all the basement renovation blog posts
basement post #1 storage | basement post #2 framing | Basement Post #3 flooring | Basment Ceiling #4 | Basement ACCENT WALL #5
Basement Makeover Before and After (this post) #6
I cannot thank my wonderful sponsors enough for participating in this amazing basement remodel makeover transformation. Thank you to Armstrong Ceilings (ceiling and accent wall) , Select Surfaces (flooring), Horner Millwork and Masonite (doors) and Sherwin Williams (paint). This post was sponsored and all opinions are 100% my own.
Diane Lavoie says
Quite some makeover, wow! great before and after pics. awesome job! enjoy!
Jessica Bruno says
Thank you Diane!!! It came out great and we love it 🙂
Jessica Bruno says
Thanks so much Diane! Hope you are doing well 🙂
deb nowak says
How did you cover the ugly poles in the basement?
Interior Designer Blake Riley says
I love the whitish grey look you gave your basement. It looks really nice. You have totally transformed it. That before and after pictures of the stairs. OMG! I love how your stairs turned out. Thank you for sharing! Reading your article kind of makes me want to renovate my own basement.
Jessica Bruno says
Thank you!
Daleena says
WhT a transformation, looks beautiful! What did you put on the stairs? We would like to do something like that with ours going into the basement.
Daleena says
What a transformation, looks beautiful! What did you put on the stairs? We would like to do something like that with ours going into the basement.
Jessica Bruno says
Thank you! The stairs are oak treads stained in a cognac color finish (similar to our hardwoods in the rest of the house).
Jackie says
It’s beautiful! I love the colors….so soothing. Looks like a great place to relax.
Jessica Bruno says
Thank you Jackie! We are loving it 🙂
Karen says
Absolutely the perfect basement makeover, what is the color of the walls?
Jessica Bruno says
Thank you Karen! The wall color is lullaby by Sherwin Williams.
Diana says
I love what you have done with the basement! I do have a question though. Do you have a sump pump in your basement? If so, how did you deal with the possibility of the pump failing and the basement flooding? I have wanted to do ours but have had to basement flood twice in the past 35 years because of the pump failing, so I don’t want the floor getting ruined or the furniture.
Jessica Bruno says
Hi, thank you! We do not have a sump pump. I do know many who have one though and they work great. We had one at our old house as a preventative measure but never needed it. It’s good investment if getting water in your basement is a concern.
laurie a andersen says
I Love your makeover. I really would love to know your opinion of the floor in the basement. Are you glad you made that choice, do you have any concerns about the floor compared to a carpet? Thank you for sharing!
Jessica Bruno says
The floor is amazing! In fact, we have used the same floor (different color) in two other renovations 🙂
Melissa says
Where did you find the wall baskets hanging in your basement project? Love them!
Jessica Bruno says
Home Goods! 🙂
Kk says
What kind of couch is that? I absolutely love this basement and trying to get as close to it for mine as I can ☺️ Is that a gray couch?
Jessica Bruno says
Hi, it’s from Boston Interiors (a local shop in my area) and it’s a sleep sofa. It’s a light gray 🙂
Wanda R Williams says
Absolutely beautiful makeover! My basement has a similar layout. I have a full brick wall and fireplace where your couch is located and you put the wood plank look. It dark red natural brick, I would like to lighten the mood and go for the calming coastal look you’ve achieved. Do you have any suggestions, recommendations as to how I can lighten the fireplace and also what finish is the paint used for the ceiling and walls?
Jessica Bruno says
Hi thank you ! We used eggshell on the walls and semi gloss on trim. I know some like to lighten brick by whitewashing with white paint. I’ve seen lots of brick fireplaces look great after they are white washed. Google whitewashing brick 😉
Karen says
You did an amazing job of designing your basement! And your carpenter did an awesome job, too. I love everything about it from floor to ceiling. One thing that bothers me is in the pantry…Could you please move the Dawn down by the cleaning products on the lower shelf? It’s making my organized brain wacko! And I’m afraid a sleepy someone is going to get a mouth full of suds on their toaster waffles!
Jessica Bruno says
Thank you and haha on the dish soap 🤪 I’ll definitely move that 🙂
Jessica Bruno says
thank you and will do! haha
Ruth says
What color did you pair with the Lullaby blue?
Jessica Bruno says
The trim is pure white / sherwin williams
Dan says
Where did you get the round column wraps for the support posts in your basement?
Jessica Bruno says
Home Depot