After much deliberation, we’ve decided to finish our basement first before we renovate our master bath. As much as I am dying to have an elegant master retreat like Janice’s, the practical thing for us to do is to reclaim the massive living space downstairs — our basement is frigging 1,500 sq ft in size.
Here is a quick design plan I threw together. What do you think? Anything you’d change to maximize the liveable space? Bigger bathroom maybe? We are interviewing a few contractors so I will post some good (and professional) ones when I have them.
And if you know me, you will guess the next thing I am going to do after I finalize the structural plan is to compile a mood board (love this exercise, it’s like my fantasy world). I will post updates as I have them.
Btw, don’t forget to leave your comment and enter for the fabulous Mahogany Pedestal Table Free Giveaway!
AM Dolce Vita 
That's a tiny bathroom! Still, it should work!My brother in law is looking into finishing his basement…he has one quote for $20K – very BASIC finishes. (they have studs and insulation already, they need interior walls, a bathroom, and one bedroom)(He is in your hood)
Hi Michelle, You have great potential here and I'm sure that you will make the best of it!I just finished my basement and would give this advice:-Make the windows bigger or add more… more light has a huge impact-Like you said, a bigger bathroom would be better (that bedroom is huge, so it won't matter if you take some of the space)-For my basement, I regret incorporating a closet in the bedroom along the wall like you plan to. I wish I had gone with wardrobes like the IKEA PAX (They are separated so that when you have guests, you can give them one wardrobe, but still keep your stuff in the other ones), they look great, and are easy to organize.-The two columns/boxes on the right wall of the living and entertainment areas- I would tie them together with nice trim and make a media niche (Perfect for a huge TV or projector!) Be sure to plan wiring now (you can consult with home theatre experts if you plan on adding TV with surround sound.-The wall with the cold room door- I would make another one a few feet in front that is flush with the other wall (less of a visual complication when people are coming down the stairs). You could use this to make the cold room larger, or make the small space in between the walls a wine cellar or something.-Not sure if there's any way around it, but I would not put the door near the furnace there (Fewer doors= better flow, no confusion for guests, fewer visual distractions). If that's not possible, I would move it to the wall perpendicular to that, just so that it's not super-visible when you walk down the hallway.-Now that I think about the above point, I may suggest instead of having that awkward corner where the two walls meet by the furnace, having a diagonal wall with the door there instead. This would provide enhanced flow and clean lines towards the bedroom and washroom.-While you're in the planning stages, consider moving around the ductwork to form things like tray ceilings where you want them… much better than those random ugly boxes running across the ceiling.Good luck Michelle- I hope this helped (and I don't mean to be critical- please don't take this the wrong way!)Sincerely,Daniel
To Shannon: yes I agree the bathroom is on the small side. We will probably elongate it. Is your brother-in-law's basement around the same size (1500 sq ft)? I could imagine 20K is probably the baseline. We are definitely going to feel the pinch from the bill if we end up getting most of our wish list. To Daniel: WOW! Thank you so much for such thorough and thoughtful comment. It's invaluable to us, especially at this early stage. I was floored when I saw your "wine rack" suggestion in that little nock next to the cold room wall. Your feedback got me thinking, and I am in the process of revising the design plan. I will post a 2.0 tomorrow.