A Multifunctional Beauty in South Minneapolis
Like many families, our clients decided it was finally time to remodel their unlivable, overstuffed, musty basement. The remodel had been on our client’s wish list since 1995 when they first purchased their Craftsman-era bungalow in South Minneapolis. However, other renovation needs took priority over the years and, until now, our clients only managed to “remove the blue, fake fur-wrapped bar and red carpeting” from this lower level and “throw up a few storage shelves.”
During initial design consultations with our clients, they told us that, first and foremost, they needed to get more organized storage out of the basement. Items typically stored in the garage, kitchen, mud room, or pantry were simply piled on the floor or stacked in corners of their lower level. We took one look at the laundry room – also located in the basement – and understood immediately! Thus, organized storage became the clear and overriding design focus – to designate space for camping gear, skiing equipment, pantry items, off-season coats and shoes, and holiday decorations. Only after reassuring our clients that we could find proper “homes” for all of these items through the use of custom cabinets, were they ready to move on and begin discussing their other wish for the new space: To add real living space to their home; space that they could enjoy as a family when playing games, finishing homework, surfing the Internet, and, watching movies.
With a budget of $115,000 we set to work remaking the majority of the 600-square-foot basement to include a family room, laundry room/mudroom, and bath/sauna with abundant, customized storage throughout and a new waterproofing, insulation, and heating system.
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