Revamping Space for a Growing Family

When a Seattle couple purchased their home it was plenty large enough, even with just a partially finished daylight basement. But five years later with a baby on the way, they decided it was time to make better use of the unused space by remodeling the basement rather than adding one.

"When we moved in, the basement just had some dated knobby pine paneling and partial walls, and we just used it for storage and a workshop. Our goals for the remodel were to create a space that was warm, light and inviting for kids to hang out in and to make better use of a space that felt piecemeal and unplanned."

The couple hired a contractor and then brought in a designer to help them take a fresh look at the layout, a decision they believe was a good one. In addition to laying out rooms to accommodate a new office, they say the designer's help in choosing materials and pre-shopping saved a lot of time the busy couple couldn't spare.

In all, the remodel took 10 months and went about 20% over budget - a fairly typical overrun. The four bedroom, one-and-three-quarter bath home had already doubled in value over the prior five years and the
couple plans to stay in the home for at least another five, so they're confident they'll recoup much of their investment when they do decide to sell. "And besides," they say, "now our home is more functional and I believe more marketable thanks to these improvements."