The basement was a tile-floored, drop-ceilinged 1970s remodel hiding bad wiring, a tired boiler, and water-damaged framing. I pulled the drop ceiling, scraped the vinyl tile off the slab, framed new walls with rigid foam between the studs for moisture control, and ran new electrical and plumbing. New Weil-McLain boiler and Bradford White water heater went in. Speckled epoxy on the slab, drywall on the walls and a fresh drop ceiling for utility access. Ended up with usable storage, a workshop, a laundry, and a bath.
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Before Previous owner's finished basement — drop ceiling and speckled floor I inherited and gutted.
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Before Wide shot of the basement before I started — painted stair tread, drop ceiling, and a ceiling tile pulled for utility access.
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Before Smaller basement room before — paint, drop ceiling, and the same speckled floor I tore out.
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During Drop ceiling out, joists and ductwork exposed. Stacked the tiles in case any could be reused.
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During Old vinyl tile coming up across the basement and bathroom. The mastic took longer than the tile.
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During Blue vinyl tile around the support post. Pried it up in pieces and bagged it.
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During Helper pulling drywall off the basement walls. Wiring overhead all came out and got rerun.
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During Floor scraped, ceiling open, ready to start framing fresh.
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During Helper bagging tile shards. Wear gloves — those edges cut.
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During Scraping mastic off the slab so the new floor coating would actually bond.
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During Joists and ducts exposed with tile debris stacked. Halfway through the gut.
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During Bagged debris staged for haul-out. We'd run loads to the curb on inspection days.
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During Helper hauling debris out across the patio between the house and the garage.
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Before Basement gutted to slab and joists with the walls already primed white. Clean starting point.
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During My son sweeping up after the ceiling came down. He earned his keep on this job.
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During Helper scraping the last of the vinyl tile to expose the plywood subfloor underneath.
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During Tile up, bagged, ready to haul. Slab inspection came right after this.
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Gas meter, water shutoff, and copper supply lines after I cleaned up and labeled the utility corner.
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During White shiplap walls and speckled epoxy floor going in. Joists stayed exposed for utility access.
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After Utility room finished — water heater, boiler, workbench, all clean and accessible.
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Before Capped wires on the wall after I pulled the old circuits. Marked them all before the rewire.
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During Walls primed, floor coated, ceiling open. Plumbing rough-in coming next.
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After Storage closet finished with built-in shelves and the same speckled floor coating throughout.
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Before Bare slab, joists, and posts. This is the cleanest a basement looks before it gets dirty again.
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During Laundry tucked under the stairs with washer, dryer, and a utility sink. Tight but works.
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After New Bradford White water heater next to the Weil-McLain boiler. Copper supply runs cleaned up.
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After Utility room done — heat, hot water, and overhead supply lines all serviceable.
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During Mid-paint with primer drying and floor coating curing. Smelled like a paint store for a week.
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Before Last of the old wiring still hanging while I prepped the slab for coating.
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Before Old basement stairs before I sanded and repainted them gray to match the new finish.
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After Same stairs after — gray treads, white shiplap walls, clean run up to the kitchen.
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During Stained slab where the old laundry had leaked. Sealed it before I coated.
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During White shiplap up, floor coated, joists exposed for utilities. Came out cleaner than I expected.
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During Joists, posts, and rough wiring after demo. Framing started from here.
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During Basement bathroom stripped down with drywall debris piled. Slab broke open to access the drain.
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During Old laundry area with the original tile walls coming off. Wiring back to the panel got rerun.
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During Bath under the stairs gutted to original plumbing rough-in. Tight space, but worth saving.
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During Basement studded out, ready for insulation and electrical.
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During Framing through to the stairs. Laid out the rooms before I committed to walls.
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During New stud framing, rough wiring, and the exterior door at the back. Layout starting to read.
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During Posts and HVAC visible during the gut. Framed around them so I didn't lose ceiling height.
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During New Weil-McLain boiler with copper manifold and expansion tank. Sized right and zoned out for the upstairs.
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During Posts and joists exposed before the drop ceiling went back. Marked locations for new utilities.
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During Dow Tuff-R rigid foam tucked between studs against the foundation. Better than fiberglass below grade.
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During Foam in, electrical roughed, ready for inspection before drywall.
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During Super TUFF-R panels on a foundation wall with rough plumbing visible. Cleaner than batts down here.
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During Purple moisture-resistant drywall up with seams taped. Right product for a basement.
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During Coffered ceiling drywalled and taped. The boxes hide ductwork without dropping the whole ceiling.
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During Walls primed, lights cut in, slab still bare. Almost ready for finished flooring.
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During Subfloor protection down before flooring went in. Saves the new drywall from carts and tools.
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During Recessed cans installed, trim staged. Final stretch.
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Before Utility room before — water heater, expansion tank, and a tired workbench. All staying, just cleaned up.
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During Mid-demo with stripped joists and salvaged lumber stacked next to the water heater.
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After Workshop area with gray epoxy floor and white walls drying. Ventilation ran for two days.
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After Storage room finished with sealed concrete and a clean workbench area.
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After Workshop done — built-in bench, painted walls, sealed floor. Where the next project gets prepped.
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