I went waaaay back in the archives to start writing this post, and wow, that all feels like a lifetime ago. In some ways, I guess it is.
There is one space left in the basement that I still have not shared in its final finished version. Mostly because it was not finally finished. Oh those last little details can drag on.
In the 14th post that I published on this blog (#14! Just a month after we moved in! This post is #1,043!), I shared my plans for the basement renovation. I included this picture and wrote: “Sarah Richardson is known for putting a full size table in her family rooms as a spot for games, work, crafts or dining. I think that’s a great idea and we’ve got the space for one, so that’s on the list too.”
Source: Sarah’s House Season 1
And here’s how our version turned out.
But before we jump into the details of the finished space, here’s how this spot looked when we first bought the house (after we’d cleared out a lot of the previous owners’ stuff).
We knew we didn’t want the cabinets and work stations (I have no idea what they were used for). And with them gone, this became a big open area, right at the base of the stairs.
If you’ve been around here for awhile, you may recall that we not only removed the cabinets. We also removed the carpet and all of the drywall.
The exterior drywall came down so that we could reframe, rewire and reinsulate.
The ceiling drywall came down so that we could find all of the hidden junction boxes and fix the electrical.
Sorry for the bad early days photo. This junction box was actually burned inside, hence the black.
Then we drywalled, painted, trimmed and carpeted. We eventually moved in some furniture and added a light fixture. Then, over the last year, I finally tackled the bare walls.
Hanging the playing card posters was Matt’s last DIY in this house. We did it almost exactly a year ago. And a couple of weeks ago, I hung the tic-tac-toe game and styled the top of the cabinet.
With that the games (crafting, work, etc.) area is officially done.
I’ll be sharing more details on this space next week. You know everything has a story with me.
Home on 129 Acres 
It looks great! How fun are those card posters and the tic-tac-toe?
We don’t have a dedicated games room but our dining room table is quite large, and is usually being used for multiple purposes. It almost always has a jigsaw puzzle going on one side, I use one end for the online university class I’m taking, Shae uses the opposite side to the puzzle for working from home, and occasionally we actually eat at the one remaining end! The other day we had a couple of friends over for dinner and managed to clear half the table, put a cloth on the half, candles, and we all sat around the one end for dinner. It’s an unusual situation, but we try to keep it somewhat neat and organized. I’m planning to buy one of those puzzle things that enable you to move a puzzle from one place to another. That should help us free it up when we need the whole thing, though that need is not frequent with the pandemic meaning that large gatherings are a thing of the past.
Does your bubble allow you to use your games room much with friends, or have you had to isolate again as cases are rising in Ontario?
I think your situation is a great example of making full use of your space. We’ve been pretty isolated all the way through the pandemic, so no, we’ve not used this space with friends. Although I have enjoyed the table for cutting out sewing projects and doing puzzles. Proximity to Ellie’s play area is a big bonus.
I have to say, I love the little work areas in the original picture! But thank goodness you gutted the room I can’t imagine what may of happened if you hadn’t found that electrical box!!! Scary!
Our dining room table is always full. Winter time there is always a puzzle spread across it. And since March it has been my work from home desk. It does have two leaves so we have plenty of room. But actually Steve and I eat our meals at our kitchen bar area!
The electrical here is super scary. I’m sure there are more horrors upstairs where we haven’t opened walls yet.
The work areas would be convenient for working from home or homeschooling. I’m glad you’re working from home situation is working out. You have a good coworker and a nice view.