Basement Drywall

The drywall stage of our basement finishing project is the most exciting part of the project so far!  I was very excited when the framing was complete, but that excitement pales in comparison to seeing drywall hung in our new space.

You start to get a hint of how the space is shaping up during framing, but since you can still see through all the future walls you, you cannot actually tell how the finished space will look.  Once the drywall goes in, you can get a true sense of the space.

We loved walking through the space with drywall for the first time.  Even with drywall still in progress, it all suddenly felt real.

One thing that took us by surprise was the change in light once the bedroom wall was drywalled.  The bedroom is through the door on the left in the photo above.  The light from the bedroom window no longer poured into the main space.  Luckily, there are plenty of other windows in the rest of the space.  As soon as we got used to the walls, we realized there was no shortage of light.  The bedroom is bright with a large window and the rest of the space gets plenty of light from the door and 3 other windows.

The kitchenette area is such a unique shape.  With the drywall in place it is easier to see the true shape.  You can say where the pipes are for a future sink.  To the right of the sink will be a fun, retro-style fridge like a Smeg or Big Chill.  The low outlet to the left is for a microwave below the counter.  The angled wall to the right (where the piece of drywall is leaning) will be some sort of bar with a couple stools.

The drywall on the ceiling and soffts made a huge difference towards shaping up the space.  The basement instantly felt clean and clutter-free with the joists, wiring, plumbing, and vents covered up.   It also helped us see where the lights are.  We have recessed lights throughout the family room and kitchenette.

The greatest part of the ceiling drywall is the raised triangular area above the game table.  We asked the builder during the planning process to keep the ceiling in this area 9 ft high.  The soffit running in front of it is 8 ft high.  I love this unexpected popup in the ceiling.  I think it will be a fun surprise over the game table.  We will have a pendant light drop down over the table and I plan to do something fun and unexpected for a ceiling treatment in this triangular space.  The larger hole is for a heat vent, so I will have to work around that.

The playroom and exercise room are shaping up nicely, as well.  Unfortunately they are difficult to photograph, since there are no lights yet.  Here are a few shots of the playroom.  The room is a big triangle bordered by the utility room, exercise room, and stairwell.  The dark room in the back is the future exercise room.  The light is coming in from the utility room, which houses the furnace and water heater.  The last shot is standing in the playroom looking back out into the family room.

We are nearing the end of the basement finishing project, at least the contracted portion anyway.  The builder will finish taping, mudding, sanding, and priming the drywall.  They will texturize the ceiling in a knock-down finish to match the ceilings throughout the rest of our house.  Then they will turn it over to us.  That is when the real work will start…haha.  We will be DIYing most of the remaining work, including trim, tiling the shower, installing the kitchen, flooring, and painting (not necessarily in that order).  I will bring you along for the whole journey.