how to turn a crawl space into a short basement
As we continue to pack away the living room and kitchen and haul things to the basement, we’re reminded of how lucky we are to have our short basement.
Huh? Short what?
Two years ago we converted our dirt floor crawl space to a heated and sealed “short basement”. [See the whole process here.] We wanted to take advantage of the valuable square footage, but didn’t want the headache and expense of digging out tons of dirt and underpinning the existing foundation. So after some necessary structural enhancements (including new beams, posts, footings and a new concrete retaining wall) we poured a new concrete rat slab over the compacted dirt and vapor barrier. A rat slab is thinner than a typical slab and yes, meant to keep out rodents (fortunately for us, that’s not something we’ve ever encountered). In addition to a sturdy structure, this project created about 350 SF of instant storage!
But let’s go back in time first. This was the state of our crawl space when we bought the house:
And this is what it looked like mid-construction as Kyle dug out dirt for the new footings. Yes, that’s a pick axe. Hardpan is not your friend.
Here are a couple slightly distorted, stitched together photos of its current state:
One of the best parts of this space is that is houses our high-efficiency gas furnace as well as the main trunk line (neatly tucked up behind the beam that runs between the stair and the furnace). This means that we have no duct work below the joists in the main basement space, a great benefit since head height is already limited. After the furnace was in, we installed a series of interlocking rubber floor tiles (another craigslist find!) to protect hands and knees since crawling is still the primary mode of transportation. Next, it was time to get organized.
Since our house has no closets (besides the IKEA wardrobe that we installed in the bedroom), we keep all of our infrequently used belongings in our short basement. Despite the crawling part, we developed a logical, organized storage system of rolling plastic bins that can easily slide in and out for quick access. As we complete the main floor and begin to implement our long list of creative furniture solutions, we’ll move some of these out of storage hibernation.
Short basements may not always be the best solution, but for us, it was a way to take advantage of 350 SF of space that already existed. Additionally, crawl spaces are typically unheated spaces that must be vented to prevent unwanted moisture. By converting our crawl to a heated, insulated space we add to our houses’ thermal mass which means our heating system doesn’t have to compensate for cooler air under the main floor.
re-nest blogger
Hi everyone…just stopping by to say that I am trying out for a blogger position for re-nest (part of the Apartment Therapy family) and they posted one of my sample posts today! Check it out and if you like what you see, leave a comment!
porch reveal
I had my doubts, but ladies and gentlemen, the porch is finally done!*
*ok, we still have to construct a storage bench but the impending demo party has delayed that for now.
But before the big reveal, let’s take a moment to reminisce.
Here is our cute, perfectly practical open porch in the 1930’s.
Yikes…and this is what it looked like when we bought the house in ’06. [We’re guessing the porch was enclosed in the ’60’s when the metal siding and aluminum windows were installed.] Exterior carpet, yuck!
Last summer we took out everything we didn’t want…
…and by last fall we had ourselves an inviting, solid new porch (and stoop!). We were so exhausted from all the exterior work that we took a few months off before finishing the inside, but today we are finally done and are here to bring you the official reveal!
Come on in!
We chose a light yet warm palette. The carpet tiles are from Flor. We opted for House Pet in “Irish Setter” and two squares of Coir to serves as an integral walk off mat. (We’re leaving our old walk off mat outside as an extra measure during the rainy season.) The future bench will go in the space to the left of the door. The current thinking is that it will be a fir box on steel legs with a chocolate brown paperstone lid/seat. There will be space for shoes under the bench and possibly on the opposite wall as well.
We also installed our new coat hooks! We’re going to try two for now and possibly install a third on the opposite side of the door. We painted the beveled siding the same “soot” color as the rest of the house to emphasize the indoor/outdoor relationship.
No coats yet…we wanted to enjoy them for a bit first.
Finally, the space had to earn the approval of one very particular family member. I cleaned the drool off the front door for these photos but it’s only a matter of time…
[Bailey also just got back from the groomer when I took this. I can no longer braid the fur on his paws, which is a very good thing.]
porch progress: so close
Work on the porch continues. One more coat of paint, then the finishing touches and we’ll finally be done!
modern coat hooks
Back in October, we put together a materials palette for our porch. Four months later (after a much needed break) we are finally finishing the space up and realized we have yet to order the coat hooks! Below is the coat hook style that we picked out last fall – it’s the Bach hook and is sold through a few big name retailers. We like the simple design and functionality. The curved steel is supposed to keep things in place without stretching out the fabric. Since we don’t have enough space for a horizontal, multi-hook setup we plan on installing 1-2 of these on each side of the door which would provide 6-8 hooks total. While we admittedly have a large jacket collection (it’s Seattle – we layer!) we’re hoping that by purposefully limiting our storage capacity, we’ll only keep out the coats/jackets/scarves that we wear frequently and avoid some visual clutter in the process.
Now, even though we’re still feeling good about this option, we decided to do a little more research, just to make sure. Here’s a collection of additional modern hooks that caught our eye. [All images are linked back to their source.]
Love this classic, simple design. Smedbo – $40.50
Minimal modern design from hardware favorite, Sugatsune – $7.20
I love the idea of these abstract house hooks with space for keys, mail and coats! $40 (Canadian) via Remodelista.
So maybe these aren’t really wall hooks, but I love the timeless, clothes pin design. $5.50 each from Muji.
A more affordable take on the Tom Dixon version below, this is a fun piece that would provide a lot of storage. $29.95 from CB2.
A well loved IKEA classic. We have several of these that have moved with us from place to place. $5/two pack.
Another great example of minimalist design. We noticed a similar hook system used during our stay at the Rolling Huts last month. $150 via Nest Living.
Another affordable IKEA option. $10 (in white or black finish)
I love the paperclip motif in this Tom Dixon design. But at $330/segment, I’d almost hate to put anything on it!
Any other favorites out there?
