Get Your Kicks, Kitchen, Basement, or…

Since the cat’s out of the bag, and you happened to see my scary basement, I think you would agree that there is a lot of work to be done just to get it ready for a remodel, let alone start any remodeling. Thus, getting the basement ready for a remodel is exactly what my husband and I have been up to these last few weekends.

Let me tell you… the word “fun” does not factor into this work, but the word “success” does, as we are almost done clearing it out enough to start an extremely budget friendly basement make over.

 

While Ken has been working away at various details that require power tools, I have been sorting and itemizing all of the STUFF into groups to be either boxed, stowed, donated, sold or trashed – did I miss anything?

 

Here is a example in this 2 piece mini-bar that I made several years ago.

It is a vintage enamel-topped cabinet that I bought for $2.00 and painted black. I also had an old mirror, an old shelf, and a new chrome wind glass hanger which I brought all together into a wine-glass-holder over-the bar kind of thingy.

This duo has made it onto the items-to-sell list. Bye-bye, baby, it’s been nice!

 

Did I mention that Ken likes to salvage and restore vintage pinball and gaming machines? That, my friends, is his true passion,  and it is one of the reasons that we’d like a place with a workshop area that is more accommodating to both of us.

Notice the black plumbing pipes? They’re pretty hard to miss, right?

We are not planning on re-working those pipes because it would not be worth the cost, however, re-working the basement layout around these pipes is one of my goals.

I’ll be a pretty happy camper when the days of staring those pipes in the face will be gone, oh yeah!

Our basement update plan is as follows:

• Rework the interior wall layout to better utilize the space
• Install Bead board type paneling on the interior walls (I hate drywall dust and hope to avoid it)
• Paint the exposed/ open ceiling
• Paint and texturize the cement walls
• Add Faux stone texture around the windows
• Remove the carpet on the stairs and paint
• Paint the floor (which is vinyl-type tiles, so this should be interesting)
• Update to track lighting (from standard light bulbs outlets…that’s an update!!)

 

Don’t forget the kitchen!

I haven’t forgotten the kitchen update, oh no!! I have a few more fun but small upcycles for the kitchen coming soon, as well as a start on the eating area side of the kitchen with an Ikea Expedit tower bought on Craigslist and a hard wood cabinet that I’d like to transform into a small kitchen island. I will most likely re-vamp the tower sometime after the holidays, but for now it’s functionality will suffice, oh yes!!

 

And while the cats away…

…Working on the basement or the kitchen I thought I would get things rolling on a subject that I had planned to blog about since the very beginning: Route 66.

I may not have been traveling very far lately, but since Route 66 is virtually in my backyard, I have been stealing away to various Route 66 attractions for a while now,  and I plan to share.

You can check out the very first post I did on Lou Mitchell’s Restaurant, which is the very first dining stop  along the beginning of Route 66 in Chicago, that is an original to the route.

Lou Mitchell’s on Route 66

Stick around and get your kicks…

Kitchen, basement or Route 66!!

Sorry, I couldn’t help myself!

Thanks for stopping by ~ Amy

You can check out all posts on the basement update progress, here.