Basement

Basement Transformation

A long-term project and a major transformation. Scroll through to see the before and after photos of this basement project. Getting ready for this remodel meant clearing everything out. My client wanted to use half of the space as a living room for the kids to hang out. The other half would be for storage, a home office and a small kitchen. I give major props to my client who was more than ready to purge…and boy did we purge! A truly fun project!

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Basement Transformation Before
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Basement Transformation After
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Basement Transformation Before
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Basement Transformation After
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Basement Transformation Before
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Basement Transformation Before
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Basement Transformation After
 

Basement Transformation

This project will go down as one of the most rewarding ever. I transformed this basement is one day. The challenge was to create 4 zones: living area, play area, craft area and storage area. This Denver client had recently moved into a new home and just didn’t have it in her to tackle the basement. Luckily for her, when I got my first look, I was excited. 🙂 After getting everything unpacked and sorted, I was able to get furniture moved into the appropriate places to create those zones. Voila! A fully organized and functional space…in 8 hours!

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Basement Transformation Before
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Basement Transformation After
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Basement Transformation Before
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Basement Transformation After
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Basement Transformation Before
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Basement Transformation After
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Basement Transformation Before
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Basement Transformation After
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Basement Transformation After
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Basement Transformation After

Purge and Organize

This Westminster mom was at her wits end when it came to her basement. Every time she descended the stairs, she just felt overwhelmed. SOS to the rescue! With her quick decision making, we were able to sort, purge and organize this storage area in no time. All things Christmas, Halloween, etc. are easy to see and get to when the time is right. There were a lot of high fives at the end of this session. 🙂

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Purge and Organize Before
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Purge and Organize After

If You Build It, It Will Be Organized

When this Erie homeowner called to ask for help getting her basement organized, I was all in. It’s no secret that I love organizing storage areas. 🙂 This one was no exception. We had a lot of sorting and purging to do and we ordered two more sets of industrial shelving units to really make the space work better. Once the shelves were built, it was easy to get our newly organized (and labeled) bins put away. Having shelves makes all the difference. Shelves allow you easy access to each bin. No more stacking or digging for the bin you need.

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If You Build It, It Will Be Organized Before
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If You Build It, It Will Be Organized After

Order Out of Chaos

It’s no secret that I love organizing basements. I don’t know why, but clearing the clutter and creating order out of chaos is just so satisfying! This basement in Parker was no exception. In just one 4 hour session, we conquered the clutter!

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Order Out of Chaos Before
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Order Out of Chaos After
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Order Out of Chaos Before
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Order Out of Chaos After

Sorted and Organized

This was a fun project. I was a Christmas present for this Centennial client’s husband who has wanted to get his basement in order since they moved last year. We sorted everything into categories, built a couple of shelving units and then arranged things in a way that made what they need access to the most would be easy to get to. This was an unusual project in that everything that was in the basement stayed – no donations. And because we put the space to better use, we were able to bring in additional bins of holiday decorations from the garage.

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Sorted and Organized Before
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Sorted and Organized After
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Sorted and Organized Before
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Sorted and Organized After

A More Organized Basement

Fun, fun, fun! I love organizing basements! This project was pretty straight forward. After building a couple of shelving units, it was simply a matter of categorizing everything, putting it away and getting things labeled.

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A More Organized Basement Before
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A More Organized Basement Before
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A More Organized Basement Before
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A More Organized Basement After
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A More Organized Basement Before
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A More Organized Basement After

Basement Clean Out

The pictures speak for themselves on this one. This Denver homeowner had let the clutter in her basement get a bit out of control. Lucky for her, I REALLY like organizing basements. 🙂 Lots of items went into the trash and donate piles. We then categorized everything and created zones – serving pieces that didn’t fit in her small kitchen, decorations, pictures, holiday decorations, etc. Now everything is easy to see and easy, get to and put back.

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Basement Clean Out Before
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Basement Clean Out After
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Basement Clean Out Before
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Basement Clean Out After
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Basement Clean Out Before
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Basement Clean Out After
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Basement Clean Out Before
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Basement Clean Out After

Clearing the Clutter

This Broomfield client was fed up with her basement clutter when she called me. But in one session, we cleared the clutter, rearranged a couple of the shelving units and made everything easy to see and access.

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Clearing the Clutter Before
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Clearing the Clutter After

The Big Basement Clean Out

As you can imagine, this homeowner was overwhelmed every time she stepped into her basement. It had become the dumping ground for everything the family didn’t know what to do with. But it’s also home to all of their holiday decorations and memorabilia. Eventually, they want to finish the basement so they were ready to purge. And purge we did! Once we had space to work in, we built several free-standing shelving units and put all of their precious memories and decorations in labeled plastic bins. Now when they draw up plans to finish the space, they know exactly what and how much they need to store.

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The Big Basement Clean Out Before
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The Big Basement Clean Out After
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The Big Basement Clean Out Before
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The Big Basement Clean Out After

Big Results in a Big Basement

I have to say, I LOVE organizing basements! And this one was loads of fun. Not only is the space huge, but it has these incredible built in shelves. The goal was to get everything into categories and set up a shipping center for their home-based business. The right side is dedicated to home storage. Holiday decorations, excess pantry supplies, photos, hand-me-down clothes for the kiddos, home improvement supplies, party supplies and decorations not yet in use elsewhere in the home. The left side is dedicated to a work out area, a work bench and a shipping center.

First, we had to get all of the cardboard boxes under control. They had taken over the basement. With floor space cleared, we were able to get everything categorized, put into proper bins and boxes, and labeled. Then it was time to put everything away. This project was not about purging…the only things to get tossed (in this case recycled) were cardboard boxes too damaged to be re-used. Check out all of that free space! On the left side, we used the area under the work bench to stack shipping boxes and envelopes by size. All of the excess paper and bubble wrap was folded and put into labeled boxes. We stashed those boxes under the table for easy access when it came time to pack items for shipping.

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Big Results in a Big Basement Before
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Big Results in a Big Basement After
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Big Results in a Big Basement Before
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Big Results in a Big Basement After

From Chaos to Order

SOS helps tame the chaos in this small basement storage area. Having a place to stash stuff is great. But it’s even better if you can find what you’re looking for when you need it. A little sorting, a little purging and this basement was more functional and organized. We made an area for wrapping supplies, crafts, party supplies, travel, tools, camping, holiday decorations and memorabilia. And everything in each category is contained so it’s easy to access.

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From Chaos to Order Before
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From Chaos to Order After
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From Chaos to Order Before
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From Chaos to Order After

Basement Storage Sorted

Sometimes just rearranging boxes and bins makes for a more organized space. In this Denver basement storage closet, Christmas, Halloween and Easter decorations were already in bins. But they were all mixed up which made getting to them a hassle. Having to pull out 3 bins of Halloween decorations to uncover a Christmas bin is never fun in a tight space. In addition, automotive parts were scattered here and there, as well as some old paperwork, carpet remnants and even an old piece of drywall. Once we cleared out the items for trash and donate, we put all of the bins for each holiday together while leaving a wide space to walk through. Now when it’s time to pull out decorations for the next holiday, they’ll be easy to get to and easy to put away.

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Basement Storage Sorted Before
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Basement Storage Sorted After

Basement Chaos Banished

Working with this couple in Broomfield was an amazing experience. And…it only took us 4 hours to completely transform the space. They were more than ready to let go of a lot of items they’d been storing for several years. We also broke down lots of boxes for recycling. Other bins and boxes had been partially unpacked and re-packed so we categorized items to put them in separate bins. Now all of the memorabilia is contained in a few bins; craft supplies are in their own bins; Easter, Halloween and Christmas decorations are organized in separate bins; and several boxes of kitchen items that are seldom used have been boxed up in preparation for a possible move. In case they put their home up for sale, the basement is organized and looks much larger than it did and they have space to stage packed boxes so they’re out of the way.

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Basement Chaos Banished BeforeBasement Chaos Banished BeforeBasement Chaos Banished BeforeBasement Chaos Banished Before
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Basement Cleanout

A rainy day in Denver is the perfect time to tackle a long overdue organizing project! My Park Hill clients are busy with work and family and let the clutter in their basement get a bit out of control. Lucky for them, I love a challenge and lucky for me, they were full of energy and motivated to clear the chaos!

We had three spaces to tackle. The laundry room, the furnace room and a narrow storage closet tucked behind the laundry wall. We started by clearing a path so we could get everything not staying in the spaces out of the way. Luckily, the neighborhood was organizing a giant garage sale so we were able to put everything they wanted to try to sell in the garage.

We attacked the storage closet first. We pulled everything out and made quick work of dividing items into keep, sell and trash. I have to hand it to these homeowners…they made really quick decisions and lots of trips out to the garage. 🙂 In no time at all, it was time to put everything away. We stashed items they rarely need to get to in the very back. Winter coats and gear went in next, followed by boxes of memorabilia and pictures that they want to sort through in the near future. Winter boots and shoes went up top. Since they are expecting a new addition to the family in November, baby items went in next. And near the front, we put their hiking and biking gear that they’ll use this season. Not only is everything organized in order of when they’ll need it, they can get to more easily because we left a path open all the way to the back.

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Basement Cleanout Closet Before
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Basement Cleanout Closet After

Next up was the furnace room. In addition to housing the furnace and water heater, this room is also used to store a bike, work bench and household supplies. We again started by sorting items into keep, sell and trash. Some of the items went into the narrow storage closet and an aquarium went into a crawl space under the stairs. But a lot of things were added to the “sell” pile in the garage. Take a look! When the old furnace gets replaced in a couple of weeks, this room will be downright spacious! 🙂

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Basement Cleanout Furnace Before
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Basement Cleanout Furnace After

Finally, we tackled the laundry room.

We cleaned out and organized cupboards and added more items to the sell and trash piles. And I’m so proud of the couple I worked with. They stayed energized and motivated and the results speak for themselves! Just look at the difference!

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Basement Cleanout Laundry Before
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Basement Cleanout Laundry After
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Laundry Before 1 retitled
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Basement Cleanout Laundry After

A More Orderly Basement

When I got my first peek at this basement in Superior, I thought, “This is going to be SO MUCH FUN!” Yes, I am wired a bit differently. 🙂

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A More Orderly Basement Before
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A More Orderly Basement After

The couple I worked with was fantastic. All their stuff was stressing them out and they embraced the organizing challenge. The first thing we had to do was clear some space to work. Prior to our first session, they set up a Salvation Army pick-up because they knew a lot of the furniture would be donated. Moving the really big items out of the basement gave us the space we needed to get going. We just picked a pile and started. This project took several organizing sessions, two Salvation Army pick-ups and 6 trips to Goodwill. But the results speak for themselves!

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A More Orderly Basement Before
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A More Orderly Basement After

And, by the way, the crawl space is now empty, too. 🙂

Basement Spruce-Up

These Park Hill homeowners were more than ready to put their basement in order. The space is home to a pantry, laundry area, tools and storage. Unfortunately, it was all jumbled together. The first thing we tackled was the pantry area. We put in wall-to-wall shelves to store food, special-occasion dinner-ware and party supplies.

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Basement Spruce-up, Pantry Before
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Basement Spruce-up, Pantry After

Next up was the space under the stairs. The cabinet holds DIY project supplies, light bulbs and extension cords. Now, the couple can actually get to them. 🙂

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Basement Spruce-up, Under Stairs Before
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Basement Spruce-up, Under Stairs After

The laundry area came next. Since we freed up a shelving unit while working on the pantry area, we were able to re-purpose it to hold laundry and cleaning supplies. Now the washer and dryer can be used to fold clothes instead of as a storage space.

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Basement Spruce-up, Laundry Before
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Basement Spruce-up, Laundry AfterBasement Spruce-up, Laundry Products After

And finally we tackled the tool area. We discovered tools, paints, nails, screws and all sorts of stuff while putting the rest of the basement in order. Luckily, we had freed another shelf during the process so we could turn this corner into the “home improvement” area.

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Basement Spruce-up, Tool Area Before
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Basement Spruce-up, Tool Area After