Advice on basement - new construction - blank slate!

6 years ago

Turns out we now have the motivation to finish our new house's basement. Pics below are almost up-to-date.

Main design dilemmas:

1. How do you like the room labeled "Bedroom and Office"? Should the wall be angled like that or jog over in two right angles OR? Goal is not to block the large-ish window to the west (to the left) Glass bifold door is to let even more light in from south (bottom) window to come all the way through the Bedroom and Office into main basement area.

2. In yellow we're thinking of cutting the corners off the Media Room & Mech. Room so that when one enters basement through the steps it's a more expansive feeling? Will have a "rake wall" there.

House faces west to mountains as can be seen above. The 3 basement windows can be seen here:

Specs: 9 ft ceiling, about 2100 sq ft basement area. Plumbing roughed-in, slab in, much of the rest of the house is framed but we have almost total freedom to do as we wish with basement. It's a "daylight" basement with several quite large windows above the ground. There are no houses or obstructions blocking light entering from any of the 3 windows, except deck above on south-facing windows. Location: Colorado.

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Comments (5)

chispa
6 years ago
Is there a door to walk out on this level?

The windows seem really low. Once you add some good soil and mulch they will be in the dirt. They will get blocked by landscaping, get splashed by irrigation and dirt will splash back when it rains. In the winter they will be buried in snow.

Usually for basements ... daylight = walkout ... which would have put the windows at normal height above the ground. Is there a reason you didn't dig a few more feet down?
Jeff Smith thanked chispa
Jeff Smith
Original Author
6 years ago
Chispa, very good points and I agree. This was somewhat of an oversight now that you mention it. Unfortunately, we're too far along in construction stage to correct. The final grade will be lower than in images; that's rough grade. We can have low ground cover and not tall shrubs/trees. Ideally, glass doors would've been better.
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Tibs has the most poignant advice : Green Giant Thuga will get taller than 8 - 10'. Check with your community's zoning, you might be limited on how close you can plant to the road and how high for driver's visability. Even if it is within code to plant that high on a busy street corner I would advice not to. It is very dangerous for your community. Drivers need to be able to see around the corner. I don't understand the rational for removing the short stone retaining wall. It provides you with a low barrier set off the street which is great in regards to winter plowing / snow removal , provides an off street walking or car pull off area and allows the upper grade some flatness. I think that a walk around the Arnold Arboretum will give you some ideas about how to pull together a vignette/ composition of shrubs as well as inform you ( most all the plants are labeled ) of the various plant names. - - If the Arnold Arboretum is not within close distance then try one of the local well maintained museum properties like DeCordova in Lincoln or the old Case Estates in Weston. Another option is Allen Haskells old nursery or Weston nursery - - Otherwise a consultation with a landscape designer would greatly benefit you and would most likely save you $$$ in the long run and you will receive a good base plan to work off of .
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I dont know why, mojomom---- your pictures look just like I envisioned ours--- light, pretty, and functional. I think that is the goal for all basement family spaces! And jjim, in our house every sofa is a "sleeper," lol, although none are pullouts. That is why we put daybeds downstairs, I didn't want someone sleeping in the library unless it was absolutely necessary. Our four bedrooms are just right when our kids are all home, but a couple of times a year I need six or seven bedrooms (and really miss our old house, which had them). Now between the daybeds and the library we have enough room for the crush of guests at Thanksgiving and Christmas.
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Keep in mind that, even though you've shown us some pictures, we can't know what happens on your property outside of those pictures. There's nothing wrong with questions that prod exploration of alternative solutions. I cannot tell you how many times people have come here saying more or less to the effect of: "Here's the problem and here's how we intend to solve it .... but that creates a problem. What do we do?" Many times this involves telling said person that they are headed in the wrong direction to begin with. So please understand why people might make suggestions of alternative solutions, or question where you're headed. I'll remind you again, Brodyt, that you not only need the new pictures, but you'll need to be working the walkway problem out in plan view. The sooner you draw the base plan (existing house and porch footprint and drive) to scale, the sooner you can work toward a solution. The way I would approach this is by first roughing out some proposed beds, in order to know that the walk will allow for them. Then you can route the walk around them. One question that you'll need to answer, Brodyt, is at what point you'll want to tie the walk to the drive. I've pointed out that it can be somewhat awkward for the walk to dump directly into a car if one is parked just outside the garage. Most walks terminate very close to the garage door. But this has the negative effect of destroying the planting bed. Nevertheless, it's a decision the homeowner needs to make. Personally, I prefer to take the walk toward the end, or last third, of the car so that if one is heading in that direction, they are not forced to walk in the skinny space between the side of the parked car and the lawn. If there are objects (plants) to walk around, it doesn't feel unreasonable to walk to that location.
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Hello Lidia, I lived in Atlanta for 12 years and would weekend in North Georgia, seeing your property reminds me of some of the cabins that I stayed at. I imagine the views from the upper balcony and deck are tremendous. With any project of this scale and quality I would recommend a landscape design. A landscape architect will be able to guide you through the design process and develop a site plan that is tailored to function beautifully and enhance the natural features of the property. I offer a range of services and have experience working with clients remotely throughout the country. Using screen share and teleconferencing I can incorporate your ideas into a site plan and offer photo realistic renderings that give you a look at the design prior to construction. This brings you into the design process as I will incorporate your feedback and discuss possibilities. Feel free to call me to discuss.
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littlebug zone 5 Missouri
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
The bedroom/office wall seems awkward (and pricey with glass panels). I'd do it like this. Or move that door/window on the outer wall to the north a bit so the bedroom/office could be squared off.
Jeff Smith thanked littlebug zone 5 Missouri
PRO
Mark Bischak, Architect
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
Consider terminating one end of the glass folding partition at the mulion of the window and the other end stack the panels in the closet space, adjusting the closet sizes.

Don't do the stuff in yellow; just nip the corner of the media room. Or angle the south wall of the media room to mirror the angle of the glass folding partition.
Jeff Smith thanked Mark Bischak, Architect
Jeff Smith
Original Author
6 years ago
littlebug - that was my wife's original approach. It would certainly be cheaper. Guess we're thinking of an edgier, more contemporary feel, but the straight lines are more practical in many ways. We'll have to curtains inside bedroom because of the glass but it'll be more fun with the glass, I guess?

Mark-great idea! Provides angular symmetry with SW bedroom/office. Further it expands theater so we can pack more teenagers in, ha ha. The main room wouldn't be harmed by losing a few square feet.

Advice on basement - new construction - blank slate!

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chispa

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Advice on basement - new construction - blank slate!

Comments (5)

chispa

Jeff SmithOriginal Author

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