The big bad basement blow-out

This downsizing thing might work out after all.

A new dishwasher arrives Saturday. Kitchen flooring has been purchased and installation estimate obtained. Eating bar laminate samples on board for decision-making time once kitchen floor is in. Tub resurfacing to occur in mid-March.

And.

And.

And.

The big bad basement has been Cleaned Out. Behold the before and after.

Before.

After.

Yeah, yeah. I know. Big whoop. Looks pretty much the same, doesn't it?

But you haven't made the two runs to Goodwill. . . delivered several boxes of childhood and adulthood treasures to the Number One and Two Sons in Seattle. . . cleared out holiday decorations unused for years. . .  and purchased three storage bins for the N2S' "guys" -- eminently collectable mint Star Wars characters and other action figures. We've found treasures -- three of my all-time favorite cotton T-shirts! -- and disposed of A LOT of trash.

Believe me, we're lean.

I've started scrubbing down the walls and cupboards -- something, shamefully, that hasn't been done since 1992 when we moved into the Nine-One-Four. Please don't judge. It's the frickin' BASEMENT LAUNDRY/STORAGE ROOM for the love of pete.

Last time I checked, we weren't holding state dinners down there. So get over it.

I'm in a little bit of a foot race (literally) on this piece of the equation since I'm scheduled for some foot surgery (not quite as extreme for reasons that will unfold in due time) on February 22. After that, I'll be twinkle toes over heart -- with a 20 minute break here and there -- for at least a couple of weeks.

But, when spring FINALLY arrives and we can relocate the patio furniture and bikes outdoors -- we will have a cavernous laundry/storage/painstakingly clean big bad basement laundry/storage room.

And let's not forget the adjacent and new and improved Matt Cave.

And 4 bedrooms (all on the same floor), 1.5 baths, 3 blocks from one of the best elementary schools in Bermtopia (go Wilson Wildcats!).

AND most important, a most climb-able cherry tree in the backyard. . . .

If you are under the age of 60.

The Matt Cave revealed

Without further ado, I present the new and improved Matt Cave. Except we really can't call it the Matt Cave anymore.



Three months. . . several gallons of paint. . . new baseboard and trim. . . one stacked slate stone fireplace veneer . . . and a smokin' new futon cover, pillows and TV stand later, we've gone from cave to family room. With nary a Gatorade bottle, dirty sock nor cell phone charger in sight.



Good-bye, weird partially white-washed, partially distressed wood paneling. Au revoir, oddly recessed painted brick fireplace. And sayonara, scratched and dirty basement ceiling. Our work here is done.

We've gone from this:

To this:

It's been a pleasant transformation, and while youngest son Matt loses his subterranean grotto, we gain a family room that we can now, with full certainty, proclaim as booger-free. You can't say that about all basements.


Matt, you will always have a place to hang your boxers when you come home to Bermtopia. We love you to death -- AND every minute of your visits. But now, you have new accommodations -- also known as "the guest bedroom."

We love you, Matt. Come home soon.








And, by the way, how do you feel about the color yellow?

The Matt Cave

The Matt Cave, aka the basement, is getting a face-lift.

Nothing major -- some fresh paint, new baseboard, and best of all,the fireplace is getting a stacked-stone surface. Hello, 21st century! Meet the new and improved Matt Cave.

About "The Matt Cave" moniker. Let me explain. Sometime when he was in high school, that would be about 5 or 6 years ago, our youngest son Matt sort of decamped to the basement, choosing it as his primary mode of abode. Maybe it was a hot summer night when his upstairs bedroom was too stuffy -- or a late, late night of movies and video games. But at some point, Matt took up residence in the basement and it became The Matt Cave. It all seemed to make sense at the time. It usually does with teenagers.

It's a man pad, all right -- TV, DVD player, foosball table, laundry room (with a shower!) all just steps away. Bathroom and kitchen right at the top of the stairs. Room to spread out for entertaining. (I can't tell you the number of mornings I've tiptoed down to the basement to grab some clean underwear or new can of coffee only to find a jumble of arms and legs belonging to an indeterminate number of Matt's buddies that seemed to sprout up from the basement floor sometime in the middle of the night.)And a comfy futon that nicely accommodates an afternoon snooze -- or long winter night's slumber.

Now that Matt's in college and is only home for holidays, we venture down into The Matt Cave every now and then to host a Gonzaga basketball game or escape a particularly gnarly thunderstorm with dog Ben. It's at these times when The Matt Cave loses a bit of its exotic allure and you see it for what it is -- a somewhat beat-up basement family room that is finally getting a little bit of love.


Somehow, you just don't see that when Matt's home. It's amazing what layer of DVDs, video games, XBox cables, cell phone chargers, sketch pads, textbooks, dirty socks, rumpled sleeping bags and empty Gatorade bottles can do for a room. It's these special accessories that make it The Matt Cave. Every household should have one.

So, with this in mind, I am approaching the basement makeover with some bemusement. It will look awesome when it's done, trust me.

But it won't be The Cave till Matt comes home. HGTV, take note.