A Basement Renovation Turned Airbnb: Before and After Pictures

This little project has been quite the adventure. Here are the complete before and after side-by-sides. For those who have followed our journey as it happened, this is a tidy little recap. For those HGTV junkies who are just joining… this should scratch the itch. Nothing like skipping to the end of the episode for the before/after shots 😉

This is the vantage point when you first enter the Airbnb. A nice soft bed to welcome you.

Yikes! This before was very early on when we were still storing a lot of our stuff in the basement. Clean white paint and a bamboo floor *(and removing all of the bleep)* really tidied up the space.

Another view point of the bedroom, this time looking toward the door. There is a consol/desk below the TV, a place to hang clothing and a sitting area. We also redid the tile pad in the entry way.

Here is a close-up of the sitting area in the bedroom. We kept it simple, fun with bright pops of color to liven up the white. This also does show the light that comes into the basement. Having windows in all of the rooms but the bathroom really helps make the space feel less like a hole in the ground.

*The kitchenette! We swapped out the full sized fridge for an under-counter one and put a coffee bar* in its place. We also removed the over-sink cabinets and replaced those with floating shelves. The result is clean and open.

A close-up to some of the new features in the kitchenette. A modern kitchen table made by yours truly, mid-century ghost chairs and a little coffee nook to complete the vibe. I love this space!

Looking back from the stairs. I had used the old kitchen space as my wine making area. Functional enough for wine making, but what an improvement! We kept the steel cabinet and porcelain sink and added a nice deep green tile accent wall.

Just add elbow grease, some paint and new fixtures and we have a new look while keeping some of the old charm. The old metal uppers were closing the space off too much and didn’t allow us a feature wall. Very happy with the old meets new look.

As we round the corner, we come to the Den area. The before picture is a little further around the corner, but it was really just a blank room. We had gone back and forth about making this more of a working space versus a lounge, but ultimately we decided that if it were us, we would probably prefer a separate lounge area. The sofa does fold down into a bed if the guest were to want that as an option.

These shelves were already here, they just needed some zhooshing up. There is an array of books for those who are interested in unplugging and we also have board games. Extra towels and soap are stored here for the bathroom (positioned to my right as I look at the book shelf)

I used to dread going into this bathroom. There isn’t a window and the shower wall partition made the whole space feel claustrophobic. The wall was the first to go. The white tile also helped to brighten the space. The sink and toilet were actually in good condition, so that helped save a couple Benjamins. The shower is now a curb less, walk-in and space is now very bright and clean feeling.

I had to include a another view showing the reclaimed sliding door for the bathroom. We love to include character from older things and this door from Construction Junction did the trick. And yes, the windows are fogged out and the door locks.

*This is the entrance to the Airbnb.* The worst is when you forget to take a before picture! Just admire the paver stones, fresh paint and shrubbery. It has motion activated lights and a keyless entry.

After doing all this work, I can help but think: 20 years from now some Zoomer is going to be renovating houses saying ewww subway tile, floating shelves and shiplap… soooo 2020 rip it out! For now, I looove the new Airbnb space. Our goal was to take an old basement and make it feel the opposite that you normally expect in a basement: bright, clean and warm. We also worked hard to make this a quirky and fun space. This concludes the renovation portion of this blog. The next articles will be more about the Airbnb side of things.

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