Carpet!

After spending time on the window trim, Jon spent several evenings and weekends installing the wood baseboard trim. Trim involves not only installation, but puttying the holes created by the nails, paint, and caulk (to close any gaps between the baseboards and walls). We had a lot of help with the painting from Doug, Donna, & Omar. Our main motivation: to finish in time for the carpet installation set for May 31st!

Before leaving for vacation, Jon cleaned up the basement, swept, and took the doors off the hinges (Dan, who used to install carpet, told him that the carpet installers have to do this if we didn't). 

 Then, when we arrived home on Saturday night, we came home to carpeted basement! It's amazing what carpet does to a room. It no longer echos, it's warmer, and it seems finished! (almost!!)

 Above: Jon celebrating the carpet installation 

 Below: the family room area

 Looking towards the office area

 The "office"

We are so thankful to finally have the carpet installed. I cannot wait until the office items are removed from our second bedroom and reorganized in the basement, making way for the baby's room! It's been a long time coming, but we can finally start spending time in a nice clean, "finished" basement. Now we just need to focus on the laundry room and bathroom.

Windows and Trim

The easy part of the windows was installing the actual window. Now onto the time-consuming aspect: trimming them out. The old walls were panel with a very narrow space between the concrete wall and the paneling made by thin strips of wood instead of having the traditional 2x4 studs. So, since Jon had used 2x4s when putting up the new walls and drywall, he had to completely re-frame the windows and window sills. 

 Jon loves when he is able to recycle old wood taken from other areas in the basement, hence the odd colors to the window sill. He measured the windows, built a sill the could fit right into the window closing the gap between the window and drywall, then cut a piece of trim to make the nosing. So he glued and screwed the nosing into place before installing the window sills.

 Prepping the drywall around the window.

When he installed the window sill piece he wanted to make sure it was not only level but flush against the window and flush with the walls. 

Afterwards, he trimmed out the windows and painted them with two coats of primer and two coats of the white trim paint. 

I'd say a job well done!