Basement Glow-Up: From Tired Carpet to Our Dream Game Room

(January 2026)

You know how it goes with these old houses — one project leads to another, and before you know it, you’re staring at a space that’s been stuck in “good enough” for years. Our basement has been that way since we moved in. Functional, but… tired.

Back in 2020 (COVID) we did make some real progress. Matt built that beautiful reclaimed barn wood accent wall, and he installed LVP in the main part of the basement. We painted the ceiling completely black and the walls gray, and that was about it. At the time it was mostly a hangout space for the kids, so we kept it simple.

Here’s what it looked like more recently, before this winter’s big refresh:

 Looking down the carpeted stairs from upstairs. Everette wondering what the humans are up to now.

The middle area between the stairs and what would become the game room. More carpet, more wires, and Everette supervising as usual.

Another view down the stairs with Everest standing guard. You can see into the other part of the basement where we were still working on things.

This January we finally decided it was time to take it to the next level. We hired a contractor to rip out the remaining old carpet, add fresh LVP throughout, install some doors, and put up proper railings on the stairs for safety.

Now it’s a real game room and hangout space for our adult kids and all the adults. We’ve got the mini fridge stocked, the pool table ready, the big TV, and a game table — it’s getting used so much more, and it feels like the house is finally matching the life we’re living out here in the woods.

I’ll share the after photos in the next post (or keep scrolling if I manage to upload them all at once). It’s such a fun transformation!

More to come — including how Everette is adjusting to his fancy new hangout spot!