Project — Ottawa
An unfinished lower level turned into a bright, warm-toned family floor: an open living room, a guest bedroom, a den, a powder room and a stair that no longer feels like a back stair.
Location
Ottawa, Ontario
Category
Basement finishing
Scope
Framing, drywall, powder room, flooring, trim, lighting
Year
2025
Duration
Approximately 8 weeks
The brief
The basement was concrete, joists and a single hanging bulb — storage by default rather than by choice. Roughly a third of the home's floor area sat unused while the family upstairs ran out of room.
A real second living room, a bedroom that a guest could stay in, a quiet den that could work as an office, and a powder room so nobody has to climb the stairs. Warm, bright, and finished to the same standard as the main floor.
The idea
The build
Below grade, ceiling height and light decide whether a basement feels like a home or a storage room. Both were planned before a single stud went up, and the same project manager ran every stage from framing to the final coat of paint.
Walls were laid out around what could not move — the beam, the mechanical room and the window wells — so the living area keeps the full length of the floor and the bedroom gets the egress window. Every partition was framed off the slab on treated plate, insulated for sound between the bedroom, den and living area.
Drywall went up with bulkheads built tight to the ducts and beam rather than dropping the whole ceiling — the difference between a basement that feels seven feet tall and one that feels eight. Corners were taped and sanded to a Level 4 finish so the paint reads flat under low ceiling light.
Two enclosed rooms came out of the plan: a guest bedroom off the main area and a smaller den behind it. The den's mechanical access was hidden behind a flush white panel door instead of a plastic grille, so the room reads as a study rather than a utility closet.
The stair got new treads, a hardwood-look landing, a wall sconce and full trim — the first thing anyone sees on the way down. Five-panel doors, wide casing and tall baseboard carry the main floor's millwork language into the lower level.
Warm oak-tone plank flooring runs unbroken through the living area, hall and bedrooms so the floor reads as one space. A compact powder room with a black vanity, brass tap and arched mirror sits off the main room, and a soft greige paint keeps everything bright under warm recessed lighting.
Details
Outcome
The family gained a second living room, a guest bedroom, a den and a powder room without moving a single exterior wall — roughly a third more usable home out of space they were already heating.
See more of our work“A good basement doesn't announce that it's a basement. Height, light and warm floors do more for that than any finish you can buy.”
Start your basement
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