Preparing to Finish the Basement

We are so excited that our wish to finish the basement is going to come true!!  Ever since Daphne was born and we lost our guest room, the need to finish the basement has gotten greater. It will be so nice to have extra living space, a place for guests to sleep and a mudroom....oh how I have dreamed of a mudroom.  Construction is set to begin on March 10th.  Of course, we aren't looking forward to cleaning out the basement, although I can't wait to purge and organize!! 

We received some preliminary plans from our contractor (the son of the builder who built our house) and it's exciting to "see" how the space will look once it's completed.  We will definitely be making some changes to this design, but for the most part it is a good representation.  The space isn't huge (since our garage takes up half the basement) but allows for a nice comfortable mudroom/family room.  We will most likely use the smaller back room as a storage area for now.   

Some elements I'd like to see in the space are slate like flooring in the mudroom, a functional mudroom bench and built-in storage under the stairs.  I can't wait!!  

Slate Flooring in Herringbone Pattern

Mudroom Bench with Hook and Shoe Storage

1, 2, 3, 4

 Under Stairs Storage

1 & 2, 3, 4

Have I mentioned I'm excited?