Old Chicago Finished Basement

Recipient of The Wisconsin Builders Association Badger Craftsman Award For Finished Basements.

This finished basement feels like an old Chicago pub with classic industrial elements. Highlights of this design include a home entertainment center with a built-in computer desk, exercise room padded workout floor, and a hot tub area with a bathroom and continuous tiled floor and floor drain.  Placed within the center of the main room is an entertainment area with a custom-made restaurant booth for snacks or playing cards. This incredible feature has a game table with a reversible top. One side contains embedded European memorabilia while the opposite is a felt-covered game table. The button-tufted upholstery was precisely executed in a pattern sized appropriately for the scale of this large, yet intricate piece.

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Reclaimed Materials Add To The Vintage Look

Corrugated steel siding is used on the ceiling of the space. Painstaking planning of the lighting and HVAC layout was necessary to ensure that all the fixtures landed in the flat spot of the metal rather than overlapping a rib. For sound isolation, the ceiling was installed over drywall and resilient channel to reduce the sound between the finished basement and the kids’ bedrooms above. Unafraid of unique solutions to avoid costly custom options, a frosted glass door is hung sideways in the wall to create a window between the bar area and the hot tub room. This allows more light from the new triple window into the main part of the basement. It is typically left closed to isolate noise and humidity from the hot tub room, but is opened up while entertaining. A humidistat controlled fan ensures that any excess humidity generated by the hot tub is vented out of the home, to protect against condensation damage and mold. A floor drain was installed to keep spa water from making its way to the other parts of this space.

A Well Designed Hot Tub Room

Unafraid of unique solutions to avoid costly custom options, a frosted glass door is hung sideways in the wall to create a window between the bar area and the hot tub room. This allows light from the new triple window into the main part of the basement. The window isolates noise and humidity from the hot tub room, but can be opened while entertaining. A humidistat controlled fan ensures that any excess humidity generated by the hot tub is vented out of the home, to protect against condensation damage and mold. A floor drain was installed to keep spa water from making its way to the other parts of this space.