Planning Pays off When Creating a Fun Family Space

Planning Pays off When Creating a Fun Family Space

Posted by Bridget McMullin on March 08, 2016

I can’t say it enough – planning takes patience! That being said, like many of our clients, our Cherry Hill homeowners wanted to get moving on their brand new basement right away. They had a laundry list of “must haves” including the existing pool table left by the former owners, a TV area, a play area for the kids, storage for all of the kid’s toys, a bar area for the adults, as well as a place for the kitty litter. Not surprisingly as most “must have” lists go, our clients soon realized that their square footage and predetermined footprint didn’t exactly offer what they needed.

In a perfect world, we would always get everything we wanted. There would be no compromises. However, in the world of construction, there are always parameters that keep us boxed in. In most cases the biggest parameter is a budget, but in this case it was the 1970’s pool table. Sure, a pool table is great for teenagers, but the homeowner’s kids are still playing with dolls and the family unit needs the extra space. After MDG offered several space plans so that the owner could weigh their options regarding the function of the space, it was sadly decided that the pool table was a hindrance to the design.  Much to the husband’s dismay, this retro beauty went to a new owner.

Before: With the pool table’s clearance requirements, it was overtaking the only area available for seating.

After: No paneling, a new ceiling, and a great built-in create a home theater experience for the whole family.

Before: We had a dilemma regarding a utility closet (seen in this before picture) that was hiding the gas line. We knew moving it would exceed the budget.

After: The tall cabinet to the left was altered and the gas line remained inside the cabinet making the bar area look purposeful and planned.

After: Our creative client installed his beer bottle cap collection as a detail on his stainless steel backsplash.

Getting a game plan together prior to construction and pricing allows a project to stay on track. Imagine if our client had planned this whole basement only to realize after it was completed that the pool table wouldn’t have worked with all of the other requirements? Needless to say, sometimes you have to make sacrifices for great design, but in the end it all pays off with a beautiful, functional space that you could have never imagined before.

The only way the pool table was able to be removed from the basement was to do so when the stairway wall was demoed.  It would have been an expensive and disappointing mistake to have made.

Click here to see more of this Cherry Hill basement renovation.

We’d love to hear your thoughts on this basement transformation.