We have this basement

When we moved from a small town to a city 2 1/2 years ago, we had to downsize (even though we upsized the mortgage!).  We went from four bedrooms, three baths, a livingroom, a walk-out basement familyroom with 9' ceilings, and a MBR walk-in closet (one of the things I miss the most!!) to a three bedroom, two bath, a livingroom, and an unfinished 1960 basement with 7 1/2' ceilings, (and we won't even discuss closet space)!!  Don't get me wrong, we still live in a wonderful house and there are, after all, just two of us most of the time. 

I say all of this to help you understand the discussions between my husband and myself these past two years:

Him - "We don't even need to use that space (except for storage) . . . the ceilings are too low, it is too dark, and their are only 2 electical plugs and 4 bare bulbs for lighting!!"  (But, yes, we do have to go down there to do laundry!)

Me - "But couldn't we just add some electrical plugs, upgrade the lights, shore up and put safety rails on the rickety stairs, put in 'real' ceilings, add some inexpensive carpeting, finish off a bedroom and a family room, and maybe add a bathroom??"

Him - "We'd never get our money back out of that!!  Our house has already depreciated with the economic nose dive!"

Me - "But when the kids come, there's not room for all of them upstairs!"

Him - "How often do the kids all come at one time??!!"

Well, this summer THE KIDS CAME . . . FOR A WEEK!  Thankfully, we had 6 months advance notice AND I had some new, powerful persuasion . . . "We don't want our 2 1/2 year old grandson to be scared to go down there or to fall off the side of the stairs!  AND someone is going to have to stay down there for a whole week!"

What resulted was marital compromise (take note young couples!).  Yes, the stairs, the electrical plugs & lighting, and inexpensive carpeting were addressed.  A bedroom was partitioned off with bookcases and a cozy-enough family room was arranged.  The hold-outs are the ceiling and the bathroom!  BUT I can live with that . . . for now!

More about the family art project for the basement tomorrow . . . but the moral of the story is . . . patience and compromise!!  He really is a good man!!

Talk more later,
Karol