Photo Credit: Nicole Leone

This full basement renovation included adding a mudroom area, media room, a bedroom, a full bathroom, a game room, a kitchen, a gym and a beautiful custom wine cellar. Our clients are a family that is growing, and with a new baby, they wanted a comfortable place for family to stay when they visited, as well as space to spend time themselves. They also wanted an area that was easy to access from the pool for entertaining, grabbing snacks and using a new full pool bath.We never treat a basement as a second-class area of the house. Wood beams, customized details, moldings, built-ins, beadboard and wainscoting give the lower level main-floor style. There’s just as much custom millwork as you’d see in the formal spaces upstairs. We’re especially proud of the wine cellar, the media built-ins, the customized details on the island, the custom cubbies in the mudroom and the relaxing flow throughout the entire space.

8,700 SF residence; demolition of an existing single-family residence, including garage, driveway, hardscapes, fencing, and planters. Construction of a new two-story, single-family residence, attached garage and sunken courtyard, partial basement, front yard + side yard fence, driveway, and hardscape.

THE PROBLEM This busy homeowner and her loyal pup had no place to land and clean-up when they got home after a productive day at the barn or a awesome day at the beach. From mud to sand to regular grooming, the front door just was not cutting it for an entry. THE SOLUTION An unfinished basement offers a lot of opportunity. We created a shed entry by replacing the existing bulkhead and dropping them right into the new partially finished basement. The new basement not only including a dog spa that some humans would envy but closets for additional storage, enough finished area for a personal gym/meditation area, as well as heated tile floors that not only help everything to dry quicker but also are a great place for restorative yoga! Every dog gets their day, or so the old adage goes, but in this case, that's one lucky dog!

Full basement remodel with carpet stairway, industrial style railing, light brown vinyl plank flooring, white shiplap accent wall, recessed lighting, and dedicated workout area.

Complete Basement Remodel

This 1933 Wauwatosa basement was dark, dingy and lacked functionality. The basement was unfinished with concrete walls and floors. A small office was enclosed but the rest of the space was open and cluttered. The homeowners wanted a warm, organized space for their family. A recent job change meant they needed a dedicated home office. They also wanted a place where their kids could hang out with friends. Their wish list for this basement remodel included: a home office where the couple could both work, a full bathroom, a cozy living room and a dedicated storage room. This basement renovation resulted in a warm and bright space that is used by the whole family. Highlights of this basement: - Home Office: A new office gives the couple a dedicated space for work. There’s plenty of desk space, storage cabinets, under-shelf lighting and storage for their home library. - Living Room: An old office area was expanded into a cozy living room. It’s the perfect place for their kids to hang out when they host friends and family. - Laundry Room: The new laundry room is a total upgrade. It now includes fun laminate flooring, storage cabinets and counter space for folding laundry. - Full Bathroom: A new bathroom gives the family an additional shower in the home. Highlights of the bathroom include a navy vanity, quartz counters, brass finishes, a Dreamline shower door and Kohler Choreograph wall panels. - Staircase: We spruced up the staircase leading down to the lower level with patterned vinyl flooring and a matching trim color. - Storage: We gave them a separate storage space, with custom shelving for organizing their camping gear, sports equipment and holiday decorations. CUSTOMER REVIEW “We had been talking about remodeling our basement for a long time, but decided to make it happen when my husband was offered a job working remotely. It felt like the right time for us to have a real home office where we could separate our work lives from our home lives. We wanted the area to feel open, light-filled, and modern – not an easy task for a previously dark and cold basement! One of our favorite parts was when our designer took us on a 3D computer design tour of our basement. I remember thinking, ‘Oh my gosh, this could be our basement!?!’ It was so fun to see how our designer was able to take our wish list and ideas from my Pinterest board, and turn it into a practical design. We were sold after seeing the design, and were pleasantly surprised to see that Kowalske was less costly than another estimate.” – Stephanie, homeowner

Our client was looking for a light, bright basement in her 1940's home. She wanted a space to retreat on hot summer days as well as a multi-purpose space for working out, guests to sleep and watch movies with friends. The basement had never been finished and was previously a dark and dingy space to do laundry or to store items. The contractor cut out much of the existing slab to lower the basement by 5" in the entertainment area so that it felt more comfortable. We wanted to make sure that light from the small window and ceiling lighting would travel throughout the space via frosted glass doors, open stairway, light toned floors and enameled wood work. Photography by Spacecrafting Photography Inc. Photography by Spacecrafting Photography Inc.

This new basement finish is a home owners dream for entertaining! Features include: an amazing bar with black cabinetry with brushed brass hardware, rustic barn wood herringbone ceiling detail and beams, sliding barn door, plank flooring, shiplap walls, chalkboard wall with an integrated drink ledge, 2 sided fireplace with stacked stone and TV niche, and a stellar bathroom!

Flooring: Encore Longview Pine Cabinets: Riverwood Bryant Maple Countertop: Concrete Countertop

A corner of the finished basement craft room uses Showplace base cabinets and a Formica countertop to create a home office workspace. Next to that is a white, sliding barn door that opens to reveal an additional storage closet. Photo by Toby Weiss