A few episodes of "This Old House" and Ryan is ready to rock the basement!

One of the reasons we loved our house when we bought it last year was the potential to finish off the basement and add some extra living space. The basement already had a working toilet in what we affectionately called "The Privy", a box that looked remarkably like an outhouse.

A couple weeks ago, Ryan rolled up his sleeves and got to work framing out what will eventually be a half-bathroom/laundry room. The goal is to have a toilet in a nook with a Craftsman style half wall separating it from some cabinetry, a sink, and the washer and dryer.

I've learned that Ryan and I have very different working styles (something that you can probably tell after a few months of reading this blog). I like to have everything planned out with a plan B and plan C just in case something goes wrong. Ryan likes to take things as they come. Needless to say, I'm staying out of the basement project as much as possible. Instead, I've been focusing on the garden (pictures to come) and gearing up for warmer weather.

Anyway, here's a few pictures of the start of the project and the current view of our basement. Enjoy!

Laundry area in full use and The Privy

No, Ryan did not clog the toilet.
I think he's goofing around with a plunger -- toilet jokes get him every time.

The new hallway
The brown things in the photo are some curtains that we've rigged to keep Soma out of the construction zone.

Despite the fact that our basement is in a somewhat major transition, we've decided that we need to leave town. On Friday, we're leaving for Maui to get a little sun and relax after an insanely busy few months (ok, more like two years). Surfing, cocktails, a good book, the beach -- what else do you need?