Middleton women transforms basement using ReStore products

Congratulations to Rachel of Middleton, Habitat ReStore’s Project of the Year Winner! Rachel transformed her basement into an amazing craft room! Way to go on completing a beautiful remodel with such a wide mix of materials! See the before and after photos and learn more about her project: “I’m a HUGE fan of the Restore! I’m a former pastry chef, now disabled stay-at-home DIYer. This project allowed me to contribute to my family at my own pace, on a budget, all while being eco-conscious. I love the circle of giving that’s going on in this room: society traditionally values only certain types of workers and I’m no longer one of them. But I still have value and can make an impact. I’m a re-imagined, recycled worker using recycled goods! A big growth for me during this project was to learn how to drive with a trailer! I transported all of the cabinets myself. As a disabled female, I have to work smarter, not harder. I even involved my daughter in some of the renovation. (Girl Power!!) Almost everything in this room is thrift, secondhand, or from Habitat Restore. I visited five different Restore locations for this project (Madison East and West, and three in Northern WI while on vacation)! My goal was to make this a safe, organized space that the whole family could enjoy together. A big portion of the room houses my dream crafting and sewing space – now comfortable and efficient. The flooring was a HUGE win! I found enough flooring for the entire 300 sq. ft. rec room for $100! That allowed us to splurge on installing heated floors. We ran electrical under the floor to the center worktable to prevent tripping on cords. I created a way to separate the basement from the rest of the house by engineering a pocket door. It’s made from ReStore bi-fold closet doors. I made the stained-glass window above the door, too. There are eight kitchen cabinets and two pantry cabinets, all refinished to match. One cabinet hides a new shoe cubby in our entryway. I purchased the countertop unfinished from Lumber Liquidators and created a custom stain to match the beautiful floor. Four feet of countertop on the righthand side drops down for access under the stairs. Two Restore spindles hold the countertop up. In the corner tambour nook, I’m still working on a separate vented workspace for crafts with noxious fumes, using a ReStore light/vent and electrical supplies. Next to it will be a heat-safe tile surface. There are two custom pull-out shelves – one Rev-a-shelf (for $7) that now holds ribbon, and a desk drawer that holds my spools of thread. My worktable is actually two tables sandwiched together. The space between to two tabletops has storage for rulers, a light box, and a pull-out ironing board. I made custom drawers in one pantry cabinet to hold all of my fabric. A ReStore-Ikea-find coat rack hangs my in-progress garments. The fireplace was no longer safe to use, so I replaced it with a “candleplace” using all ReStore trim. All materials for the built-in, like the custom bookshelf and Ikea file cabinet, are from the Restore, too. “The beast” bookshelf cleaned up nicely with a coat of paint and is a great space for the kids’ toys. Another view of the doorway, with the pocket door closed. The light switch is accessible whether the door is open or closed, thanks to careful planning. Using random leftover lumber, trim, and flooring, I made a fancy cat litter box cover. I re-purposed an industrial paper towel dispenser into a trash can by flipping it around. It uses up the otherwise wasted space in the lazy susan corner cabinet. The cabinet door treatments are the icing on the cake in this project. I used paintable, textured wallpaper to unify my random assortment of ReStore cabinets. A silver antique finish highlights the texture and adds some pizazz to the room. We are SO ready to love our new rec room together!” Watch the full story at WMTV NBC 15.