How Save My Reno Turns a Tight Basement Into an Airy Guest Suite

When tasked with converting a compact, cave-like basement into an inviting guest suite for family, contractor Sebastian Clovis and designer Samantha Pynn had their work cut out for them. By using creative ideas smart construction ideas, the Save My Reno team was able to open up the space – while sticking to a tight budget.

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bright white basement with blue rug, green kitchenette and white and grey furniture

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Finding Space for Family

Homeowners Hannah and Daniel were looking forward to having a place for their parents to stay with them, but their super-compact basement was far from welcoming thanks to low ceilings, dark design and potential water issues. With a $40,000 budget to renovate their home’s entryway and create a new guest suite, they needed the Save My Reno team’s help.

beige entryway with white tiles and brown stairs

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Not So Welcoming

The entryway and mudroom that led into the basement suite before the Save My Reno crew arrived forced the family to walk in to a messy situation with rickety stairs, outdated tile and a lack of storage.

white entryway with blue staircase, brown floors and white bench seating

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Making an Entrance

By clearing out the clutter – including an extra washing machine that wasn’t needed – the team was able to create a cozy, welcoming and functional entryway. Fresh white paint makes the space feel bigger, while a custom storage unit keeps shoes and coats beautifully organized.

blue and white staircase in white entryway

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Saving the Stairs

The staircase in the entryway had seen better days, but it didn’t necessarily need to be discarded. To save costs and create a design-enhancing look, Samantha and Hannah completely refurbished the existing staircase by sanding and painting it in a bright mix of blue and white.

brown basement suite with tile floors and white kitchenette

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A Tight Fit

Downstairs, the basement felt tight in multiple ways, with dark walls, old flooring and low ceilings that barely fit the team. Making the basement a bowling alley seemed like a possible solution.

white living room with white and grey furniture and a blue rug

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Waterproof Wonders

One of the most important elements of Hannah and Daniel’s reno was something that can’t been seen – waterproofing the basement. To meet this challenge, the Save My Reno team installed a cost-effective internal weeping tile system, which adds drainage and keeps water away from the home.

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Raising the Roof

Samantha and Sebastian used all their best tricks and tools to make the tight basement appear bigger and more inviting: They used white paint to give the entire space – walls and ceiling – an open feeling, removed unnecessary ceiling moulding and installed pot lights. They also added wood-look vinyl floors for a thinner, more flexible and cost-effective flooring solution. The result? The basement feels taller without expensive construction or underpinning the floor.

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Dark and Damp

The bathroom was dark, damp and dingy. Not helping the situation, the bathroom vent was blowing air into the room, instead of pulling air out – creating a mildew situation. This was a room in need of more than a little attention.

modern white bathroom with grey double vanity

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Clean and Fresh

Even though the team found some mold, it was minimal – so the team was able to deal with it before it got worse. They then refreshed the room with a big double-sink vanity, modern lighting and new flooring.

white bathroom with floral shower curtain and tiled shower

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Standing Room

A spacious shower with classic white subway-tile-walls creates the look of more space.

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Shower in Style

Contemporary grey geometric tile creates modern contrast and adds dimension to the shower floor.

bright white bedroom with wood-style feature wall and blue bed

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A Better Bedroom

The team made the once-dark basement bedroom into an oasis fit for Daniel and Hannah’s parents. In addition to following the beachy white, grey and blue colour scheme, the team added a wood-like-wallpaper feature wall behind the bed.