Challenge: nasty gross-gross, uneven floors, drywall on the ceiling, unfinished window, window to hell, plumbing
The biggest question I had before starting this project was if it could actually be livable. It is a basic 1925 basement with cinderblock walls and a concrete floor. There are three large window's (two covered up by the addition) so I assume that it was built to be livable. And there was evidence that it was considered 'finished' in the 1970's remodel. But it is not livable anymore and hasn't been for decades.
I had a concrete guy come over and asked his opinion. He said everything looked excellent. So I got to cleaning. I bought a $100 pressure washer and went to town on the walls and floor. I was so disgusted. It was like a sludge. But it was getting done.
After I got everything clean, I took down the remaining walls and drywall that was screwed to the ceiling. I suspect that the previous owners tried to make it a little more livable by using left over drywall as a ceiling. That lead to me uncovering that there is another large window that was covered up. I knew about one in the laundry room, but not this one. As soon as the dry wall came down I smelled what I call 'basement'. I went and grabbed my mask and covered it up as much as I could. I will fix it for reals later.
I had to scrub the mold off the walls and floor with some nasty cleaner. Then I filled in the gaps, primed and painted. There are a couple seams in the floor that have settled about an inch off. I know the only way I could get the floor level is by having new concrete poured and I don't have that money. So I evened them out so it is easier to clean. And painted. I'll put down a couple rugs.
Next step is to address the upper walls, window and plumbing. Once all that is done, we can see if we have enough space for all our stuff. The kicker - I know the whole house will need to be re-plumbed. So I have to wait to finish things until I get that plan. So 3-4 weeks!
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