It's still very much a basement

. . .but it is much better than it was.

I forgot to take a picture until after I started painting, so my before pictures don't quite capture the dungeony mood it had.

Now, this isn't going to be a before and after that leaves you thinking, "Wow, you can't even tell that's a basement." Turning our basement into one of those kinds of basements would have required a budget bigger than a shoe string and a general contractor, or possibly two.

That said, I think a large dose of elbow grease, paint and some organization has made this basement bearable.

This mess is what results when you have a place so dark that you don't want to spend any time down there.

Now, I've even made a make-shift little studio in an area that was once called "The Pit." Seriously, I'm not joking, a previous owner had wood-burned "The Pit" onto a little sign and hung it over the doorway. It was a very apt description. (Yeah, I even wallpapered it with some vintage paper from my grandma's attic.)

I added curtain panels, made out of red burlap, to the stairway area to make a closet of sorts.

Jack now thinks it's a special treat to go play with his train table and the train pieces don't end up all over the house.

Reed fencing helps disguise the crawlspace. It's downright pleasant down there now. The other day, I even folded laundry down there and that's just not something I do (anywhere). Just ask my hubby.