Basement Library

Well, I'm back!  As I occasionally do, I disappeared a bit after finishing the last project.  Really, I had done three fairly sizable projects back-to-back-to-back.  So, it was time for a little break.  The kids have started summer, and chaos is up at home!  I really have to get cracking on the library. 

When I was working on the office conversion, I took out half a wall, knowing it would open the library up for some expansion. The tricky part now is doing the expansion with the items we have chaotically stored here. The library made the perfect chaos space for getting the bedrooms and laundry area done, but now something needs to change to make this a functional space again.

The good news is I’ll be able to move one wall closer to the air handler, since it needs less clearance than the furnace required. It also means I’m moving the access around to make it more convenient to service the air handler when it is needed.

Murphy Doors

One of my favorite solutions for this spot is that I can create a pair of Murphy doors to swing out away from the air handler, giving us ample access space. While the old set up worked with a similar Murphy door in the corner, we were stuck in many ways with a door that ultimately was cumbersome to open and still only had a narrow access point.

Designing the new Murphy doors has been tricky in its own ways though: with a floor that isn’t necessarily level and duct work running through the middle of the access point, getting the structure set up is the trickiest component to these doors.  I’m not sure the adjacent bookshelves are going to have much to offer here either. We’ll see.

The Current State

After working on both basement bedrooms and adding the washer, this room has absorbed a lot of chaos. Since the new bedroom was part storage, and the old storage is now the office… there is a lot to filter through in this room.  Beyond the typical storage spaces, we also had the glass block windows in the laundry nook. It’s all in the library now.

So the biggest thing I’m working on first is strategically organizing everything. Luckily, this is the time of year when we can store things more flexibly; there is no risk of freezing for at least a few months.

The Bookshelves

I’m starting with a lot of existing pieces that I can keep basically as is or modify. I have  two glass-front cabinets and five bookshelves that I previously painted Sherwin Williams Riverway.  These are all in good shape, so I’m keeping them.  The current plan is to case them out and soffit above so the difference in heights even out.

It should be a good project! But I already sense that I’ll need to work on a lot of this one in phases. The floors will need to be filled in, and eventually I’ll actually finish the ceiling. I just need to decide how to make it removable should we ever need plumbing or electrical access.