Basement Replacement: DIY Remodeling For Your Bottom Floor

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It’s hard to pinpoint the worst part of Danny Tracewski and Courtney Jansen’s pre-renovation basement (1) in Brookhaven, Pa. The rickety bar comes to mind, with its sticky, matte black counter surrounded by mustard-colored brick and sooty gray grout. Or there’s the foam drop ceiling with knobby plastic fluorescent fixtures and, beneath it, an industrial brown carpet best suited for indoor soccer. The couple wanted a space where they could work and entertain guests. Instead, says Jansen, “We’re afraid to go down there.“



When HGTV’s James Lunday and his Rip & Renew team first looked at the basement, they saw unrealized potential. The lifelong carpenter and his renovation crew typically tear a place apart and start from scratch (2), rebuilding with inexpensive materials that they customize to overcome a room’s limitations. In this case, Lunday explains, “We used light and dark to create depth and give the illusion of a high, wide space.“ Says Jansen, “Now, we spend pretty much all our time down there.” Popular Mechanics tagged along to see how they pulled it off.

Managing Masonry

Unfinished masonry can often pose a problem when converting a basement to a living space—exposed foundation walls may need to be masked, and ugly brick or tile may have to go. The couple, who described their basement’s brick as “awful,“ dealt with both issues.

Hammer It


Tearing down nonstructural brick and ripping up old tile are the types of jobs that call for renting a compressor and pneumatic demolition tools, such as an air hammer and chisel. The Rip & Renew crew also used a sledge­hammer to knock loose bricks from the wall supporting the bar (3).

Hide It


Removing structural brick in a basement can be impossible, as was the case with the knee wall ringing the room’s perimeter. To conceal it, contractors mounted 1 x 2–in. lath on the brick vertically using concrete anchors. The lumber became a base for mounting plywood or drywall. Two design elements added a feeling of height: Fluorescents concealed beneath the plywood cast light upward (4), and a stained plank Lunday calls a beer shelf caps the knee wall (5).

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