With all three stages in mind - live-in daughter, rental, live-in caretaker - the client asked Gaspar's to transform her unfinished basement into a light-filled, stylistically-appropriate, fully-functioning apartment, complete with a kitchen, live/work area, media room, dining room and bathroom.  

To make the space feel more like an apartment and less like a cave, they installed full-sized windows and glass pocket doors between each room, maximizing light throughout the lower level. A gas fireplace was installed in the media room, adding a homey feel to the cozy quarters.  

To turn the space into a fully-functioning, separate apartment, Gaspar's cleaned up the existing walk-out entry, adding new windows, tile features and a new screen door to create a welcoming entrance. The ceilings were also enhanced with acoustic insulation, offering a sound barrier between the lower and upper living quarters.  

To allow the space to act as just another part of the home, the entrance between the floors was retained, yet fitted with the flexibility to lock the entrance, should the lower or upper level be used as a rental apartment.  Additionally, the laundry room was made to be accessible from either floor.  

In order to ready the new quarters for aging-in-place necessities, walls were backed with reinforcement that could hold grab bars when the time came for them to be installed. All the doorways were made 32" wide or wider, in order to accommodate a wheelchair. By thinking ahead and preparing the house in this fashion, the client saved herself the added expense of additional remodels in the future.

When the remodel was done, the client had nearly doubled the functional space of her home, accommodated her daughter's needs, turned her house into a financial asset that would allow her the flexibility to travel and readied her home for any physical changes her life might bring - all while creating a gorgeous, cheery living space she could be proud to call home.



Thanks to Gaspar's Construction for contributing their ideas and information on behalf of the Master Builders Association. For more information on the MBA, go to www.masterbuildersinfo.com.

Contribute your home transition stories to Similar Projects, a great way for KPLU listeners to get involved with Around the House's monthly feature. Click here for details.