Now that we’ve cleared out our backyard’s weed and liriope jungle, it’s time to address another neglected space: the basement. Before you worry, I’m only going to talk about it — not descend into horror-movie territory. When we moved in nearly two years ago this room became a dumping ground, full of deck debris and forgotten items. A recent Bagster rental and a modest yard sale finally pushed me to take action.
In our previous house we tackled a similar basement that, in hindsight, we treated like a glorified storage room. We painted the walls and floors and did a fair amount of finishing that looked great for resale, but we rarely used the space. Most of our seasonal decorations lived there until we moved them into the attic of this house.
This basement is different. Because we don’t have a garage here, it’s not only storage for paint, tools and unfinished furniture — it’s my workshop. From day one we inherited useful features like shelving, pegboards and a large built-in work table, so the space has potential. I’ve spent hours building everything from a living room console to a dollhouse down here, and yet the room itself has always felt depressing. That stops now.
My approach is straightforward: clean, organize, and make practical choices about what stays. I’ve been stealing minutes here and there — during my daughter’s naps or while Sherry watches a show — and sorting through every nook to decide what’s useful and what belongs in the discard pile. Near the top of that pile were odd items left by the previous owners, including a vintage fire extinguisher and some questionable yard toys. Among the tools they left were three axes, which made me a bit uneasy.
One of the first practical tasks was sorting yard tools. I inventoried what we actually needed and sold the extras at our yard sale. For the items we kept, I wanted them stored away from the workbench to keep dirt and grime off my workspace. A pegboard on the far left of the room became the ideal headquarters for yard tools, and it simplified the layout immediately.
To make room, I removed an old rotting shelf that had been left behind. It broke apart easily and made a quick trip to the Bagster. Behind the pegboard I found a spare section of fence I’d been holding on to from a previous patio project; it fit perfectly into a recessed nook next to the pegboard. I bolted it to the cinder wall near the top to keep it secure. Even upside down, the wood texture breaks up the cinder block and makes the corner feel more intentional.
My favorite part of this stage was finally getting the pegboard set up the way I wanted. I spent a solid hour arranging hooks, baskets and tools, and I’ll admit: organizing things like this gets my pulse racing. I caught myself wandering around the house thinking about other items that could go on “Peggy,” as I’ve jokingly named the pegboard.
Another storage solution I improved was the bike rack. The old rack we brought from our previous basement was too cramped here; getting bikes on and off it was a hassle and the top bike scraped the lower ceiling. I bought two heavy-duty bike hooks and screwed them into an exposed beam near the fence section. The bikes now hang easily, the setup is quick to load and unload, and the recessed location keeps them out of the main workspace.
Small wins continued: Clara’s bike seat and our car rack now hang neatly on the fence ledges, and keeping things off the floor has made the whole room feel cleaner and more usable. I won’t offer a single sweeping before-and-after photo yet — several organizing projects are still in progress — but the direction is clear. Tackle the room in phases, and you’ll gradually transform it from a dumping ground into a functional workshop and storage area.
Progress like this is relatable no matter the project: lawn makeovers, kitchen renos or basement refreshes all come down to small, steady steps. For now I’m happy with the momentum and the simple pleasures of a well-placed pegboard and tidy bike storage. What small, steady projects are you chipping away at these days?