Save My Reno Creates a Rustic Guest Retreat from an Unfinished Basement

Can there be too much of a good thing? When it comes to space, David’s cavernous basement wasn’t lacking – but it also wasn’t delivering as a party pad or as a functional guest suite. By adding structure and finding stylish solutions, designer Samantha Pynn and contractor Sebastian Clovis transformed the unfinished underground into a place to entertain and have guests (like mom and dad) come to stay.

Save My Reno airs Tuesdays at 9 and 9:30PM e/p on HGTV Canada and on HGTV.ca.

rustic living room with forest-theme wallpaper, blue couch and wood coffee table

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Calling on Country Charm

Homeowner David wanted a place to entertain and have guests come to stay, but the vast unfinished basement was overwhelming – and his renovation wish list was bigger than his budget. With his mother, Lynn, on hand to help channel his country-inspired design taste, David turned to the Save My Reno team to help stretch his $85,000 reno budget.

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Unfinished Business

While the unfinished basement space was dreary, the lack of substance was actually a time-saving blessing: When it came time for Sebastian and David to start the reno, demolition was quick and painless.

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Country in the City

The goal for the basement renovation was to create a comfy space to entertain, while honouring David’s rustic aesthetic. In the new living room area, Samantha created a mix of city and country elements with a wooden coffee table and mid-century modern furniture. To tie the elements together, Sebastian hung incredible wallpaper for the statement-making look of a landscape mural.

white hallway with grey trim and rustic baskets

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Power Posts

Initially, David wanted to eliminate the basement’s many beams to create an open-concept look – but the beams were structurally important, and tearing them down would ramp up the budget. Instead, the team incorporated the beams into the design for big savings.

basement kitchenette with forest-green cabinets

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Mini Kitchen, Max Style

David wanted some degree of food storage and preparation for his occasional guests, but didn’t need a full kitchen in the basement. By installing a kitchenette in the space, the team served up savings for the overall budget, while still giving the space the functionality it needed. Extra touches like a row of tiles (instead of a full backsplash) provided a luxe feel that stayed on budget.

unfinished basement with red floors and white toilet

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Stay Put for Savings

While there wasn’t a bathroom in the unfinished basement, there was a working toilet in the middle of the open space… which wasn’t exactly inviting to guests. While the initial thought was to move the bathroom into the bedroom as an ensuite, the team opted to leave the bathroom in its central location to make it more accessible to guests (and to save big by using the existing plumbing).

green bathroom with white toilet and grey vanity

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A Beautiful Bathroom

Keeping the bathroom in its central location, the team built it up to include a huge glass-door shower, industrial details and black hardware. They painted the walls in a country-appropriate shade of green to connect the feel with the rest of the basement.

bathroom floor tile in blue, white and grey buffalo check pattern

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Check Pattern Tiles

When it came to the flooring, Samantha found a cost-effective way to further the rustic-luxe feel underfoot. The team used inexpensive tiles – but arranged the blue, grey and white tones into a bold buffalo-check pattern for maximum effect.

grey utility area with wooden beam and shelves

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Reclaimed Barn Lumber

Incorporating an element of the farm into a city-living space, Sebastian found a creative way to use lumber reclaimed from the family’s old barn in a custom shelving unit.

sage green basement bedroom with white bed and burlap bench

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Two For One

Trading in two segmented spaces, the team built one ultra-spacious bedroom in the basement, complete with wall-to-wall storage and rustic touches. Adding to the bright feel? New egress windows make the basement bedroom safer while also letting in way more natural light.

rustic sage green bedroom with white bed and wooden furniture

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Insulate Your Savings!

More than just being resistant to mold, mildew and rot, the newly installed wall insulation will help keep the home warm in the winter and cool in the summer – and it creates energy efficiency to save David money for the lifetime of the building.

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A Better Bench

One extra special piece in the bedroom? Tuning into Dave’s country style, Samantha and Lynn refurbished a second-hand bench – adding burlap and black-stripe accents to customize the look.