Now that we’ve cleared out our backyard’s weed and liriope jungle, let’s turn our attention to another neglected space: the basement. Don’t worry — we’ll just talk about it. You might remember it started out as a shameful, debris-filled no-man’s land…
…and after renting a Bagster a few weeks ago it became a bit more presentable.
That Bagster purge, combined with a recent yard sale, gave me the push I needed to finally focus on this room. Honestly, we’d done almost nothing to organize or improve the basement since we moved in nearly two years ago. It was a classic dumping ground, which the photos made painfully obvious.
We tackled a similar basement in our last house – a small cinder-block space with an exterior-only entrance. While that room had its charms, it was mostly glorified storage. We rarely worked down there because the garage served as our workshop, so some of the finishing work we did there felt like overkill. Painting the walls and floor helped resale, but it wasn’t a space we spent much time in; it mainly held holiday decorations, which now live in this house’s attic.
In contrast, this basement is much more functional. It still stores items like paint, unfinished furniture, and tools, but without a garage it has also become my workshop. From our Day One post you might remember the built-in shelving, pegboards, and a large work table that we inherited — all great starting points.
Over time I’ve used the space for many projects, from a living room console to a dollhouse for Clara. It’s a shame I spent so much time in a room that felt dreary, so I decided to change that. My plan is still forming, but every makeover begins with cleaning and organizing. I’ve been sneaking in short sessions during Clara’s naps or during evenings to sort through every nook and cranny and decide what to keep and what to toss. At the top of the “definitely not” pile was a strange assortment of items left by the previous owners — including a fire extinguisher dated 1984.
There were other oddities too, like a creepy pig toy hidden among the clutter and, more alarmingly, three old axes. Those discoveries made me even more determined to sort things out.
One of the first organizing tasks I tackled was the yard tools. I inventoried everything to determine what I actually needed (and what I didn’t — hello, three axes). This was done before the yard sale, so extra rakes and other duplicates were sold. For the items we kept, I wanted to keep dirty yard gear away from the work table. Luckily, the area that once looked pretty rough has been cleared out post-Bagster and yard sale.
I decided the pegboard on the far left would become the yard tool headquarters. That meant removing an old rotting shelf the previous owners had left behind. Rotting wood breaks apart easily, so it went straight into the Bagster.
While clearing that nook I discovered a spare section of fence I’d been storing since a patio project. It fit perfectly in the recessed nook next to the pegboard — so snug that it didn’t want to come back out. I bolted it to the cinder at the top to be safe, since I didn’t want it falling after heavy work nearby. Even upside down, the wood texture helps break up the cinder wall visually.
The highlight so far has been organizing the pegboard. It took a while to figure out the best layout, but once it clicked I was thrilled. I may have developed an obsession with pegboards; I found myself imagining new items to hang on it for days afterward.
Another improvement was solving a cramped bike storage issue. The bike rack from our old basement was too tight here — the top bike scraped the low ceiling. I picked up two heavy-duty bike hooks and mounted them in an exposed beam near the fence nook. For a few dollars, the bikes are now much easier to hang and remove, and placing them in the recessed area keeps them out of the way.
I also discovered that Clara’s bike seat and our car bike rack hang neatly on the ledges created by the fence rail. Getting things up off the floor instantly tidies the room and frees up usable space.
I’m not ready to share a final beauty shot yet — several organization projects are still underway — but steady progress is being made. Whether you’re tackling a yard makeover, a kitchen redo, or a basement refresh, breaking the work into phases and chipping away at it gradually makes a big difference. What small, steady projects are you working on right now? And if you’re a pegboard fan too, I’d say you’re in good company.