Schmitt Basement Transformation
Our clients live in a country club community and were looking to renovate their unfinished basement. The client knew he wanted to include a gym, theater, and gaming center.
We incorporated a Home Automation system for this project, providing for music playback, movie watching, lighting control, and security integration.
Our challenges included a short construction deadline and several structural issues. The original basement had a floor-to-ceiling height of 8’-0” with several columns running down the center of the basement that interfered with the seating area of the theater. Our design/build team installed a second beam adjacent to the original to help distribute the load, enabling the removal of columns.
The theater had a water meter projecting a foot out from the front wall. We retrofitted a piece of A/V acoustically treated furniture to hide the meter and gear.
This homeowner originally planned to include a putting green on his project, until we demonstrated a Visual Sports Golf Simulator. The ceiling height was two feet short of optimal swing height for a simulator. Our client was committed, we excavated the corner of the basement to lower the floor. To accent the space, we installed a custom mural printed on carpet, based upon a photograph from the neighboring fairway of the client’s home. By adding custom high-impact glass walls, partygoers can join in on the fun and watch the action unfold while the sports enthusiasts can view the party or ball game on TV! The Visual Sports system allows guests and family to not only enjoy golf, but also sports such as hockey, baseball, football, soccer, and basketball.
We overcame the structural and visual challenges of the space by using floor-to-glass walls, removal of columns, an interesting mural, and reflective floor surfaces. The client’s expectations were exceeded in every aspect of their project, as evidenced in their video testimonial and the fact that all trades were invited to their catered Open House! The client enjoys his golf simulator so much he had tape on five of his fingers and his wife informed us he has formed two golf leagues! This project transformed an unused basement into a visually stunning space providing the client the ultimate fun get-a-away!
Glass and step down