Leanne Ford Turned Her Basement Into an Art Studio

“If you’re going to really actually do that in your home, have them do that when you’re out on vacation for the week,” Ford recommends. “That’s a very hot tip from somebody who did not do that.”

Ford says her greatest lesson from the epoxy disaster was to avoid cutting corners the first time around.

“Do it the way you want to the first time. Any time I’ve ever tried to save a buck, I regret it later,” she said. Luckily, the high-gloss white color now looks “lovely.”

Step 2: The Clear Out

What She Used:

Trane 5 Ton 14 SEER XR14 60000 BTU Single Stage Heat Pump

Trane CleanEffects™ Whole House Air Cleaner

Trane Split System Heat Pump: XL17i Heat Pump

Trane Two Stage Hyperion Communicating Air Handler

ComfortLink® II XL1050 Thermostat

ERVs:

• Two (2) EERVR200A1P00B
• Four (4) BAYWHT10AVENTA

Since almost half of this basement was filled with the old boiler and radiator system, it had to be removed. Ford calls that process “a much bigger can of worms than expected.”

“This house had radiant heat, but they weren’t beautiful radiators. It was these horribly dumpy radiators that were in every room,” says Ford. She had tons of old wires and pipes, some of which were covered in asbestos, as well as the old boiler system pulled out. It freed up nearly 1500 square feet of space.

After that, the installation of the Trane forced air system began. While she calls it a “massive to-do,” she says the air quality in the basement is “scrubbed like hospital air now,” and is better environmentally as well as health-wise. Ultimately thrilled with the end result, Ford says her best tip is to “check, check, and double-check that you don’t need any old wires or pipes before you get rid of them.”

Step 3: Prepping, priming, and painting walls in Blank Canvas