This is where we did school for the first 12 months of homeschooling - our kitchen table. It was difficult. I know it works for some people, but with a busy (nosey) toddler who has to do everything her sister is doing, (constantly climbed on the table and crawled on her sister's work), and just trying to keep the area clean so we could actually eat at the table 3 times a day, I was anxious to get moved to a proper space.
Our school room is located in our basement. When we moved in, we knew that we had enough space on the top two floors on the house for all we needed, and intended to turn the basement into a school zone, but also renovate it in such a way that would allow us to use it as an in-law suite should the need arise.
This is what it looked like when we first moved in. - Not pictured is the guest bedroom located beside the bathroom.
Left to right: Unfinished area of basement (with Honey and our dog, Mr. Brown, Rec room, finished 3 pc bathroom.
Our school room is located in our basement. When we moved in, we knew that we had enough space on the top two floors on the house for all we needed, and intended to turn the basement into a school zone, but also renovate it in such a way that would allow us to use it as an in-law suite should the need arise.
This is what it looked like when we first moved in. - Not pictured is the guest bedroom located beside the bathroom.
Left to right: Unfinished area of basement (with Honey and our dog, Mr. Brown, Rec room, finished 3 pc bathroom.
We knew we wanted to renovate to complete the entire basement before moving schooling down there. It needed more light, some walls, and new flooring. We also wanted to get a year under our belt (preschool) before we made a renovation plan so we'd have a better idea of what we needed.
So, with our tax return, we decided to put that money back into the house, and finish our schooling zone. I laid out a spreadsheet budget, made a design board, and did tons of internet shopping to find the best deals. My parents and friends were fantastic in picking up renovation materials for us since we have a civic!
It was a few months of collecting renovation materials before we actually got to work at it. Hubby had never hung drywall before, so it was a bit of a learning curve. He did a great job though! It took us a loooooong time to finish since Hubby only had weekends to work on it, and I was limited in what I could do with the kids home during the week. With some teamwork, we were able to get the job [almost] done.
Here are some progress pictures!
Left to right, Top to bottom: Honey helping paint the walls, Our book ledges and stripes in the reading nook, Hubby framing in a bulkhead over the toddler play area, and progress after we had installed the flooring and set up furniture (You can see the dog napping on a sawdust covered blanket, and Boo popping her head up from the "kid couch"... a day in the life).
So, with our tax return, we decided to put that money back into the house, and finish our schooling zone. I laid out a spreadsheet budget, made a design board, and did tons of internet shopping to find the best deals. My parents and friends were fantastic in picking up renovation materials for us since we have a civic!
It was a few months of collecting renovation materials before we actually got to work at it. Hubby had never hung drywall before, so it was a bit of a learning curve. He did a great job though! It took us a loooooong time to finish since Hubby only had weekends to work on it, and I was limited in what I could do with the kids home during the week. With some teamwork, we were able to get the job [almost] done.
Here are some progress pictures!
Left to right, Top to bottom: Honey helping paint the walls, Our book ledges and stripes in the reading nook, Hubby framing in a bulkhead over the toddler play area, and progress after we had installed the flooring and set up furniture (You can see the dog napping on a sawdust covered blanket, and Boo popping her head up from the "kid couch"... a day in the life).
I was trying to figure out how we were going to get the school furniture from Ikea, because A, our car is super small, and B, all of our spare weekend time was taken up with renovating, so I knew we wouldn't have a spare day to take a trip there to get what we needed. I was so happy when I got an e-mail from Ikea, saying that for one day only, they were doing free delivery! We bought this room divider shelf to divide off our reading/quiet area, this shelf to divide the desks, this shelf to create our art area, two of these to create the kid's desks, and two sets of these brackets to connect the desk tops with the middle shelf. We ended up not going with a stock Ikea desktop, because they didn't have the right depth and length combination for what we needed. They were either too shallow, or too long. We opted instead for a 4x8 sheet of white melamine and cut it into 2, 28"x48" pieces, 1 31x40" piece, and then used the scrap pieces in 2 1/4" strips to use as braces across the bottom for support - 2 for the art station, and one for the front of each desk. The backs of the desktops are supported by a 2x4 screwed into the wall, so they are good and sturdy.
We also already had a cube shelf from our first year of homeschooling in the kitchen, a tall black bookshelf, and a few other shelves that were part of our TV unit... these all became part of our under-stair toy storage.
Then came organizing. I wanted to be able to label both school supplies and toys with non-reader friendly labels so the kids could take things out and put them away without having to be told, or getting into everything (not like they don't anyway). I came across these wonderful labels and was able to make use of some of them, then made a lot of my own to suit our needs. They make my OCD/type A personality very happy. I printed them out 9 to a page, and used business card size self laminating sheets from the dollar store with 2 in each one. The whole project cost me about $4 with ink and laminating pouches. I then used something similar to this (but we painted it white) for some office supplies, and this for crafting! I LOVE this carousel. It keeps everything at the kid's fingertips, easy to keep organized and put stuff away. By far, the best crafting investment I've made.
My next project was repurposing the crib, since Boo doesn't sleep in it anyways, and she will be old enough for a big girl bed before we kick her out of our bed, I decided I was going to turn the crib into a daybed for our reading nook. I'll write a more detailed post on how I did this shortly. I also wanted to use the extra crib rail as a sturdy baby gate for the bottom of the stairs. Since the stairs come out a few feet, I need a gate that would wrap around them. I had to be creative, but with some hinges, 2x2s and some patience, we got the job done. I will write a post about that adventure at a later date as well.
So, things are coming together. We have decided to wait until next year to purchase our 'teacher' desk, (since I can just use Boo's desk when I need to for now) and at least a few months for the cabinetry we want to install. These things will come in time. For now, enjoy the progress we've made!
(Almost) finished renovation!
Check out our facebook page for a video tour!
We also already had a cube shelf from our first year of homeschooling in the kitchen, a tall black bookshelf, and a few other shelves that were part of our TV unit... these all became part of our under-stair toy storage.
Then came organizing. I wanted to be able to label both school supplies and toys with non-reader friendly labels so the kids could take things out and put them away without having to be told, or getting into everything (not like they don't anyway). I came across these wonderful labels and was able to make use of some of them, then made a lot of my own to suit our needs. They make my OCD/type A personality very happy. I printed them out 9 to a page, and used business card size self laminating sheets from the dollar store with 2 in each one. The whole project cost me about $4 with ink and laminating pouches. I then used something similar to this (but we painted it white) for some office supplies, and this for crafting! I LOVE this carousel. It keeps everything at the kid's fingertips, easy to keep organized and put stuff away. By far, the best crafting investment I've made.
My next project was repurposing the crib, since Boo doesn't sleep in it anyways, and she will be old enough for a big girl bed before we kick her out of our bed, I decided I was going to turn the crib into a daybed for our reading nook. I'll write a more detailed post on how I did this shortly. I also wanted to use the extra crib rail as a sturdy baby gate for the bottom of the stairs. Since the stairs come out a few feet, I need a gate that would wrap around them. I had to be creative, but with some hinges, 2x2s and some patience, we got the job done. I will write a post about that adventure at a later date as well.
So, things are coming together. We have decided to wait until next year to purchase our 'teacher' desk, (since I can just use Boo's desk when I need to for now) and at least a few months for the cabinetry we want to install. These things will come in time. For now, enjoy the progress we've made!
(Almost) finished renovation!
Check out our facebook page for a video tour!