COVID-19 has most certainly brought changes to our lives this year, making all of us a little bit more creative with how we spend time as a family to avoid going stir crazy.
As it turns out, the Miller family chose the perfect time to add an indoor basketball court and game room to their home for extra entertainment space right before the pandemic hit last spring.
The Millers are both former The Ohio State University athletes. Dr. Miller played basketball and her husband played football. With such strong ties to athletics, the decision to incorporate sports was a no brainer.
“The timing couldn’t have been better,” Dr. Miller says. “The concrete slabs and hoops were up in March and that’s right when COVID hit.”
After graduating from OSU, the Millers moved to North Carolina for Dr. Miller’s medical residency.
“We always knew we wanted to come back to Columbus to settle,” Dr. Miller says. “We’re both from the Midwest, had many friends and family in the area and just loved Columbus as a growing, up-and-coming big Midwestern city.”
This project has been a dream of the Millers for quite some time. Their basement was unfinished and outdated, and the Miller family knew it was the perfect space to transform for the family to enjoy.
However, they didn’t want any typical basement entertainment space. They were thinking a little bigger. A basketball court perhaps?
Communication is key
The Millers worked hand-in-hand with Charlie Griffey, owner of Griffey Remodeling, and the project was completed over the course of six months. The job was a bucket list project for Griffey and he jumped at the opportunity.
“My first thought was, ‘Holy cow, I want this job,’” Griffey says. “Adding a basketball court to our portfolio is something we’ve wanted to do for a while.”
When searching for builders, the Millers were particular in what they wanted to achieve their goals.
“One was sticking to a budget, the second was sticking to a timeline and the third was communication,” Dr. Miller says.
Griffey surpassed all of these requirements and, importantly, the Millers felt a mutual respect with the builder who helped bring their vision to life. Griffey was in daily communication with the Millers while working on their home.
When the nets were put up on the hoops, the room as a whole wasn’t complete but Griffey wanted to get the Millers together and show them what they had been waiting for.
“We played with a dusty ball because it hadn’t completely been cleaned yet!” Griffey says.
Family fun
The family’s favorite part of the project was the extra space that allows them to connect and have family time. And the game room offers storage that Dr. Miller says helps with keeping her family organized.
The indoor basketball court added extra space for the family to get active when stay at home orders hit last March. The Millers love to be active, especially together. Their favorite activity is to play kickball.
“I think that is my kids’ favorite part about the room,” Dr. Miller says. “They love to be competitive and play some kickball together.”
While the room offers space for the family to enjoy each others’ company and stay active, most importantly it’s given the children an area to continue doing what they love.
“My daughter was able to do her Zoom dance recital in there and that’s what’s great about this space – it’s sports-related but also functional,” Dr. Miller says.
Maddie Gehring is an editorial assistant. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
