Phil and Sandy Warner are used to moving. They’ve hopped from house to house all over Ohio, but finally decided Westerville is where they’ll claim a forever home.
“We chose Westerville by design, even though we’re not from here,” Phil says. “We retired in southwest Ohio and had some grandchildren who had transplanted in central Ohio. We liked a lot about what we saw here.”
Upon settling into their home, the couple decided their unfinished basement needed done. With the help of Organized Home Remodeling, they began to lay out the future space for friends and family – especially grandchildren.
“We made sure to have a space for all their toys,” Sandy says, laughing.
Designers divided the space in half, leaving a space available for storage. In the living side, the couple wanted room for all their entertaining facets: a pool table, TV, bar and a fireplace. The bar is what Phil dubs the anchor of the basement.
“When we do entertain, we always wind up down there,” Phil says “We also had a sound system built in. Now that we’ve been here for six months, there’s nothing we would change about it.”
Basements can be a tricky project to tackle. It can be a dark, draft space and builders recommend homeowners leave a newly-built house’s basement alone for at least a year before beginning any kind of remodeling. But having already done a previous basement redesign, the Warners knew how to make it cozy and warm.
“Having sufficient light was important,” Phil says. “We put in an egress area that allows light in. We also went with a lighter paint on the walls so it wouldn’t be too dark.”
Sandy and Phil enjoy sipping wine at their bar, although Phil’s preference is a good Scotch on the rocks. He won’t call himself an expert, but his friend’s love whiskey, so he’s learned how to make a good Manhattan.
Currently, the couple has no new projects in the near future, but they know who to call when the time comes.
“If we ever wanted to do something in the future, we’d go with (Organized Home Remodeling) again,” Sandy says. “They worked so hard for such long hours. They did a fantastic job.”
The question is, is the pool table, entertainment center, bar and cozy fireplace enough to keep this couple from moving again?
“As far as we’re concerned, this is our last stop,” Phil confirms.
Mallory Arnold is an editor. Feedback welcome at marnold@cityscenemediagroup.com.
