Ground Up

The plan was always for this Bath Township home, custom built in 2001, to have a finished basement. 

But the homeowners didn’t get around to it until recently, which led to some inauspicious timing. They started meeting with Medina-based designer Dena McLaughlin and Tim Englert Construction of Wadsworth in late 2019, and the contract was signed March 11, 2020 — right before Ohio shut down amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We waited a month and said, If you’re comfortable, we can start,” says vice president Justin Englert. The space had outdoor access, so the workers could social distance from the homeowners, and the project took much longer than usual.

At 2,300 square feet, the basement could accommodate a large open common area with alcoves that fulfill the homeowners’ must-haves — a workout room, bathroom, TV area and game lounge — while affording ample space for a distinct design incorporating the couple’s “love for old things” from travel relics to castle motifs, all in neutral tones. “It really was a dream project,” McLaughlin says. 

FULL BATH: The angular design of the foundation brought challenges but also opportunities, like the addition of a new 140-square-foot full bathroom — with 50 square feet being an angled walk-in shower, featuring a rainfall showerhead and tan ceramic tiles with a mosaic band. “It’s bigger than a lot of bedrooms,” Englert says. The space is finished with a natural stone vessel sink and a trio of Edison bulb pulley light fixtures. 

ACCENTS: As a whole, the basement has a castle feel. The nature-inspired decor includes a stained live-edge tree game room shelf, a stacked stone statement wall behind the TV and cultured stone accents to complement the home’s stone and stucco exterior. The game room’s door archways have stone accents to match the upstairs. “It was one of those projects where I got to use all of my creativity,” McLaughlin says. 

BAR: The basement was roughed in for a bathroom and bar, but more plumbing, HVAC and other technical upgrades had to be installed and some structural posts had to move. Downtown 140 in Hudson, the couple’s favorite restaurant, inspired the vintage-style bar that features cultured stone on the front, a granite-top bar, custom board-and-batten paneling and custom distressed cabinets with lion’s head moldings. The leather barstools with nailhead accents and most of the other basement furniture are from Leopold’s Fine Home Furnishings in Brecksville.

GAME ROOM: The well-traveled homeowners are wine connoisseurs, and the game room especially reflects that. Beyond air hockey and Ping-Pong tables, there’s a dartboard mounted on striking wall art made of reclaimed wood from wine crates the couple gets delivered.