A few details

When we built this house 16 years ago, we had to cut many of the extras that were included in the plans. One of those was a finished bonus room over the garage. Over time Mitch put sheet rock up and had it wired, but for all those years it was just an overflow from the attic. Particle board floors, bare bulb lights, untrimmed window... bare bones.

The only access to the room was by pull down attic stairs in the garage.

I won't go into the details of how Alyssa's marriage ended, it's not my story to tell. But as a mom, I didn't want my child to stay in an unhappy situation because she felt she had nowhere else to go, no other options. Without thought as to how we would make it work, I told her we would turn the bonus room into an apartment for her and Bayleigh. A little to my surprise and much to my relief she accepted the offer.

We began work last summer. It was slow going as we did most of the work ourselves. We hired a carpenter to build the stairs and frame in a bathroom and a friend of Mitch's helped him with the electrical work. My nephews helped with some of the painting and a friend of Alyssa's did some sheet rock work. 

We didn't have a very big budget to work with. The biggest chunk went to getting the stairs built. Alyssa chipped in on much of the expense, but ultimately, finishing the room will add to the value of our home, so we covered the structural stuff.

Mitch built this book shelf that serves as a divider between the room and the stairway.

And now

He also did the plumbing on  a small powder room that is at the base of the stairs and this little kitchen area. We found the cabinets at the Habitat Re-Store for 15 bucks each. We saved our old counters when we installed butcher-block and one section fit perfectly on the cabinets. Alyssa purchased a sink and faucet from O.com, and a friend gave her a fridge. A couple of shelves and some pretty dishes and they have a little kitchen. 

Alyssa purchased the Hemnes daybed from IKEA because it has three huge drawers for storage, can serve as seating during the day and also pulls out to become a king-size bed. Yes, I said a king-size.

Here it is during the day,

and at night.

Surprisingly , the room doesn't feel claustrophobic, even with the bed pulled out.

The "built-ins" on either side of the bed started out as this

Two laminate cabinets from Lowes.

I added some trim and beadboard wallpaper.

Left over stair treads were used for the tops.

A little more trim to bridge the gap between the cabinet and the wall, and a little white paint to finish it off.

They provide quite a bit of storage and don't take up much floor space.

The dandelion wall art was made from leftover wall planks, painted by Mitch. It was inspired by Bayleigh's love for dandelions and the design on our matching tattoos.  I knew we needed something large for that wall and I wanted it to tie in with the plank wall opposite. When I came across this on pinterest, by DIY Diva I knew that's what I wanted.

You can read about the wood plank wall here.

Lighting is from Lowes.

Flooring is Allure vinyl planks in hickory from Home Depot.

There you have it, our journey from an unfinished bonus room to a little attic apartment.   

If you see anything I didn't cover, just ask. I'll be glad to answer any questions.

 

I'll be linking to some of these parties.

 

Comments

[carrie]

Certainly has turned out very charming! What a wonderful use of space, and of course the guests are perfect tenants! Your family is very talented, and have wonderful visions of how things turn out.

[B]

Wow, what an amazing space you and your family have created. I know your daughter and Granddaughter will now feel happy and safe in their little haven. x

[Edith]

Wow I, for sure, would love to live in a place like yours.
What you did is absolutely perfect.

[Elaine]

It really looks nice! I'm sure they are both really happy with how it turned out! Have their separate space yet you and Mitch close at hand in case they need you or you all need them!

[Brooke]

Wow...great space! Amazing what you can do with a little creativity and elbow grease, huh? Awesome job, guys!!!

[sabine]

Turned out beautifully ! Love that room and you all have done a great job. I know how long it can take to rebuild and renovate ....

[Chris]

What a great transformation! You've shared some great tips to get a wonderful look for less.

[Katie]

It looks really fantastic, what a perfect little home!

[Just Jaime]

Wow! So cozy and inviting! Great job!

If you're interested, Wayward Girls’ Crafts is just getting our linky party going. Please stop by and link up! http://www.waywardgirlscrafts.com/2012/02/wayward-weekend-week-3.html

[dana]

lovely job! What a charming little room! Would you mind telling me the dimensions of the room? Trying to figure out if I can do something similar...
thanks!
Dana

[Kristyn]

It is such a cute space. Alyssa is lucky to have such great parents.

[Autum]

Thanks Dana! The room is 22 x 11.

xo Autum

[UK lass in US]

I love the way that it turned out - especially that wall behind the bed.

How does she store the mattress during the day? We have that same bed in my daughter's room - it gets used as the guest bed when my parents visit, but finding a place for the big mattress is a pain.

[Autum]

Thanks!
We figured out a mattress solution completely by accident. We didnt buy the IKEA mattresses and at first she was using a regular twin mattress and using it as a daybed.
My niece came over to spend the night and baby sit. She had a friend so it was going to be the two girls + Bayleigh. We knew the twin wouldnt work.
We had a memory foam mattress that we had been using on our bed until we recently bought a new mattress set. Heres a link to the actual mattress Mitch dug it out of the garage and it works perfectly. It is fairly thick,  so its comfortable enough, but also flexible enough that it can be folded in half when the bed is in the closed position. She just folds it in half and tucks in the comforter around it and its comfortable to sit on.
We had planned on getting the IKEA mattresses and stacking them when it was closed, Im glad this worked out.

xo Autum

[Autum]

Thank you Kristyn, and we are lucky to have her

[Autum]

Thank you for the invite Jamie! Ill go check it out. I love parties ; )

[Autum]

Thank you Katie! The only way it could be more perfect, is with some built in closet space. We are working on that, but it may take a while. I think I need to give my live in handy man a break.

xo Autum

[Autum]

Thank you Chris, I love to share thrifty ideas when I can. We have no choice but to be thrifty, but I also have fun trying to see how much I can get for less ; )

xo Autum

[Autum]

Thank you so much Sabine. It seems we are in a constant state of some sort of renovation. I love it, my husband, not so much. But hes a good sport about it.

xo Autum

[Autum]

Thanks Brooke! We have elbow grease in abundance, its the cash we could use a little more of. I guess thats what forces us to be creative though ; )

xo Autum

[Autum]

Thank you Elaine. That was the idea precisely. We wanted them to feel some sense of having their own space, but Alyssa doesnt like the idea of staying home alone at night, so having us just on the other side of the door makes her feel safe.
Plus its a lot easier to bring Bayleigh down the stairs and put her in bed with me at 6am than to put her in the car and drive her over before work.
I know they will get their own place one of these days, but for now, it works out nicely for everyone.

Enjoy your Sunday night! Are you watching the Super Bowl? We may watch for the commercials.

xo Autum

[Autum]

Thank you Edith!

xo Autum

[Autum]

Thank you B. I think they do feel safe and at home!

xo Autum

[Autum]

Thank you Carrie. I am so glad this time my vision did turn out as well as it did. There were times I was a little worried about how we would fit all they needed in their and still have room to move, but it worked out. I told her it is likely bigger than a lot of high priced New York apartments.

Enjoy your evening!

xo Autum

[jm]

Such an awesome space! I've loved watching it all come together. I really like the plank wall but I am coveting that bookcase!