Getting started...

So I'm a dad with a big family, 8 kids, my wife and an assortment of birds, dogs and even wildlife that my wife rehabilitates (under license).

We have a wonderful house, it's a big house and we are grateful for it...  But what we have discovered is that to make it a home we need a bit more space for the differing needs of different family members.  Some of those needs are outlined below:

My boys - We moved them into my old master bedroom upstairs, this has worked out fairly well, but they still bump into each other a bit...  And in all honesty the walk in closet is wasted on them, the room is designed for a couple with a side room that was initially a nursery, served for a bit as my office.

The 'little' girls - Currently we have a 'school room' that also serves as a room for the birds and an activity room.  Unfortunately this combination of uses creates an endless cycle of mess that has to be cleaned up.  And in all practicality this room has become 'no mans land' and is not utilized to its potential.

My wife - Sewing, art, producing props for theatre, animal rehab, she is a regular renaissance woman.  The challenge she has right now is that these projects have a tendency to take over the house as they do not have a home.

My 'big' girls - They are in their late teens, have lots of friends...  We have committed as a family to be the hub for gatherings, parties, etc...  So with that commitment we regularly have 5,10,15 kids over all hanging out...  But once again this takes over the main floor usually and creates a big mess.

Me - I work from home, have 3-5 'important' calls a day with a number of business leaders globally.  Their has been a rising need to utilize tele presence/video conferencing.  Being that at the moment my office is in an unfinished basement, this is a problem that needs to be resolved.  Not to mention that I need a more flexible space then what I have managed to cobble together.

The solution:

So the basement is big, dry and is a walkout door with three windows, has enough clearance for 8ft ceilings with the exception of a header down the middle.  It was when we started the remodel uninsulated, but in fact has 1500 square feet and has all of the necessary ductwork to be heated and cooled with our HVAC.

So we are going to do the following:
- Insulate and frame out the walls...
- Create a 'mud room' entry area to the right of the back door this will have a bench and a bunch of hooks for setting coats, gloves, outdoor wear for when the kids play outside. (This solves yet another unmentioned issue of coat clutter in the stairwell to the basement.)
- Extend the tile to an area in front of two of the windows in the basement that will be large enough to have the birds, in total the space including the entry area is going to be about 240 sqft.
- Continuing down that back wall, an activity room that will be roughly 12x12 this room will be lined with the bookshelves that are in the school room today and carpeted with an in wall electric fireplace/heater for a bit of cozy warmth for the kids.  This will also have an open entry to my boys bedroom on the other side of the basement.
- The next room on this side will be a hobby room for my wife, it is important that she has a place for her 'stuff' so that she can work on her projects without constantly missing or losing items. 
- Behind her room will be a storage closet that will have room for a number of totes (probably about 10-12) and will also house the HVAC system.
- If you go back to the entry door, the far side of the basement will be a den, from the middle to the far wall.  This will eventually host a TV and a couple of old couches that are from the living room.  This room will be the primary teen hang out spot, it is also roughly a 12x20 space, it will be carpeted.
- Following the far wall down another room with a door will be the boy's bedroom, one section is about 9 x 11 the other section is about 12x20 + a closet.  We will split the boys in the room in a way to give them each a bit of privacy but ensuring that it has two exits and hardwired smoke alarms.

I expect the entire project to take about 2 months to make the space usable and a few more months to make 'pretty', completing this work will enable a resolution of a number of challenges for the family.