A Wisconsin-based couple has transformed their unfinished basement storm shelter into a retro 1970s-style lounge after a year of severe weather left them spending more time underground than expected.
The viral renovation was shared on Reddit by Maria, who posted under the username u/IntentionLeather7806, with the title: “Turning our unfinished basement storm shelter into a cozy 70s den.” The post, which features several images of the retro transformation, has gained 24,000 upvotes since it was shared on September 8.
In the caption, Maria wrote: “We had a lot of storms this year, including softball-sized hail and a lightning strike to our house. So, we’ve been spending way more time in the basement than we expected. It also became our dog’s safe space whenever he’s anxious, which is a lot these days.”
Maria, 32, a climate scientist, told Newsweek that she and her husband Mike, also 32, completed the work in less than a week.
“We renovated the basement, which I loosely call ‘storm shelter,’ two weeks ago. It took about four days. The basement had stayed dry and undamaged throughout the storms, but our house was struck by lightning in March, and in April we had softball-sized hail that destroyed our roof, siding, a few windows, and our car,” said Maria, who did not share her last name.
Their home, built in 1925, recently turned 100 years old. Maria explained that the basement project became a chance to experiment with a different look. “We went for the 1960s/1970s theme just because it’s something different from the rest of our house, which is mostly craftsman style,” she told Newsweek.
The project comes amid a surge in home renovation spending in the U.S. Median costs for renovation rose 60 percent between 2020 and 2023, from $15,000 to $24,000, according to a 2024 survey by Houzz, a home design platform.
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