One thing led to another, and by the time the Schollas had finished their renovation, more than just the basement (much more) had been refreshed. Photo by Judy Revenaugh.

How do a flooded basement and the World Series lead to a renovated Mid Century marvel? You’d have to ask Krista and Kurt Scholla, owners of Kansas City, Mo., boutique The Bunker.

It was a perfect storm for the Schollas, who were already interested in expanding their home to accommodate their growing family. But when their basement flooded, renovating became a must, starting with the basement and leading to many areas of the house.

From The Kansas City Star:

“As soon as we decided to raise the ceiling, we realized we wouldn’t save a ton of cost, so it made sense to take it down to (the studs on) the first floor in this area,” says Kurt.

Or as Krista says: “We figured if we were going to do the basement, we needed to move stairs from the far end of the house, and if we moved the stairs we needed to redo the kitchen, and if we redid the kitchen we needed to shear the roof off because the ceilings were all different levels.”

The result is that the middle of the house is now a modern box separating two pieces of the original ranch, one containing the home’s three original bedrooms, the other the garage.

And where there was once a wall separating the living room and family room, there is now a double-sided fireplace covered with three-dimensional gray tiles. It’s abutted by custom-built, floor-to-ceiling walnut cabinetry with open shelving on top.

geometric cut outs adorn a central staircase in a Kansas City midcentury ranch
Cutouts in the central stairway cast geometric shadows on the walls, especially when cars pass by at night. “It’s basically the showpiece of the entire house,” says Krista. Photo by Judy Revenaugh.

But what does this have to do with the World Series, you ask? Well, with the Kansas City Royals making it to the World Series two years a row, the Schollas’ boutique had a revenue boom. Combine that with insurance money from the flood? You’ve got a renovation.

Get the full story of their renovation here.