Make the Most of Your Basement

When you enter someone’s basement, you might find a large room with sparse furnishings, closets crammed with miscellaneous objects, and perhaps some extra bedrooms with unused furniture inside.

For most homes, the extra space comes in handy as you accumulate more possessions over the years. However, you may not realize the potential your basement space has for your family.

If you want to refresh your basement space, consider these fun ideas and tips.

1. Home Theater

The basement offers the perfect cozy environment for a movie night with family and friends. Have plenty of comfortable seating space with a large sectional and several comfortable chairs, cushions, or bean bag sacks.

Decorate your room with movie-themed posters, pictures, and wall decals. Frame favorite movie quotes and hang around the room.

And, if your budget allows, amplify your theater experience with a quality surround-sound speaker system.

2. Children’s Play Room

Save guests from tripping on toys, and provide the children with their own special place to play. Fill the room with a variety of fun books and toys.

Provide a small table and chairs for seated activities, and throw some colorful mats or rugs on the carpet. Your children and their friends will enjoy calling this space their own.

3. Home Gym

Why need to drive somewhere to exercise? Get pumped to run downstairs to your own home gym. Flesh out your space with a few exercise machines, free weights, yoga mats, and a television. You can even add a stereo system or a small speaker dock for your iPod, and turn up the music as you sweat. Also consider motivational posters or quotes, and include large potted plants for an aesthetic touch.

4. Laundry Room

Put laundry room in the basement to block the upstairs area from background noise, like the beeping and droning your washer and dryer emit.

If your basement has enough space, design a large organized laundry room. Include cabinets and drawers for storage, attractive bins for sorting colors from whites, a deep sink for hand-washing clothes, and lines for air drying.

5. Entertaining Area

An attractive basement wows guests and provides great room for entertaining. A bar or nice kitchenette offers a place to prepare food and drinks. Add plenty of cabinet and closet space to store food items, games, and movies.

Turn your entertaining space into a fully-fledged game and arcade room with a pool or air hockey table or other activities you enjoy. Place board game stations in the room with nice game tables, add plenty of chairs.

6. Food Storage Room

Basements make a great place for extra food storage, because they often stay cooler than the rest of your house. Design a storage room with sturdy shelves for heavier cans or bulk boxes. Include an extra fridge or deep freezer, and stock up on meals for emergencies or when hungry children visit from college.

7. Guest Apartment

Convert your basement into a temporary home for others. Complete with one or two bedrooms and a bathroom; your basement can become the perfect place for relatives or friends to enjoy a longer stay in comfort.

You might also consider renting out this extra space to a college student, family member, or friend.

Tips to Remember About Basements

As you remodel your basement, remember to discuss the following issues with professionals:

• Lighting
• Warmth
• Moisture

Basements often face colder temperatures, contain limited windows, and can sometimes face mold problems. Make sure your basement is well insulated to keep the area warm in the colder months.

Ask your remodeling company for ways to keep your basement dry and prevent flooding. Check for signs of mold often, and clean any mold up immediately to protect your health and oust odors.

Give Your Basement Purpose

Don’t neglect your basement any longer; it can become so much more than just a place to throw extra stuff. Design the basement of your dreams by making it a desirable place to spend time with friends and family.

For further ideas, or to get help designing or building your dream basement call SRK General Construction today at 314-739-4443.