Homeowners often underutilize their basements and use them as storage units for old clothes, seldom-used equipment, and forgotten knick-knacks. If you are using your basement as a storage space, you are wasting valuable space that you can turn into something that can make your home more liveable and increase the value of your house. In this article, Dreamspace will show you some fantastic basement renovation ideas you can try on your next home renovation.
Eight best basement renovation ideas
Home gym
Getting enough exercise is critical to ensuring that your family stays in shape. Converting your basement into a home gym can ensure that your family can exercise anytime they want to.
When converting your basement into a home gym, the most important part is ensuring that it is comfortable to do workouts on. You need to ensure that it has enough ventilation, so you get enough air while exercising. You can add windows to your basement or install fans to improve ventilation.
Wet bar and wine cellar
If you love entertaining friends, you can convert your basement into a wet bar to enjoy a relaxing night with friends. This is an excellent way of hosting parties without using your living spaces. During your home renovation, you can install a kitchenette so you can also prepare snacks for guests. This basement renovation project prioritises ensuring that your basement has adequate soundproofing to avoid disturbing your neighbours.
If you love collecting wine, you can also convert a section of your basement into a wine cellar. Basements are excellent for storing your wine collection at optimum temperatures. Using your basement as a wine cellar also allows you to keep your collection safe from accidents if you have small children.
Family room
Your basement is an excellent candidate if you’re looking for a quiet place to spend quality time with your family. Although most families spend time in their living rooms, cleaning up can be a pain, making basements an ideal alternative.
In renovating your basement, consider what your family loves to do. If your family loves video games, you can design a game room where your family can spend hours playing. If you are a family of book lovers, then you can design your family room as a makeshift library. You can install bookshelves and comfortable seats where you can spend a quiet time enjoying your favourite paperbacks.
Craft room
Although most hobbies, like reading, dancing, or singing, don’t require much equipment, some hobbies do, and your basement is an ideal craft room if you need one. You can turn your basement into a workshop if you love painting or sculpting. If you are into building miniature models, then a basement workshop can help you work in silence and without interference from other family members.
You can install floating shelves to house your tools and keep them out of reach. If you are a collector, you can build custom shelves or display cases to showcase your collection. Check out our Inspiration Gallery for brands that offer custom-built shelves.
Bedroom
Turning your basement into an additional bedroom is a popular idea for growing families because it does not involve extending the house, which can be costly. If you’re planning to convert your basement into a bedroom, ensure that it has adequate ventilation to make it comfortable for the occupant. If you’re planning to give it to one of your children, get your child’s input during the design process so your child can have a bedroom that reflects their personality.
Home office
You can convert your basement into a home office if you want a quiet place to work at home. What’s critical for this project is ensuring that you have all you need for your work. Ensure that you have secure storage options to keep confidential documents. You also need to ensure that your basement is connected to your home internet network so you can work properly.
If you have the budget, a bathroom or a powder room in the basement will be helpful because you don’t need to go to your family bathroom. You can also install a kitchenette to prepare snacks to keep you going during busy days.
Home theatre
If your family loves movies, your basement will make an ideal home theatre or media room. A smooth wall will make for an excellent projector screen for a cinema-like experience. If you have windows in your basement, you can install black-out curtains or blinds for when you’re watching movies during the day. You can also improve the soundproofing of your basement to block out external noises that can ruin your movie experience.
Airbnb rental
Turning your basement into an Airbnb rental is an excellent way to make your basement useful while earning money. To make your basement an attractive rental, you need to ensure that it has everything that the renter needs, like a bathroom, kitchenette, and a bedroom. You can use drywall to create partitions and make the basement ceiling more attractive.
During your basement renovation, you must ensure that your basement is waterproof to make it safe for renters. If possible, create a separate entrance to give renters privacy and allow them to come and go without disturbing your family.
Don’t have an idea how much your project would cost? Get a free estimate via Dreamspace.
Factors to consider during a basement renovation
Check for moisture
Ensuring that your basement is free from moisture can help make your basement safer because humidity promotes mould growth, which can harm your family. Moisture can also damage the foundation of your basement and your house.
If you find any leaks, plug them in before installing drywalls for repainting your basement. This can help you avoid redoing the paint job and save you money in the long run.
Install insulation
Proper insulation can help make your basement warm during the winter and cool during summer so your family can use it comfortably. Be sure to finish insulating your basement before putting up drywall to avoid tearing down what you’ve put up.
Plumbing, and Electrical
If you want to enjoy your repurposed basement, you need to ensure that it has plumbing, especially if you plan to build a kitchenette or a bathroom. You also need to ensure that the electrical wirings are safe and if you need to add more power outlets for your appliances.
Update the floor and walls
Updating the floor and walls of your basement will depend on what you will use your basement for. For example, if you convert it into a movie room, you might want to use drywalls because of their soundproofing properties. If you’re turning your basement into a home bar, install a floor that is resistant to water spills but looks great for entertaining guests like laminated wood.
Conclusion
Basement renovation is one home renovation project we often forget about. We concentrate on the living room, kitchen, bathroom, and bedrooms, but renovating your basement can provide many benefits. When you renovate or remodel your basement, you add usable space and increase the value of your house. It can also give you additional income if you turn your basement into a rental unit.
You can do many things to make your basement more useful, and an expert home building designer can help you decide what to do with your basement. A home design expert can see the potential of your basement and give you an idea of what your basement will look like after your home renovation project. Your basement has a hidden potential and the right designer can help unearth that potential and make your basement more useful than a glorified storage unit. Sign up to Dreamspace today. We will connect you with thousands of design experts and match you with the right professional based on your project brief. You can also access our top-notch project coordination tools and services to better manage your renovation projects.
