Imagine an underground bowling alley in your home!
My friend had a bowling alley in her basement when I was a kid and I loved going over there to play!
The most famous finished basement design turned bowling alley is the one in the basement of the White House. It was a gift for President Truman in 1947.
If they can put bowling alleys in basements then I’d say just about anything goes!
Like to dance? Install a dance floor.
What about a swimming pool – it’s been done!
These may be too elaborate, but I think you’ll find some inspiring finished basement designs that will get you motivated to finish yours!
To Finish or Not to Finish
That’s the question!
Finishing your basement will add livable space and value to your home.
Essential Space
Too cramped for comfort? Growing families rely on their basements for extra living rooms, bedrooms, and bathrooms.
Painting the walls in light, bright colors will help to combat the lack of natural light in basements. Recessed lighting, wall sconces, and lamps are good ways to shed light throughout the rooms in your basements.
Find some tips on lighting here: “Our 3 tips for choosing statement lighting“.
Use your unfinished basement for an urban look. The concrete walls are left unpainted and the ceiling is covered in tin.
I’ll admit that having company for an extended stay can be well…a little stressful?
Using your basement as a separate area for guests will provide more privacy for everyone – it’s nothing personal!
The more the merrier!
Design a room with built-in bunk beds for all those extra kiddos’! They’ll feel special and you’ll get some sleep!
Endless Fun
When our kids are home, we call them playrooms. A room where children only need their imaginations to fill their day. Bright colors make this room cheery and the built-in bookcases and cabinets provide plenty of storage for all the toys.
Then they become teenagers!
Creating a finished basement design for your teen and their friends to hangout includes funky furniture and big toys! Your teens get what they want and you get some peace of mind knowing they’re right downstairs!
Designer Justin Seitz designed this 2 room combo game room/home theater for my friend’s basement. The rooms have a lot of character because of the cool coffered ceilings. Large, soft sofas make this an ideal place to curl up for a good movie.
Not in the mood for a movie step into the next room for a game of pool!
Entertain friends in a basement designed for adults only! Grab your favorite wine from your wine cellar and celebrate special occasions.
Wine cellars designed for finished basements make perfect sense, right?!
All In One
Basements that aren’t large enough for separate rooms, can be designed as multi-purpose spaces.
Use furniture and rugs to define the different areas. It’s nice to have a small kitchen or bar to reduce to avoid hiking up and down the stairs for drinks and snacks!
Work Spaces
Always wanted a corner office with windows? That dream can come true by converting your basement into a home office.
Or just add a workspace into your living area.
Getting to the gym can be challenging for many reasons, but if its right downstairs, how can you say no?
Indulge Yourself
Pursue your heart’s desire with a basement dedicated to your hobby. Return to projects where you left them in rooms made for creating.
Soundproof insulation will work for a music studio.
Bookworms can find solitude and tranquility in a basement turned into a library.
As I’ve mentioned before, I love to wrap presents. If I had a basement, I’d definitely include a wrapping room in the design plans.
This finished basement sewing room looks so inviting that it makes me want to take up sewing!
Full of It
Basements can easily turn into a catch-all for household storage. Basements are so much easier to access than climbing up attic ladders to find things.
My In-Laws’ basement is large enough to have “His & Her” storage rooms! One is a gigantic pantry with a freezer and the other is a workroom for all his handyman projects.
There are so many places to build storage into your basements.
You might be surprised to find what is lurking under the stairs!
Construction Matters
Where you live will most likely determine whether or not a basement is practical or feasible. Building foundations have to be constructed below frost lines to avoid freezing. In Northern climates that is several feet below the surface so it makes sense to dig a little further for a basement.
In drier climates, the clay soil makes building basements impractical because the soil swells and shrinks. Other areas, feature soil that is hard and rocky which makes it expensive – it’s more cost effective to build up not down.
I remember a family in Midland lost their basement due to a rising water table. That’s the biggest obstacle to basements is keeping water out! It’s more likely to be a problem in swampy and coastal areas.
The cost to build an unfinished basement ranges from $10-$25 per square foot. For a finished basement that increases to anywhere between $30 – $100 per square foot.
Photo credits: Zweiacker & assoc., wall co., mgatechnologies.com, decorsnob, jalapenosonline.com, closet factory, mosby bldg arts, dailymail.co.uk, matrix basements systems, smartsrl.net, White House Museum, Container Store, myaustinelite.com, New England Home magazine, shfront.club, manningfamily.org, mouse house, the synergists.org, the Boston Globe, Wikipedia, Freshome, Sevring Services, irishpubglobal.com,
