DH & I are signing a contract to finish our basement. We have about 2k sf. Plan is to do a bath with doggy shower, large gym, storage area, a small wine cellar, and a bar/living room area. Lots of sports memorabilia. Looking for ideas of things we should add in that we might not think of - either aesthetically or functionally. We definitely had some of those when we built our house as first time builders.
lots of outlets dimmer switches for lights; different lighting options (task lighting vs relax lighting) are you adding a sink/plumbing to the bar? radiant heat flooring utility sink?
Post by maudefindlay on Apr 21, 2021 17:12:55 GMT -5
We put in a huge finished walkin closet with built in shelving when we finished our basement. Currently it is the toy closet, but in the future can be for any extra storage needed.
DH & I are signing a contract to finish our basement. We have about 2k sf. Plan is to do a bath with doggy shower, large gym, storage area, a small wine cellar, and a bar/living room area. Lots of sports memorabilia. Looking for ideas of things we should add in that we might not think of - either aesthetically or functionally. We definitely had some of those when we built our house as first time builders.
I wasn’t thinking square feet. I was thinking “we have $2000 so far”. I was thinking, ‘oh, this poor clueless woman...2000 bucks isn’t going to go that far, no way she’s getting a bathroom, bar and exercise room for that much”. LOL.
‘’Anyway, we have a full size fridge with ice maker in our storage room which I love for entertaining. We did not have room for a dishwasher in our bar and that has been a pain. Luckily, my DH has a workshop next to our basement family room so I can wash glasses in the work sink.
I would actually spend extra time and money on the things that can’t be fixed later, meaning, electrical, plumbing, etc. we have a walkout basement so before the walls were dry walled, we put a TON of insulation in and spray foamed it. That has made it so comfortable yet round. We also put in a ton of wiring for speakers, cable, eclectically, etc.—way more than you think you need because once the walls are closed in, it becomes a lot harder.
Ugh I’m jealous of the dog shower! We tried to fit it in but we didn’t have room.
Our basement is pretty big - we have a laundry room/butlers pantry type area (our extra fridge is in here. That’s a huge plus), a gym room, a half bath, a big storage closet, a media/tv room, and an unfinished utility/storage room.
I wish we had better shelving/storage in the Utility room. It’s a pit of despair. I love all the extra storage we have in the basement (lots of built ins - closed storage in our laundry room for pantry and kitchen spillover, built in bookshelves in the hallway, open and closed storage in the media room for all toys etc. I wish we had a better/bigger bathroom downstairs. No one uses the one in the basement because it’s tiny - people prefer to go upstairs.
I love that we have a sauna in the gym. It’s an infared, you just plug it in (you just need a special outlet), fits two people. I thought DH was crazy getting it but we all love it and use it all the time!
We are a few years from finishing our basement but some friends of ours had there's done a few years ago. Most of it is a theater and since they are really into movies had little recessed areas on the wall with lighting for movie posters. It looks really great but was quite a bit of extra money because the extra drywall work. Just a thought depending on how you may want to display memorabilia!
Post by thedutchgirl on Apr 21, 2021 18:15:54 GMT -5
Depends on whether you get many overnight guests, but I love having a guest room and full or 3/4 bath so that houseguests are not in the same living space as we are.
DH & I are signing a contract to finish our basement. We have about 2k sf. Plan is to do a bath with doggy shower, large gym, storage area, a small wine cellar, and a bar/living room area. Lots of sports memorabilia. Looking for ideas of things we should add in that we might not think of - either aesthetically or functionally. We definitely had some of those when we built our house as first time builders.
I wasn’t thinking square feet. I was thinking “we have $2000 so far”. I was thinking, ‘oh, this poor clueless woman...2000 bucks isn’t going to go that far, no way she’s getting a bathroom, bar and exercise room for that much”. LOL.
‘’Anyway, we have a full size fridge with ice maker in our storage room which I love for entertaining. We did not have room for a dishwasher in our bar and that has been a pain. Luckily, my DH has a workshop next to our basement family room so I can wash glasses in the work sink.
I would actually spend extra time and money on the things that can’t be fixed later, meaning, electrical, plumbing, etc. we have a walkout basement so before the walls were dry walled, we put a TON of insulation in and spray foamed it. That has made it so comfortable yet round. We also put in a ton of wiring for speakers, cable, eclectically, etc.—way more than you think you need because once the walls are closed in, it becomes a lot harder.
Lolol add a few zeros. Yes we have waited this long so we can do everything we want and be done.
Depends on whether you get many overnight guests, but I love having a guest room and full or 3/4 bath so that houseguests are not in the same living space as we are.
This. We technically have an in law suite. Bedroom, bathroom and small kitchenette. It’s nice that when my parents visit they have their own space. The kitchenette is pretty dumb, but we do have a full fridge in there and that is nice.
We are doing ours now. We are adding a 3/4 bath, bedroom, big living/family area space with a tv area, small kitchenette, reading nook, and storage area. Our family/living area is one long space that will have seating and a tv on one end and a ping pong table on the other end.
I’m very excited about the built-in shelves we are adding for board games and books. We have some upstairs, but they’re full.
Post by expectantsteelerfan on Apr 21, 2021 19:24:48 GMT -5
Closets. Lots of closets. We are house hunting, and the house that was closest to perfect had a huge finished closet with shelves for kid stuff, a closet with bars for hanging stuff (like extra coats and stuff) that was separate from the 'mud room' in from the garage, and then a utility room that was unfinished but also had shelves built in that was great for holiday storage and whatnot.
If you have a garage that has a door into the basement, I also recommend a mud room/entry area.
Our ideal basement has a big open area for kid hang out/play area, a separate room for a gym, a separate room for a media room, and a powder room. A lot of the houses we looked at had rooms that were technically bedrooms in the basement, and then had a full bath attached. I could make a bedroom work for a gym, but the full bath seems overkill since we wouldn't ever use the basement room as a guest room, so no one would ever shower down there (these are houses that have 3 other full baths). I could see putting in a full bath if you only have 1 other.
Post by darthnbjenni on Apr 21, 2021 19:58:50 GMT -5
Our basement is probably about that size. We have a media room with projector wall, full bathroom used for the dogs and when the kids are dirty, walkout basement with patio, an arts and crafts room with shelving and a massive storage closet, my husband's office, and in his office is what I call our Harry Potter closet (under stairs) for holiday decor, and a reinforced room used for his laser that doubles as a tornado shelter. Basements aren't all too common in SC, but we increasingly have had more and more tornadoes, so it was one of my non-negotiables when house hunting last year. We also really freaking lucked out that we moved at the start of the pandemic because we paid like $60 a square foot for the house.
I agree with some others that a guest room or small in-law suite. The basement is a great place to store your inlaws while they visit! Hopefully you'll see them less if they are comfortable in the basement.
Heated floors, a full bicycle storage room with custom rack solution.
We have a fantastic basement that is currently totally underused, but I think will be used much more as the kids grow. The only thing I would add is built-in storage. We have wooden shelves in the unfinished area and they are super useful, but I really wish they went TWO standard plastic tubs high on the main shelf. They fit one tub...and then there's a bunch of space but not quite enough for a second tub.
Plan lots of good lighting/outlets!
Storage/closets? Board game storage, blankets, etc?
Any necessary outlets/hardware for TVs or whatever you want to put in.
1) walkout if possible. It’s really increased our functionality being able to walk out onto the patio. Brings in a ton of light.
2) an office space- I didn’t expect to WFH so soon after we finished our renovation but I assumed sometime in the future I would. We had a weird nook that I turned into my office space and love it
3) full sized kitchen. We actually live in the basement more than my main floor. I do most of my cooking here.
4) Bedroom and full bathroom - we made this all accessible should one of our parents need to move in and be in a wheelchair or walker. Wide hallways, shower stall without a big lip they could easily get in/out of.
5) we have a storage room/utility room with shelving. And a big closet for the kids games and toys. And a separate area for their “playroom”.
6) living room area - we have a sectional and tv space and use this primarily. I also stream my workouts here.
7) luxury vinyl flooring. So easy to clean or wipe up if you get a water leak (or a pipe backs up). Plus I have a roomba that runs every night and there’s nothing for it to get stuck on.
It was a huge undertaking for us and took about a year to complete but I love it so much. It was worth EVERY penny.
Edit: we also have the laundry and a laundry sink in a room with a pocket door so I can easily close the door. I have a big countertop so I could theoretically fold laundry on it and organize it 😂
Post by definitelyO on Apr 21, 2021 20:12:41 GMT -5
maybe this is obvious - but a door from downstairs to the main floor. We don't have one and the sound travels like you wouldn't believe. esp with a teenager playing Xbox.... the way the stairs and entry to our basement are - you can't put in a traditional door and not enough room for a barn door either..
if you plan on entertaining down there with a bar area, etc... consider a small dishwasher and trash/recycle cupboard.
I don’t see a bathroom listed but a doggie shower. Maybe do a full bath with a large shower? We just re did a bathroom and took out the tub and added a huge shower with glass door and an awesome hand held shower head. It’s amazing for bathing the lab. Idk if you would use an extra bathroom but it may be used more than just the dog bath.
Yeah, like twice as big. Why do you need a house under your house? I have just the one house.
We don’t have them here b/c SWAMP, but yeah, that’s definitely a nice house lol. I’m also assuming some of these have actual 2nd stories as well. All I can think about is the cleaning!
Earthquakes.
The notion of all that space is mind boggling but I live in a different land.
Our basement is probably about that size. We have a media room with projector wall, full bathroom used for the dogs and when the kids are dirty, walkout basement with patio, an arts and crafts room with shelving and a massive storage closet, my husband's office, and in his office is what I call our Harry Potter closet (under stairs) for holiday decor, and a reinforced room used for his laser that doubles as a tornado shelter. Basements aren't all too common in SC, but we increasingly have had more and more tornadoes, so it was one of my non-negotiables when house hunting last year. We also really freaking lucked out that we moved at the start of the pandemic because we paid like $60 a square foot for the house.
Not the point of this post but I am curious about a laser. I assume it has something to do with his job.
Basement suites are very common where I live as a mortgage helper for our $$$$ houses. Having lived in a suite for years...
Radiant heat in the floor. Skip it in large storage areas, but living spaces will benefit.
Sound proofing the ceiling. Even if it’s just my kid playing or surround sound on a movie, I don’t want to hear it if I’m upstairs.
Consider ceiling height for your gym area. If you need to put in bulkheads to conceal plumbing/utilities you don’t want that running above a spot that you also want to put exercise equipment, especially if any of you are on the tall side.