HUD Articles

Published on AL.com by RE Resources Team

A basement can add some much needed square footage to your home. Instead of just using it for storage, consider some unique basement ideas to turn this space into something fun and functional for the whole family. While an unfinished basement can increase the market value of your home, a finished basement can increase it even more. Before deciding what to do with yours, get the whole family's input and decide whether you want to complete the home improvement project yourself or hire a contractor. While a full-fledged basement remodel can be expensive, you can often recoup 70% or more of your remodeling costs in resale value and it'll be worth it when you have a wonderful new addition to your home.

Make a Plan

Before planning your remodel, you first need to know how you want to use your new space. Lots of basements are simply used for storage or as a combination laundry room and storage. But, there are so many more unique basement ideas you could choose for this prime real estate. Popular basement remodels include family rooms, playrooms, guest rooms, gym, media rooms, wet bars, wine cellars, offices, art studios and the highly sought-after man cave. You may even decide to divide the room up, so every family member have their own space. Once you've settled on your basement's new purpose, you can decide whether you need to include a bathroom, complete with shower, or if you'll need extra windows to add more light. Your purpose will also help in decisions, like what type of floors, walls and ceilings you want.

Unique Flooring Ideas

Unique basement ideas don't have to stop with the type of room you want to transform your basement into; you can also get creative with the flooring. This allows you to design something that's truly one of kind. Instead of just painting the floor a solid color, consider using distinctive stencils to dress it up. You can use stenciling over the entire floor or just add artistic touches in appropriate areas. Got several thousand pennies lying around? You could create a penny floor that would be a complete change from the norm. However, if you have your heart set on a man cave, you might prefer trading the pennies for beer bottle caps and create the ultimate man floor. If the thought of spending hours gluing pennies or bottle caps to the flow doesn't sound at all appealing, try recycling old leather belts. This luxurious option would take less time, but cost more in the long run.

Walls with WOW Factor

While concrete block walls have that institutional feel, with some creativity, you can revamp them without spending an arm and leg covering them up. Repurposed wood is a great way to get a rustic look and often at very little cost. When looking for reclaimed wood, pallet wood, in particular, is generally abundant and either very cheap or even free. You can easily attach this wood to the wall with liquid nails. Pallet wood or curtains hung with cables can also make great room dividers, instead of permanent walls that require a permit. Not into woodsy? If the kids will be sharing the basement, paint one wall with chalkboard paint for an area they draw on all day and then simply wipe clean. Consider doing each wall a different way based on what will take place in each particular area.

Look Up There!

You can brighten up your basement and your open ceiling by hanging cafe string lights. The effect can be illuminating and, when using LEDs, very energy efficient. With or without the lights, if you want to cover up ugly pipes and ductwork, use fabric draped on your basement ceiling. Your color choices are only limited by your imagination and you can still string some lights to complement the look. If you have a low ceiling, however, both these ideas may not work well. Although, these basement ideas work great for high ceilings, you might prefer a loft-like ambiance instead. You can achieve this by leaving the ceiling open and painting it an accent color or black.

You can find unique basement ideas by searching the Internet or searching your imagination. Your unfinished basement is an empty canvas just waiting for your creative juices to start flowing and transform it into something that everyone who enters will remember, and possibly, envy for years to come.