If you’re only using your basement for storage, or appliances like your hot water heater, you’re potentially letting a lot of space go to waste. Your basement is probably the biggest room in the house and can easily be repurposed in a lot of ways – you can even throw up some walls and turn it into a functional new floor of the house.
RD Matthews Electrical Contracting is here to help with your basement remodeling and can verify or upgrade your wiring to support anything you might want to do. We love helping to finish or remodel basements!
Not sure what to do with your basement? Here are some of our favorite ideas we’ve seen over the years.
Great Ideas for Basement Remodeling Projects
1. Create an apartment
A typical basement has more than enough room for all the basics of a small apartment: bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, maybe a small living room. This can be a great upgrade for all sorts of reasons. Your new apartment could:
- Be a home for older children who want more space and privacy
- Be a guest bedroom suite for visitors or relatives
- Be a rental property if you’re interested in making extra money
Basements make extremely comfortable apartments because they’re well-insulated and typically stay cool, even in the summer. Likewise, the concrete walls are good at trapping heat in the winter. There isn’t much of a view, but otherwise, it’s a versatile way to make use of the space.
2. Create a game/activity room
Another big benefit of basements is that they’re typically a bit isolated from the rest of the house, and sound doesn’t carry as well. This makes them a great option for setting up a game room – video games or physical games – without worrying about the noise bothering people upstairs. It’s also the perfect location for a home theater setup if you want to enjoy your movies in the best possible way.
Plus, entertainment rooms typically benefit from being dark, and your basement is going to be the darkest room in the house with the lights off. It’s a perfect environment for relaxing and entertaining yourself.
3. Install a home gym
Not into games or movies? A basement is great for working out and self-improvement too. Gym equipment can also be loud, so you get the same sound-insulation benefits. The generally cool temperatures in a basement will also help prevent you from getting overheated while you work out.
And with so much space to work with, you’ve got room for plenty of stations. You could even get ambitious and install a sauna, or a separate room for slow-paced activities like Yoga. There are so many possibilities, and room for all of them.
4. Install a wet bar, wine collection, or other ‘adult beverage’ options
If you have smaller children in the house, it’s a good idea to keep alcohol – and alcohol consumption – away from them. This makes the basement a great space to install your own bar and/or wine vault, making it into an adults-only space that you can easily keep your kids out of.
Plus, the cozy nature of basements lends themselves well to creating your own pub. It can be themed however you like, and installing the electrical systems needed for refrigerators and other equipment is no problem. It might just become your favorite room in the house!
5. Kid’s play area
On the other hand, perhaps the issue is that you have noisy kids, and you’d prefer they be quieter when they play – especially if you work at home. In this case, why not turn your basement into a playroom? With so much space, your imagination can really go wild. It could become a full playground, complete with installations like slides or ball pits.
Safety would be a concern here, but you have plenty of ways to help make the area safer. Padded floors and walls will help reduce the risk of injury, as well as ensuring more enthusiastic play isn’t likely to damage the house either.
Our Team Helps Your Basement Renovation Come to Life
RD Matthews Electrical can ensure your new basement has proper wiring that can support whatever you do, while keeping people safe. Remember, major wiring jobs will need to be inspected by the city for approval, so you want to make sure your electrical contractor understands and can fully meet all local regulations.
Contact RD Matthews Electrical Contracting to arrange for your basement wiring upgrades.
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