Finishing your basement is a good idea. No, it’s a great idea! The excitement for basement remodels is not lost easily, because the sky is the limit in terms of design. Instead of looking at this area as dark, musky, and humid, consider changing it. You have a blank canvas to change things up. What do you want out of your basement? Entertainment? Work space? A place to play music? A place for the kids? You can use the square footage for a variety of different reasons, as long as you work towards finishing the basement.

FIRST THINGS FIRST – RAW MATERIALS

Before you start coming up with ideas, make sure that you consider jumping over the traditional drywall. Instead, focus on using MgO-Board, and Sip Panels, which are perfect for tactile strength, basement level dwellings and more. These alternative raw materials are resistant to termites, moisture, fire, and is green. This little upgrade is a dandy to work with, and will impress you, especially in basement levels where humidity can be an issue. Use these for your ceiling, if you’re going with an open floor plan, and have peace of mind.

RECESSED LIGHTING

Instead of having bulky fixtures coming from the ceiling, or lamps everywhere, why not go with recessed lighting? Built into the ceiling, controlled with dimmer switches, or however you’d like, this option gives you control. It opens up space, and doesn’t take up much space. You won’t even realize the bulbs are in place.

FIREPLACE INSTALLATION

The warmth that comes from a fire is definitely a nice touch. You can retrofit this to allow the space to get heated, and have a nice visual design accent. This can be placed in a corner, so that it doesn’t take much square footage away from the rest of the room.

BUILT IN STORAGE IDEAS

Instead of stacking boxes and bring in storage items, build the storage into the walls. Use MgO-board then build cabinets in front of it, or build shelving attached to the walls. By adding storage elements to the basement, you can organize and clear the floor to utilize the extra square footage with ease.

DON’T COMPARTMENTALIZE

If you are focused on square footage, don’t isolate the basement with compartments. Leave it as open as possible. Be smart with the layout you want, and consider how you will use the space. Think less is more in terms of walls. You can always have counters installed, a bar area, or elements that help you cut off the square footage but not a full wall.

We have several offices from Chicago to Rhode Island. Call the one nearest you and ask about our personal financing offer with no down payment and no interest for five years. We also offer a free 50” LCD TV with minimum purchase. Build that awesome entertainment room you want, install our free gift to you, and invite the guys over for the duration of football season. You may want to consider a basement kitchen and bar area so you don’t have to continually go upstairs for food and drinks during the big game.