Five Cool Basement Remodeling Ideas

So you’ve got a basement. And you’ve got an urge to be domestically creative. And you’ve willing to save up the cash.

Sounds like a perfect recipe for a basement remodeling project.

Basement remodeling is a time-honored American homeowners’ institution, like grilling steaks, watering the lawn or playing bocce. And really, there’s nothing classier than bringing your guests downstairs, seeing the ooohs and aaahs on their faces, and acting like it’s no big deal, you just live here.

But what to do? You’ve only got one basement, and remodeling isn’t something you can do ten times in one lifetime. So it’s time to choose, and choose wisely – whatever basement remodeling project you pursue is going to be something you live with until you sell your home or shuffle off this mortal coil. So make it count.

Here are five super-cool basement remodeling ideas to get you started brainstorming:

Roll Tape! We know you like movies. Heck, you saw The Departed four times in the theater. So why not bring the movies home to you? A home theater is probably the most perfect and popular basement remodeling project, since designing the room from scratch gives you the opportunity for premium speaker placement, soundproofing and furniture installation. It’ll even make those lame Matrix sequels look good.

Player One: START! You beat Halo 2 in a single weekend. You can beat all your friends at the latest head-to-head fighting games. And you mostly remember college as a series of late nights drinking Mountain Dew and playing Doom. Turning your basement into a gaming center isn’t even a decision, is it? It’s just a matter of how long it’ll take to hook up the XBox 360 and lay out the Dance Dance Revolution Mat.

All Aboard! Haven’t you always wanted to have one of those huge model train sets that dominates an entire room? Now’s your chance. But if HO-scale railroading isn’t your thing, there’s no reason you can’t start a basement remodeling project that turns your dank cellar into a bright and cheery hobby room – a place to build model 1930s-era tramp steamers, or a diorama of the Battle of Smolensk made entirely out of toothpicks. A remodeled basement is the perfect hobby center.

Cheers! What basement remodeling project hasn’t included a wet bar at some point in its planning? Turning your basement into a sports bar is a great way to entertain guests, and it gives you an excuse to have a keg of Guinness in the house at all times.

Dance Party USA! OK, this one’s a bit of a stretch. But who wouldn’t love to have a dance floor in their basement? Think of the possibilities: When the boss comes over for dinner, you can invite him downstairs, crank up some Donna Summer, and spend a quality evening of doing the Cabbage Patch and the Humpty Dance. Light-up floor panels optional. Basement remodeling never got so funky.