5 Ways to Make Use of Your Basement Space

Often, basements are used as either the storage room or the boiler room, where people dump their old appliances and junk or hide their HVAC system, washer, and pipework. But there can be more to a basement than just being a dumping place for unwanted things.

With a bit of work and a lot of waterproofing, your basement can transform into a useful space, where you can relax, work, create, or find entertainment. Here are a few ways to make use of your basement space.

Turn It into a Spare Bedroom

You can never go wrong with an extra bedroom. If you receive guests often every year, a spare basement bedroom solves the dilemma of your guests’ accommodation. It’s more cost-effective than having them stay at a hotel and lets you spend more time together (which is probably the primary purpose of their visit).

Having an extra bedroom will also be very useful for when you decide to have a family. The basement bedroom can be used as a nursery and, later, a full bedroom for the new member of your household.

If you don’t need a spare bedroom, you can rent it out to travelers and temporary tenants to supplement your income. Just make sure to find trustworthy tenants.

Add an Extra Bathroom

If you’re planning to sell your home sometime in the future, having an extra bathroom can help you get a better deal out of your sale. A second (or third) bathroom will still help a great deal, especially with large families, even if you don’t sell your place. You and your housemates won’t need to fight over who gets to use the bathroom first. You’ll also save yourself the agonizing wait when you’re having an emergency but somebody is still using the toilet.

It can be tricky to add a bathroom in the basement. For one, plumbing and drainage can take a lot of work. One way to lessen the work (and cost) of building a basement bathroom is to use an upflush toilet rather than a regular one.

Regular toilets require you to dig underneath, install a waste tank, and create a web of pipes that connect to the main sewage line. Meanwhile, upflush toilets have an external macerating tank, which you can use to channel the waste coming from the toilet, bathroom drain, and sink drain to the home’s existing sewage system or septic tank.

Build a Home Theater

There’s nothing like binge-watching your favorite series in your very own basement home theater. With proper finishing, a huge LED TV, surround-sound stereo, a sinfully comfortable couch, and maybe a personal popcorn machine, you can enjoy an exclusive viewing experience of your most loved films and shows.

You don’t need to queue in the cinemas and pay for expensive tickets and snacks when you can get the same experience at home free of charge. Movie nights with the family or squad would be more intimate and fun when you have the place to yourself.

Set Up a Home Office

Whether you’re a freelancer or remote worker, it helps to have your own working space, away from the hustle and bustle of the entire house, so that you can stay focused during work hours. The basement is just the perfect place to set up a home office.

For one, it’s out of the way, so you won’t be disturbed by people going back and forth. Two, the basement has natural soundproofing. Any noise from the outside isn’t likely to get in. Away from people and the distractions they bring, you can work without disruptions and do anything you want to bring out your creativity and productivity. You can find some great basement office ideas online to give you some inspiration.

Convert It into a Studio

For musicians, a basement is an excellent place to build your own music studio on. It’s secluded and relatively soundproof, so there’s no fear of disturbing the neighbors when you’re banging on your drums or ripping chords on the guitar. Perhaps you fancy yourself a budding DJ, and having investigated DJ equipment finance, you now need a space to practice.

You could blast your music on the speaker or practice a song whenever without fear of a cop knocking on your door for noise disturbance. Of course, you may do some more soundproofing on your basement to be 100 percent whatever sound or noise you make doesn’t leak through.

Further, renting a music studio can be expensive, so even if it will cost a considerable amount to build a studio, you will still save more money in the long run. And you can always get a return on investment by renting out the studio when you’re not using it.