Basement Remodeling Idea

Are you looking to get a basement remodeling idea? Basements can be great spaces to convert into useable but beautiful living space.

Since you already own the space -- it's real estate that's available to use. You don't have to add an addition to the house or move to an entirely new house.

The cost for basement remodeling per square foot is economical. You don't have to build the floors, walls and ceilings. They are already there. So what a ripe opportunity to make your basement a beautiful extension of your living space.

Basements from the Past

I remember when our parents, collectively speaking, decided to build basement recreation rooms. That's what they were called back then.

It was a common renovation trend to convert these dark, unused spaces into recreation rooms for the family. This era was common during 60's, 70's and even the 80's.

Our families were larger units in those days. So our parents built these primitive caves using wood paneling of all different colors. Well, wood wall paneling is long gone and installing residential drywall is done in almost all basements today.

It was deemed a space for easy-living. Typically, it was a space the family could hang out and rough-house in. It was the "play room" for the family. I mean, we could through balls and toys at that wood paneling and not damage it too much. (Well, maybe some of us could, like my brother and I ;)

If you're my age, you understand what I'm talking about here. They were great places to hang out with friends and not worry about "destroying" anything.

It was not uncommon for our parents to put the old living room furniture down in the recreation room and buy new furniture for the living room upstairs. Of course the new living was off-limits to us kids. We didn't care -- the basements were kid-friendly and we lived in them hard. It all kind of went with the theory that this was the room we could rough-house in and not destroy too much.

So they left our formal living room upstairs - out of bounds - for guest only. The only problem with this basement remodeling idea, was that the basement was a second thought; not much thought was put into design and remodeling in this space.

As not much money or design-thought was put into these spaces, it showed.

Materials Today Are Designed for Basements

Today, the construction market is offering tools, techniques and materials that are suited for basement remodeling.

You can find great websites that are entirely devoted to basement remodeling. Some of these sites are absolutely terrific.

Today's Basements Are Not Our Parents Basements

The basements of today have taken on new meaning. There are superior new materials designed to work with the elements of a basement. People have different basement remodeling ideas of what they want from that space.

Someone I know remodeled his basement with a gorgeous home theater. They included a wine cellar with a wine-tasting area for guest. They also designed a beautifully appointed guest room and an exquisite full bathroom.

He used oak trim and leather furniture everywhere. He built a tin ceiling in the wine-tasting room. He installed high quality red broadloom throughout the basement that adds to the atmosphere of his home theater.

This is not what we saw growing up. Nobody ever put that kind of money into a basement remodel. But today, basement remodeling has taken on a new high-end quality.

There's never been a time like now in the world of basement remodeling to get a basement remodeling idea. Ideas for basements are endless. They're getting remodeled into all kinds of uses.