Basement Refinishing Ideas
Like any good room, a basement can be "touched up" to add a greater degree of comfort to it. The basement is, in most homes, just wasted space. It holds the power box and fuses. Water pipes run through it. It holds the little odds and ends that are too heavy to lift to the attic. Period. However, there are also people out there who have recognized that the basement is actually an extra floor to the house, and have begun to refinish their basements accordingly. Here are just a few ideas you may want to indulge in to help you touch up your basement and keep it from becoming nothing more than an oversized closet.
Wall Mounted Shelves - while conventional large cabinets are a bit too bulky to be carried to and from a basement, you can use wall shelves to increase the room's storage space. Just keep in mind that it's best to use superglue to attach these shelves to the walls, as basements usually have a lot of metal running underneath their bare concrete walls. These metal bars inset in the concrete are more prominent in old basements because they are part of the house's foundations. The reason I advocate superglue should be obvious to most handymen out there: drilling holes in your wall is all well and good, but suddenly running into a metal bar set in the concrete can absolutely ruin a good drill bit, not to mention the potential accidents that having your power drill buck in your hand can cause.
Work Bench - the garage is one good place to put a work bench, but since nosy and complaining neighbors are a fact of life, it's actually a good idea to take your power tools and move to the basement. It's safe, it's seluded, and you can haul most of your projects into and out of the room with ease. If you're the type of handyman who likes making big projects, however, you should consider expanding the door of your basement to accomodate the larger pieces you'll be working on. Another advantage of a basement workbench over a garage one is that you have a lot more room to work with down there.
Acoustic Lining - this idea goes hand in hand with the work bench idea. Since you'll be working with power tools, the last thing you want to do is to give the wife an excuse to nag you about all the noise you're making. Or even if you don't go the route of a basement work bench, acoustic lining goes a long way towards not only keeping any noise in the basement from leaking out into the rest of the house, it also keeps noise from getting into the basement. This gives you a nice, peaceful, quiet place to lock yourself up in when you just want to be alone with your thoughts. Just don't give your mother in law the keys to the basement...
Thermal Insulation - being subterranean, the basement can either be heaven or hell from the elements. Normally, it will be hot, humid, and stuffy during the summer, and as cold and frigid as your mother in law's heart during the winter. However, with proper thermal insulation lining the walls and ceiling, the basement can actually be the LEAST affected room in the house by seasonal changes. Proper thermal lining can trap heat and warm the room during the winter, and can likewise trap and expel heat during the summer, keeping the room cooler.
Softlight Lamps - on an aesthetic note, basements should not be dim little affairs. They are already underground to begin with, so dim lighting adds to the feeling of claustrophobia in a basement. On the other hand, fluorescent lamps are too harsh ang glaring for a basement. Using classic, old fashioned light bulbs gives a softer light that gives a basement a feeling of relaxation and solace.
Bathroom - lastly, think about putting a bathroom in the basement. It's actually one of the ideal places to put one, since most house's water pipes and heaters are situated in the basement. Putting a bathroom here ensures that you get first dibs on the hot water for a good steamy shower before the rest of the household does. Also, since most septic tanks are located underneath the basement, you won't even have any problems with installing the toilet.
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