Disclosure: This is a guest post.
If only the basement in your house can speak, it would probably tell you, “Please notice me.” Compared to the other parts of the house, the basement gets little attention, and people invest little to no money for its improvement and maintenance. Most of the time, basements serve as a storage room, laundry area, garage, maintenance room, or HVAC (heat, ventilation, and air conditioning) area.
But it is never too late to give the basement a much-needed makeover so you can enjoy an additional living space. With the right planning, you can transform the basement into a man-cave, an entertainment area, a guest room, and more. The ideas are limitless.
Just like any room makeover, the cost of redesigning the basement can also be shocking. Sticking with a tight budget only means narrowing down the improvements to be prioritized. Below are some brilliant basement-makeover ideas that won’t break the bank.
Extra Bathroom
Who would not love to have an additional bathroom, especially when everybody else at home is getting ready during the day? The basement is the perfect place to install an extra bathroom for “emergency” cases.
Building an extra bathroom in the basement will cost around $15,000, and a huge percentage of that will be going to the plumbing fee.
Cut a significant portion of that cost by buying an effective macerating toilet instead of the ordinary toilet. This modern toilet is an ideal whole-home toilet because it is durable, beautiful, and is designed to work hard.
Storage Solution
If the basement has always been the storage area and you want to tidy it up the Marie Kondo way, the key will always be to use multipurpose storage boxes.
Invest in stylish yet affordable cubby boxes, baskets, containers, and shelves, and organize stuff depending on their function. Separate each group, and take extra effort in labeling each storage box. This will make it easier to locate the box the next time someone has to go down the basement to look for something.
Lighting
Basements don’t always have to be the dark room that kids are afraid of and later on becomes the source of horror stories. Find a way to make natural light get in by installing a small basement window with mirror tiles.
Since most basements have a limited area for electrical outlets, installing additional lighting can be a bit of a problem. But who says you need more outlets to light up this hidden space? With just one outlet, you can hang some industrial string lights and turn the basement into a romantic set-up.
Aside from playful string lights, artificial lighting like battery-powered LED candles can also be a brilliant way to brighten up the room. Apart from being an accent lighting, it can also come in handy during a power outage.
Add Curtains
Basements usually are one big room without divisions to separate each area. Instead of spending money on wall installations, why not try using old curtains to divide the space and create a dimension?
If installing a track on the ceiling seems to be a problem, try to use a wire and stretch it across the room for a cost-free curtain divider.
Playroom
Young kids and toddlers also need their own space where they can hang out while adults are busy with household chores. Turning the basement into a playroom is something the kids will surely love.
Just make sure to childproof the basement for a worry-free playtime. See the checklist below:
- Do not leave hazardous materials like detergent, bleach, or sharp objects lying around. If there’s no other room to store such items, make sure to keep them out of reach, and place safety locks on cabinets and doors.
- Seal electrical outlets, or buy a power strip cover box.
- Anchor shelves, cabinets, and other storage items to avoid accidents.
- Install smoke alarms.
- Put play mats or a fluffy carpet to avoid head injury.
Bottom Line
Isolating the basement from the entire house is something that people are guilty about. With these budget-friendly makeover ideas, the basement will no longer be the forgotten room—instead, they’ll become everyone’s favorite part of the house.
That picture sadly reminds me of my basement. I have ignored it and I have not finished it. I have a few other priorities but your ideas for the basement are so good.
Mine needs a lot of work as well. My whole house does haha.
I adore lighting. Make good choices here and your space just “lights” up. (see what I did there.) I love all your suggestions.
I agree. Lighting can really make a difference.
Basements sound like they are such a great area you can do so much with! I like the idea of making it into a space you can really use an extra bathroom is always useful for sure.
I agree. I know someday we’ll be working on our basement too.
We used to live in a house that was 150 years old. It was a gorgeous brick house with a strange basement. I was able to turn one half of the basement into a craftroom/work room. That was one of my favorite houses because of the incredible space we made in the basement. It wasn’t fancy, but it made our house so much more livable since we never had to deal with craft stuff or sewing stuff in our main living spaces.
Sounds like it was a great home. We live in an older home ourselves. I believe at least sixty plus years old.
These are great ideas! They make me wish I had a basement. I’ll have to show my friends who do have one.
I definitely need to fix up mine for sure.
These are great ideas for basement makeover and I like the idea of making an extra bathroom on the basement for emergency cases most especially if you have visitors.
Right! I’d love an extra bathroom in my basement too.
A basement can be made into a nice space. These are good ideas to consider with using the best of the space
I completely agree. It really can.
This Basement Makeover Ideas are really awesome! I will definitely keep this in mind for future reference. Thanks for sharing!
Of course! I know I’ll be updating my basement at some point.
OMG! I can’t believe this makeover! I am so impressed. Now I know that every place has hope!
Right! I agree.
Those are great ideas to use your basement to its full potential. I like a basement with a lot of natural light too. Otherwise, they’d be creepy to me. 🙂
I agree with the lightening. I love lots of light in the basement too.
Love all these ideas! We do not have a basement but my sister has. It’s perfect for additional storage.
My basement sure needs a lot of work itself.
Basements can seem like a tough project to take on. As long as you take your time and plan well then things get much easier.
I completely agree.
Now that there are easy to install cabinets and floorings in the market, DIYing is not impossible to do. I love inexpensive make-overs!
Right!
I am going to share these tips with my sister in law. She owns a house with a basement! This would be very useful for her!
Thank you for sharing!
I haven’t owned a home that includes a basement but I can see how it could easily be neglected. Plus, turning it into useable space should increase the homes value if you ever decide to sell.
Agreed. I have a basement and I love the extra space.
WOW great ideas, we are moving soon and the house has a basement that I could make into a cool place for more space for crafting, thank you for sharing
I love having a basement. There is so much more you can do.
One of the best things I did in our old basement was to paint all the cement walls and clean up the floors. I didn’t have the money for a complete overhaul but just painting it made such a huge difference!
That is one thing we’re working on as well. It really does make a big difference.