Top 5 Finished Basement Ideas

If you are fortunate to live in an area where you can have a finished basement you have probably dreamed of making the basement into your own retreat. Unlike the main level of your home plan where you need to be practical and have things like a kitchen, dining room, mud room, bedrooms and living spaces the finished basement plan can be whatever you can dream of. We have designed thousands of finished basement remodel plans and have thought of some really cool ideas for homeowners. How about a finished basement with a gun range, yes we have done that. We have had customers that wanted to showcase there cars behind there couch separated by wall to ceiling of glass, pretty cool idea if your show car is a 67 Shelby Mustang within arms reach of your frosty beverage. We designed a glass enclosure under a fireplace that housed a fat boy Harley Davidson, just because we can. Note that took some engineering. One of the most unique ideas we have designed would be an indoor/ outdoor pool with a grotto.

What do you think of when designing a finished basement plan? Homeowners all over the country have different ideas and we have compiled a list of the top 5 finished basement ideas that homeowners are wanting in their finished basement.

1. Wet Bar

Seems common that you would want a wet bar in the basement right? The wet bars have evolved from what I had in my parents home. Today's wet bars can be designed in many different configurations. Some homeowners want to have a wet bar just for snacks and sodas for the kids. Maybe a small under counter refrigerator, sink and a microwave for popcorn would suffice for a family wet bar with adequate seating around the bar.

Another design is the party wet bar. This design has an oversized refrigerator, sink, raised bar seating on all sides, television behind the bar and the built-in kegerator. Also, we like to add a wine cellar with an iron gate. Lighting on a party bar is crucial as well, typically under counter lighting is popular as well as a lit up bar sign. Don't forget to add a little extra space for bar games such as darts!

Last would be the game day wet bar. You will need plenty of seating, a lot of tv's, space for the game day dishes and crock pots and of course the oversized refrigerator. This bar design is the most common and one of our favorites. It can be designed with passion and love for your favorite team. Maybe you're a baseball fan and want authentic Wrigley field seats next to the bar, or original torn down bricks from Fenway Park as the base of the island. Maybe your wet bar is next to a pool table. Leave space on the built-in shelves for sports memorabilia and memories.

2. Fitness Room

When designing a house plan many homeowners' first request is a home gym. That is a place where they can go burn off the calories from the pizza they had from lunch. Not all fitness rooms are designed the same because today there are so many ways that people exercise. Home plans of the past designers would add a square room and call it an exercise room, today we like to put some thought into the area. We like to design yoga studios with an inside/ outside access and a lot of natural light.  Lighting is key to a good yoga studio. As well as a good flooring for the yoga mats.

If your fitness is cycling do you spin alone or with a group? We have designed spin rooms with access from outside so your buddies can bring over their bikes and spin without having to carry the bikes through the home. Soundproofing the walls is also a good idea for spin rooms, not only because the bikes tend to get loud but many spinners crank up the music to help push through the inclines.

Maybe lifting is your exercise, this design requires a good amount of space and a solid concrete floor. When designing a fitness room for lifting you want to set up the area in stations. Many people start off with the dumbbell rack so having a wall with mirrors is a good start. Also adding a rubber floor on top of the concrete will help for the dropping of weights. Wall mounted or ceiling mounted fans is a plus to keep you cool. And like the Spin room, add soundproofing if you do not use headphones because no one works out without music!

3. Home Theater

When designing a home theater in your finished basement you have 2 ways doing it. The conventional way of designing a home theater room is to take the finished basements family room and add the oversized TV screen or projection screen to the room with a sound system. Many prefer this method because the room can be used as two spaces. Add some thought into space when you design it, maybe a ceiling detail will help define the space. Make sure you have blackout shades on the windows for watching movies during the day, a comfy couch and recliner is a must as well. The sound system does not need to be located in the room, only the speakers do. Today's components allow you to Bluetooth into different areas such as a storage room for the not so attractive components. Another popular idea is to add a raised snack ledge behind the couch for extra seating and eating. The sound in this type of space is not perfectly ideal, but with the technology of today, it's pretty good in an open space.

Another home theater design is the enclosed theater room. This space is designed with one purpose in mind and that is the home theater experience. A rectangular room with elevated seating and an oversized projection wall. Soundproofing the walls and ceiling will not only help with the above floors but it will entrap the sound. Rows of theater recliners and no windows will give the space a true theater feel. Add wall sconces and your favorite movie posters to make it your own.

4. Sports Court

Where do you go when it's cold and snowing outside, the sports court. Another great idea to add to your home design. This feature needs to be talked about during the design of your house plan because it will take up some space and require some engineering. We have designed sports courts on the basement level, below the basement level, below the garage floor and even below a driveway. How do you design below a garage floor or a driveway you ask hollow core forms. This product is an engineered concrete floor system that has oversized spans and allows us to create some pretty cool spaces. Sports courts are a great idea for many reasons. They allow for activity all season long regardless of the weather. It will keep your kids and their friends entertained for hours upon hours. And they are simply just impressive. What kind of activity can we do in a sports court? We have designed them for basketball, volleyball, hockey, baseball batting cages, skateboarding, and just an indoor playground.

When designing your sports court think about what you will be using it for. It is nice to have storage access for balls, nets, etc. Also, a bathroom nearby is a must. Some designs have windows that look in from above so you can see the athletes while you're prepping for dinner. If you are worried about the sound of a ball bouncing on the court try carpeting the floor with a thin commercial grade carpet. The ball will still bounce and the sound is a gone.

5. Golf Room

One of the worlds most popular sports is now available to play in your own man cave. Yep, you heard that right golf from inside your finished basement with a golf room. Today's home can be so much more than just sleeping quarters and if you are a golf enthusiast that can't make it to the greens a golf room will let you play at home and hit into a screen. Many golf simulators let you play the best courses around the world with a golf simulator. When designing one into your home plan an ideal space would need to be 15' wide x 15' deep and 10' high although you can go larger and possibly slightly smaller if you do not have space. When designing the room it is nice to have 3 side walls with the back wall open, possibly to a wet bar or great room. Other popular design trends are to have snack ledges designed into the room for your drinks and bench/ lockers to store the clubs and golf shoes.

If you are wanting your finished basement designed with some of the latest trends contact Advancedhouseplans.com