Right now, your basement may be concrete, a boiler, last year’s Christmas décor and a few spiders. You’ve probably thought about basement renovation ideas to turn it into something amazing. Many people make the mistake of duplicating rooms from upstairs, downstairs: adding a TV room that is your current living room, but perhaps with a bigger TV or a guest bedroom that could go unused for months. Unless you are planning on renting out a second suite you don’t need to turn your basement into an apartment: you can add something to your home that you don’t have upstairs—something that will add value, interest and fun to your home.

Spa and Fitness Suite

With neutral tones, minimalist décor and tiled floors, your basement could resemble a high-end day spa with minimal effort. From there you can start adding wow features: a tub for a relaxing bath, a sauna room to sweat the stress out and a quiet space for mindfulness meditation. Once you’re done working on your mind a fitness area is easy to set up even if the equipment itself is expensive: padded flooring, a mirror wall to check your form and a sound system for some workout inspiration should be all you need.

Band Practice Space

Along with the garage, basements are the classic place for bands to practice. Whether you and your friends are playing in a real band or you just like hitting some drums to de-stress, your basement is the perfect place to rock out. A wide-open space, acoustic padding to reduce the sound that leaks out and some electrical outlets for amps and instruments should be all you need. For the real pros, you can add a recording booth and mixing desk station, though not all future buyers will enjoy this feature.

REAL Home Cinema

There’s home cinema—a big TV and 5.1 surround—and there’s a Home Cinema: rows of comfortable reclining seats, a huge projection screen, gorgeous dimmable lights and a full-size popcorn machine. It can be a place to watch the game with a beer from a mini-fridge or somewhere that all your friends will want to come to. With enough imagination, your home cinema can deliver a theatre-quality experience without the sticky carpet and people talking on phones.

Wine Cellar

If you’re a serious wine aficionado then you’ve probably dreamed of filling your own wine cellar with rare vintages from across the world. Your basement renovation could provide the perfect place for this. The décor can be as simple as bottle racks on the walls to high-tech cooling systems to keep everything perfect. Most basement wine cellars use exposed stone and dark wood for a rustic feel, but it’s equally possible to go more minimalist to achieve a trendy wine-bar look.

Craft and Hobby Space

If you’ve got hobbies or practice a craft then clearing off the dining room table is probably an inconvenience that you don’t need. A dedicated crafting space, with all your supplies, appropriate lighting and easy-to-clean surfaces, solves this problem. What you’ll need will depend on what you’re doing, but it will inevitably involve surfaces, bright lighting and lots of storage space.

Pool

This is the big one, especially when combined with a spa. Building a basement pool might not be possible in every basement, but if it is then you can expect your resale value to skyrocket and a lot more friends ‘just stopping by’. You can go for a brightly lit spa feel, a professional swimming gym with an infinity pool, or go all-in on a grotto with waterfalls and statues.

You might have an idea for a basement renovation project that we haven’t covered here, or perhaps something above has inspired you to finally start working on the basement of your dreams. Either way, or for anything else construction-related, get in touch.