Basement Ideas

Transform your drab basement into a functional and beautiful living space. Explore thousands of basement ideas for every budget. Whether you're planning a full basement remodel, looking for finished basement inspiration, or need creative DIY projects for a basement bar or playroom, our community has you covered. Find step-by-step guides, videos, and smart solutions for your space

Basement Ideas

Top Projects for Basements

All the top DIY basement projects are right here. Check them out.

A Bit of Basement Organization

After a few intense hours of rolling up my sleeves and digging in, I got a huge portion of our

Living Rich on Less - Susan

MenDen Basement Finish. All Re-purposed Materials.

My wife and I wanted to give our three boys a great place to hang out. So we did some work on the basement over the past few months. It was unfinished, but framed out previously. We only purchased a few boards, some stain, nails, can lights, and a few tools... to complete this project. Everything else was picked up for free. There are still a few things to button up. I will make posts on those later.

JayN

Painted Vinyl Basement Floor

We painted our vinyl basement floor...and let me tell you, this makeover is worth having a party over! There was nothing more grungy that this vinyl floor in by basement. The warranty has long been over and not matter how hard you tried to clean it, it was just ugh!!

Amy Ellis @ StowandTellU

Walk-In Cold Storage Room in Your Basement - DIY Root Cellar

In 2003, I decided to build myself a cold storage room in my home basement. Homesteaders name this a Positive Cold Room. The goal was to store garden kitchen vegetable, canning, canned food and beverages. Of course, one of my wishes was to be able to walk in the cold to access to the shelves (Walk-in Cold Room). I built removable shelves inside and wooden vegetable bins. For detailed building instructions: ---> Build a Cold Room in Basement Comments? storage

Pascal Tremblay

Basement Renovation with Recreation Area and Kitchen ~ Greenwich, CT

One of Titus Built's Greenwich, CT clients had approximately 10,000 sf of “formal” living space, but no rooms for his teenagers and their friends to hang out. Jeff Titus, and his team, were contracted to create design concept plans and then to remodel their large basement. When designing the space it was important for us to make sure the entire renovated space feel like it “belonged” with the rest of their home, per our client's request. Scope of Work: • Remodel existing finished basement into Home Gym, Recreation Room and TV Room. • Create large masonry stairway with open access to backyard, pool and sports court. • New flooring and crown molding in existing vestibule and existing hall at bottom of curved stairs. If you are a homeowner thinking about renovating your basement it is important you understand that the key part of a remodel is the design. Each homeowner’s criteria for their basement renovation is different and it is important that you choose an architect or design-build remodeler that maximizes the footprint to meet your specific needs while adding function to some of the most underused space in your home. Here's a link to the beginning of the project post: 10,000+ sf Home in Greenwich, CT with No Recreation Rooms for the Kids!

Sharon Bothwell

Basement Concession Stand

While finishing our basement we decided it would be a good idea to add a little concession area to our entertainment zone. Makes for a good space to play games and grab a snack.

Mike

Dark Basement Becomes A Cozy Family Room

Our basement was dark and bland, and the layout was strange with no where to put the sofa, without closing the room in. It was not fun to play in for our daughter, and it was a hard room to hang out in with friends. We repainted the room a dusky purple, got a new sofa, and completely got rid of our bookshelves and almost all of our books (we went digital)! A new rug and accessories helped to update the space. A new tv mounted above the fireplace cut down on furniture, leaving more floor space, and I made a coffee table out of repurposed pallets! To see more, visit: http://www.craftynester.com/2012/07/basement-makeover.html To see more about the pallet table, visit: http://www.craftynester.com/2012/07/a-new-pallet-table.html

Joanna

Moroccan-Inspired Basement Makeover

When my husband and I relocated for his new job, we lived with his parents while we searched for a place of our own. Itching for some home improvement between houses, I helped my mother-in-law with a makeover of her basement inspired by a trip she took to Morocco!

Sara Bates

Basement Family Room Redo for Under $1000

Whats a 1957 house without a dark and dingy basement, right? After 5 years I decided that I desperately needed to redo our basement for the massive amount of toys our three year old son had accumulated. I enlisted the help of my husband to clear the family room out, mainly so he could be moral support if I came across a spider that wanted to attack me. Okay, so maybe I needed some muscle too.

Megan Schultz

Basement Makeover - From Cellar to Media Room

If you are luck enough to have a basement, you are lucky indeed. But not every basement starts out pretty.

Darla DeMorrow

A Bit of Basement Organization

After a few intense hours of rolling up my sleeves and digging in, I got a huge portion of our

Living Rich on Less - Susan

MenDen Basement Finish. All Re-purposed Materials.

JayN

Basement Concession Stand

While finishing our basement we decided it would be a good idea to add a little concession area to our entertainment zone. Makes for a good space to play games and grab a snack.

Mike

Dark Basement Becomes A Cozy Family Room

Joanna

Moroccan-Inspired Basement Makeover

Sara Bates

Basement Family Room Redo for Under $1000

Megan Schultz

Basement Makeover - From Cellar to Media Room

If you are luck enough to have a basement, you are lucky indeed. But not every basement starts out pretty.

Darla DeMorrow

Check out our DIY basement slideshows for ideas for your own projects.

DIY Basement Videos

Looking for videos on how to create the perfect basement? We've got you covered.

Episode 5: Dingy Basement to Dreamy Guestroom

< Previous episode | Next episode >Michelle was tired of her run-down basement and desperately wanted to give it a makeover. She was craving a functional and fashionable guestroom, but she didn't know where to start. Michelle decided to bring in Hometalk DIYer Alicia W. to help her plan a design, get the right materials, and get started on some simple updates to transform her space.

DIY Nearby

Basement Renovation: From Dark and Neglected to Bright and Inspiring!

Damaged walls and a worn out stained carpet were just some of the challenges in making over this dark and neglected basement. It took many creative and inexpensive projects but I finally have a bright and inspiring creative space where I can experiment and test out new design ideas!

Engineer Your Space

How to Frame a Basement Wall

I recently started finishing our basement. In this video, I'm sharing the process I've been following to add insulation and frame the perimeter walls. I'm using 2" thick XPS foamboard as insulation. The XPS gets glued to the foundation walls and when installed, will also act as a vapor barrier.On the basement floor, a pressure treated 2x4 board gets nailed down using a ramset fastener.The top board then gets installed and the wall studs get installed one at a time.

John

A Cold Tiled Basement is Transformed Into a Fun Playroom for Kids

Houses typically come with a blank slate of concrete floors, framed and insulated exterior walls, and endless possibilities. Our basement came partially finished with carpet and tile flooring, but no ceiling and not to code plumbing, electrical and heating.

Brooke Berry

Hometalkers' Favorite DIY Basement Projects

Looking for the best DIY basement projects to inspire you? Look no further.

11 Amazing Basement Remodeling Ideas

One of the easiest ways to expand the size of your home can be achieved by remodeling your basement. So let’s head downstairs to check out these 11 outstanding basement remodeling ideas, shall we?

Best Of Hometalk

Basement Bar - From Outdated to Updated

It's been a long time coming, but I've finally tackled my outdated basement bar! I know many of you Hometalker's hate painted wood. But let me tell you, this was paneling. It's not nice wood, so please go easy on me :) Full details are on the blog. Here are a few snippets!

Andrea

Makeover A Basement Floor For Less Than $300

Flooring is one of the most expensive changes to make in a home and can easily fall to the bottom of the to-do list because of budget. Give your floors a makeover without breaking the bank by using our floor stencils! A stencil pattern is the secret to adding affordable style to your space. Today we’re going to share with you a stenciled cement floor featuring our Paisley Allover Stencil.

Cutting Edge Stencils

Basement Movie Room Makeover

I've always wanted a finished basement, but, even though our current house has a big basement with high ceilings and lots of space, a "real" finished basement has never been in the budget. We finally decided to stop waiting and go ahead and spend a little money and do a lot of work to turn part of our basement into a finishedish space to use for family movie and game nights.

Gretchen

DIY Basement Apartment Kitchen

After living "temporarily" in a tiny basement apartment in Toronto ( for 5 + years).. it was starting to wane on me. I was waiting to invest any $$ into my REAL house.. but, I also don’t have any immediate plans to move out- so enough was enough- I made a sweet deal with my amazing landlord.. and made completely made over my basement apartment kitchen, on a major budget! (All in under $2000).

Aut Ashley

A Bit of Basement Organization

After a few intense hours of rolling up my sleeves and digging in, I got a huge portion of our

Living Rich on Less - Susan

11 Amazing Basement Remodeling Ideas

One of the easiest ways to expand the size of your home can be achieved by remodeling your basement. So let’s head downstairs to check out these 11 outstanding basement remodeling ideas, shall we?

Best Of Hometalk

Basement Bar - From Outdated to Updated

Andrea

Makeover A Basement Floor For Less Than $300

Cutting Edge Stencils

Basement Movie Room Makeover

Gretchen

DIY Basement Apartment Kitchen

Aut Ashley

A Bit of Basement Organization

After a few intense hours of rolling up my sleeves and digging in, I got a huge portion of our

Living Rich on Less - Susan

Popular Basement Discussions

Looking to discuss ideas to help you make your own basement oasis? Discuss here.

How to update basement or add bedroom?

/> Luci

How do we update our basement without spending a lot of money and not painting the paneling? Room is approximately 20 X 60. There is a bedroom to the right by the mattresses. Would like another place to sleep when family comes, but not sure if want to give up the space as grandkids love to play there? Thanks in advance!

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Tips for finishing a basement ceiling on a budget?

/> Marta Holmes

I would love to finish the ceiling in my basement inexpensively It is an area that sometimes gets water on the floor -I would love to cover the insulation ,plumbing and heat and air vents

Tips for finishing a basement ceiling on a budget?

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How to get sunlight into basement living area?

/> Cas7632911

Windows are INSIDE window wells, but window wells are UNDER extended bay window wall on floor above.

How to get sunlight into basement living area?

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How do I make my basement walls nice?

/> Nechamah Goldfarb

My basement walls were painted by previous owners and the paint is coming off, plus there are cracks here and there (supposedly not dangerous). Would paint alone do the job (and if so, which kind) or do I need some kind of wall concrete, or stucco, or what?

View discussion

New Basement Projects

What's trending in the world of DIY basements? We have compiled it all here.

Basement Ideas: Creating a Bright & Stylish Hampton Retreat

My husband and I have completed 11 full renovations and built 3 new homes. Just thinking back on all the dirt and long nights makes me exhausted but it was worth it. Hard work for all those years allowed us to eventually build a lovely home on a small acreage with breathtaking views. Looking back on all of renovations and new builds, the last project we tackled was always the basement. It is no different in the present house because it has been seven years since we broke ground and now we have finally have the basement complete. Phew!!! What a journey. With all this experience, I have many basement ideas to share with you and I think you are going to love the transformation.Design ConsiderationsFirst, let’s discuss the area we are working with. The room is almost a square and is 22 feet by 25 feet. The ceilings are 9 feet high and there is a small bank of cabinets along one wall.