Home Sweet Home on a Budget: Bloggers Finish Their Basements

 

Every Friday during the month of November, I’m going to take you on a tour of budget-minded ideas for what I call “fun spaces” in our houses.  Those fun spaces are the extra rooms like attics, bonus rooms, and basements that—if you have them—you can use purely for fun, recreation, and games!  I know we aren’t all lucky enough to have them, but if you are, you may as well enjoy using them and using them well.

So today, let’s talk about basements.  Basements are possibly the most versatile rooms in your home, with almost limitless potential uses.  But they can be scary—and not just because of the funny banging sound you hear down there when the furnace comes on, or the creepy spider webs hanging from the rafters, or even because of the red shag carpet the original owners installed 40 years ago.  I think there are two main things that intimidate homeowners about basements.  First, it’s the size—unfinished basements can look like one giant room, and sometimes it’s hard to envision the possibilities of a space without walls.  Second, unless you have egress windows, basements can be pretty dark, making it challenging to figure out how to decorate to compensate for all the shadows.

I’ve found some basements to share with you that were finished or renovated by bloggers, and because the transformations are so impressive, we’re going to take a look at how those makeovers started.  I hope seeing how much the following basements changed will inspire you to think about similar spaces in your home more creatively.

Basement Makeover pin pic

Basement Stairs from Bees Knees Bungalow before:

Bees Knees Stairs before

and after:

Bees Knees Stairs after

Basement Redo with checkered floor from 21 Port before:

21 Port basement before

and after:

21 Port basement after

A modern take on a hunting theme basement from Josie Jones & Co. before:

and after:

Josie Jones Co. hunting theme basment after

Basement laundry room redo by Harbor Breeze (featured at Remodelaholic) before:

Harbor Breeze laundry room before

and after:

Harbor Breeze laundry room after

Basement Makeover by Dixie Delights  (featured at Remodelaholic) before:

Dixie Delights basement before

and after:

Dixie Delights basement after

Basement Transformation by Maple Leaves and Sycamore Trees (featured at Remodelaholic) before:

Maple Leaves and Sycamore Trees basement before

and after:

Maple Leaves and Sycamore Trees basement after

A Basement Bath Renovation by Hardwood Roses (featured at Remodelaholic) before:

Hardwood Roses before

and after:

Hardwood Roses bath after

A Basement Bedroom Makeover by Tatertots & Jello before:

Tatertots & Jello basement bedroom before

and after:

Tatertots & Jello basement bedroom after

Basement Laundry redo from Chez Larsson before:

Chez Larson basement laundry before

and after:

Chez Larsson basement laundry after

Featured and Pinterest-friendly pictures in this post from Better Homes & Gardens

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13 Comments

  1. Those are some great makeovers.

    Basements can be a pain. And, I know. I’m now in the process once again of trying to put the finishing touches on mine. Baby steps. *sigh*

  2. Just wondering where I can get a better look at the basement in the first picture – I’m new around here, so forgive me if this is one of your basements and I just don’t know it yet….:)

  3. We’re in the middle of trying to fix up the basement of our 60 yr old house (nothing like an impending graduation party to provide motivation) and seeing these pictures gives me inspiration and hope. We’re leaving the ceiling as is to give us as much heighth as possible, which means pipes, wires and slats will be exposed. We want to paint it all, but I can’t decide between painting it black or the same color as our walls (light taupe). After seeing both choices in pictures of older basements such as ours, I don’t know which way to go – both look great! Anyway, I was so glad to see basements similar to ours in these pics, and how wonderful they look now. Thanks – I really enjoy your site.

  4. I know ads are crucial to websites, but what’s with the Toys R Us banner laid all the way across the screen right over the narrative? I started to read the posting then the banner pops up, would not go away, and there was nothing to ‘click’ to make it disappear. I mention this only because “You can’t fix what you don’t know is broken.”

  5. We are going to start on our basement this fall…there are some great ideas here. I’m hoping I can convince my husband to do some beaded wainscoting in the basement.

  6. Love these transformations! I’ve been surfing and pinning a lot of budget basement renovation ideas. I would like to DIY improve my home’s basement into a great and clean play space for my kids! I’ve been thinking about putting down carpet squares and hanging curtains to hide the concrete walls.