The Drawing Board Studio

Have big dreams about your new home? Don’t worry about reaching for the sky — start thinking about digging into the ground.

Full basement foundations are more expensive and more time-consuming to build than their slab or crawlspace alternatives, but can be well worth it. Finished or unfinished basements have great potential for increasing your homes value. Besides kitchen and bath renovations, finishing an un-finished basement can provide the greatest return on your investment.

But never mind the long-term financial benefits basements provide. Consider the other ways your basement can pay you back:

Climate: Basements are cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. Because they are naturally insulated by the earth, you’ll spend less on heating and cooling costs and find yourself drawn there on particularly hot or cold days.

Peace and Quiet: If you long for an escape from the hectic routine upstairs, get away to the basement. On the other hand, if your children’s playroom or your spouse’s exercise room makes too much of a racket where it is, move it to the basement and reclaim the quiet upstairs.

More Space: Maybe you were planning on using that extra bedroom as a home office before a new addition to the family created the need for a nursery. With a basement, you could always move the office downstairs. With less and less space available around homes, expanding down is usually a more attractive option than expanding out.

Many advancements and discoveries have been made for basements in the last few years, so the dark and dreary basement you were probably scared of as a little kid is now the family gathering spot. Advancements in moisture prevention eliminate the dingy, moldy wet basement. Added height to the ceiling eliminates the feel of a cave or dungeon. And the use of floor trusses allow for hidden duct work eliminating add on or build down soffits to hide unsightly ducts. Today’s basements are cozy, inviting spaces that make for great use. The possibilities for your basement are almost endless — including something as simple as an extra bedroom or as extraordinary as a sauna. But because of the qualities inherent in a finished basement, some rooms are perfectly suited for the space, these rooms may include:

• Media Room: Since it’s quiet and secluded, the basement can be a perfect place to escape and watch a movie in an entertainment room or home theater. If your basement is dark, it can be ideal for a media room. You may want to take special care with wall and floor coverings, as well as furnishings, to preserve the sound quality.
• Activity Room: Whether it’s a home workshop for the do-it-yourselfer in the family, an art studio, or a child’s playroom, you can find a home for it in the basement. It’s easily accessible yet out of the way, and will free up space upstairs.
• Laundry Room: Homeowners constantly want more and more out of their laundry room and the basement is one spot where it’s easy to deliver. It offers space that is usually hard to come by on a house’s main level and easy access to necessary components like water and drainage.
• Rec Room: Entertaining can be a blast in a fully outfitted rec room, complete with a pool table or other fun accessories. Homeowners often feel more comfortable taking chances with decorating themes in their basements that they might be hesitant to try upstairs. A walk-out basement can be even more suited for entertaining in warm weather if it opens up to a patio or backyard.
• Home Spa: If you want to really indulge — and enjoy the peace and quiet of the basement — consider adding a whirlpool or sauna to your basement.
• Food Storage: It is always a good idea to be prepared. With the basement walls being insulated by the earth, the temperature stays cool and constant all year long. Food can be preserved longer at lower temperatures. A food storage room can fit in any awkward or tight space the basement will allow.

With all these options, a basement may be just what you are looking for. As you search for the perfect plan, keep the possibility of a basement in mind if you can – consider it deep thinking.