OK, here's a challenge for you creative people out there.
There is absolutely no book with any wild ideas about the fun things you can do with and to an unfinished basement. Here are some of mine, but I'd like to get as many ideas as I can before we draw up plans.
It's a very large basement -- the footprint of a fairly large house -- and it has a walk out. The ceiling is probably 10' above the floor at present, so we can put in a drop ceiling and still have a lot of headroom.
Ideas so far:
- Leave 3-5 feet of the perimeter unfinished and use it as a roller rink. This could be neat, as the path would take you through the rooms of the basement.
- Take a section, maybe 15 x 15 and make a fake ice skating rink out of it using that plastic fake ice.
- Take a section for a combined guest room and music room. Drum set, marimba, upright piano, etc go in there along with a couple of futons on which you could sit, or which could make into beds for guests down there.
- Home theater / media room.
- Party kitchen area: small fridge, microwave, dishwasher, cabinet with dishes.
- Storage space for sure.
What would be really cool? Help!
The current trend (at least as represented on HGTV -- and yes I do watch HGTV, at least during the summer when nothing else is on) seems to be toward home theaters. However, I've always wondered if you really get your money's worth out of something like this. I watch a lot of TV, but I'm not convinced that things would be that much better if I were watching a big screen. It would have a high coolness factor, however.
Right now, of that options you mentioned, I'd vote for the roller rink or the ice skating rink.
Posted by: david at August 30, 2004 3:02 PM
I am all for the roller rink! It would be a great place for exercise, too as it could double as an indoor walking or jogging track. Very useful when the weather isn't cooperating. You could practice your hockey skills and become the MVP for the team. It would also be a creative, fun place for parties for the kids. You would have a great slumber party space. You could use a couple of picnic tables to serve pizza, cake and ice cream. A nice pool table, bar set up, card/game table(s), storage for games would be a good use of space. Maybe a nice quiet room with mirrors on at least one wall, wood floor and a ballet barre for nice stretching exercises, yoga, quiet introspection . . . or a place to practice your fox trot and lindy hop for those ballroom dancing competitions you have always wanted to enter . . . the mind boggles! How about an arts and crafts space or room with lots of storage for supplies? Or, the ultimate in luxury, a gift wrap room! But you definitely need the roller rink around the outer walls. I could have a field day with all these ideas!
Posted by: Dana Shear at September 3, 2004 1:05 PM
If it were me, I would go the music route and build a recording studio: networked computer, drum set, keyboard, guitar, etc. But that's just me.
Posted by: Chris Hill Festival at September 4, 2004 7:35 AM
What about a bowling alley?
Posted by: david at September 6, 2004 11:06 AM