If you have children and a basement that is not being used, it is time to create a play area. There are lots of reasons to renovate the basement and turn it into a space haven for your children, regardless of age. To top it off, moving the kids to the basement for play and entertainment means a cleaner house.
Getting ready
The first step is to ensure that the basement is safe enough for children. So before you start planning do the necessary research. In most areas, if the basement will be used for living space, then an emergency exit will be needed. In most cases additional insulation is also required.
Adult space
If you are remodeling the basement for young children, you should consider a space for adults as well. If you work at home, consider setting up a workstation in an area where you can keep an eye on the children while they play. However, if your children are teenagers, then you can skip the adult space.
Storage
For small children, you should make sure that shelves are secure so they cannot topple over. Next, the shelves should be knee high so that small children can easily reach their favorite toys or books. Bins are also good storage units for the basement, however these need to be small so there is no risk of children falling in.
Play
In the basement is large enough also consider using knee wall partitions to help break up the room into different areas: active play area, passive play area such as puzzles, reading area and even a sleep area. Again depending on the size of the basement, you may be able to install small slides, swings and trampoline. A climbing wall is also a great idea, especially if you have active kids. To keep children safe, especially if they will be taking part in some of these activities, make sure the walls are and floors are padded. This will protect them if they fall or bump into the walls.
Color and Design
The color choices must also be lively and child-friendly. Bright colors are popular with children. If the kids are younger than 10 years old consider painting their favorite characters that they like such as a Disney princess or a superhero on a wall.
However, bear in mind that your child or children will get older and their needs will change. Based on this, whatever you do should be easy to redo or change to fit your children’s changing likes. We can assist you with creating the perfect basement space that will fit your needs now and in the future. Take a look at our other basement remodeling ideas and our gallery of past projects to get a good idea of our workmanship before picking up the phone. Call us at 860-667-8105 if you’re in Newington or the surrounding areas and would like to start making plans for remodeling your basement.
