Basement Needs Improvement. What Would You Do?

If you were my client, I'd advise you to paint, paint, paint!  Assuming that you're on a limited budget and do not want to do a complete basement remodel, there are inexpensive things that you could do to greatly improve this basement.

Paint the paneling a light neutral to lighten up the dark basement.  If you don't trust yourself to do a professional job, hire a professional!!!  Paint the stairs a coordinating color.  Paint the built-in cabinet and update the hardware on it, then stage it like a bar (that may already be what it is, but it's hard to tell from this photo).  Get rid of the frumpy window treatment.  And lastly, pull up that carpeting and replace it with new carpet squares available from Lowe's or Home Depot.  The paint, new cabinet hardware and carpet squares would go a LONG way towards making this basment feel fresher, lighter and more current.  To take it to the next level, bring in furniture and accessories.  Again, from this picture alone, it's hard to tell how much space we have here or exactly what we're working with.  The above recommendations, however, are a great start!

I agree painting will give a great return on your investment.  If the walls are finished behind the paneling I would also recommend removing the paneling, not painting the paneling.  Even if the walls are not finished it would pay to have them finished out. Painting the stairs I agree would also be recommended. Paint the french door too and remove the window treatment and replace with something more updated.  Bring the room up to what buyers are seeking in 2009.

I can't tell from the photo but if the flooring is in disrepair this is another area I would invest in updating.  Tile is cheap as is staining concrete for a modern look without a big expense. Warm up the floor with a large area rug.

You also need to identify uses for this space;

• man cave
• playroom
• workout area
• media room
• office
• guest suite

The choices are many and it will give prospective buyers ideas for what to do with the space.  Pull from items you have in the rest of your home or buy some inexpensive pieces from Ikea, Target or Pier One. 

Basements are a large extension of living space and you will definitely see a return on the investment here of making simple cost effective improvements. Good luck!

Well, my first recommendation would be to eliminate the dropped ceiling and industrial lighting.

I'd then address the awkward and useless window by enlarging it and installing glass block. The view from a basement window usually isn't anything to write home about anyway, but the diffuse light from glass blocks enhances any room and require no window treatments or constant cleaning.

Painting the paneling, adding moulding , and new flooring would all be next on my hit list.

To DIY this job would cost the seller about $2000-3000 bucks depending on the size of the room.

To contract the big stuff, it would be about $5000-8000.

I'd estimate the seller would add at least $10,000 to $20,000 in equity, depending on the location. Totally worth it!

~Michelle

Great advice from all of you.  And Michelle, again you showed very effectively how good it can look.  I once wrote a post about a basement project I worked on in my own home.  The basement had a similar layout as the one listed above.  Below is what we did.  It definitely became, as Karen calls it, a "man cave."  More importantly, however, it became a GREAT home selling feature that added tremendous value to the house.

This is awesome! I would buy this house just because of this room!