6 Ideas for Unused Attic or Basement Space
June 7, 2018Your home may have a finished attic and basement, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you’re using the space right now. If you’re itching to redecorate or find a specific use for the space, here are a few ideas for unused attic or basement space:
1. Home Office
You can easily turn unused space in a finished attic or basement into the home office you need. Whether it’s just adding a desk and some chairs or taking it a step further with bookshelves, filing cabinets, and more, you already have the finished space for it. It’s just a matter of moving some things around and putting the furniture where you want it to design a productive home office.
2. Craft Room
It’s easy to start running out of space when you start a new hobby or get into crafting. Another one of the ideas for unused attic or basement space is turning it into a craft room is a great way to use the space and keep all of your supplies in one place. Instead of moving supplies from room to room as you need to, you can store it in a designated place. With some extra planning, you can create the ultimate craft room!
With some drawers, cabinets, and shelving, your art or craft supplies will all have a place and stay organized. Plus, you won’t have to go into other rooms or searching through supplies for what you need while working on a project – it’s all in your craft room and within reach. This is also a good solution for storing wrapping paper and wrapping supplies for birthdays, Christmas, and other events. Then, you also have a designated place for wrapping presents easily and without cluttering up other rooms in your home.
3. Bedroom
Depending on your attic, you could even turn it into another bedroom. As long as it meets the legal requirements, it can be an official bedroom. This means it needs to be at least 70-80 square feet at a minimum and must also measure at least 7 feet in any horizontal direction. For at least half of the ceiling, 7 feet tall is the minimum.
There must be at least two ways out of the room, which usually consists of a door and a window. The window needs to meet the minimum size requirements; this is usually 5.7 square feet. One of the final requirements for qualifying officially as a bedroom is a heating and cooling element. A space heater does not count for heating, but central air or being able to open a window satisfies the cooling element.
4. Extra Storage
Whenever there is unused space in your home, storage is a go-to use for that space. Unused attic or basement space can become general storage or you can make it specific. Plus, there are plenty of ways to maximize attic storage in your custom home design. Depending on the space available and the placement of other rooms in relation to them, you could create a walk-in closet-type space for clothing and shoe storage.
This can be particularly useful if seasonal clothing makes your dresser and closet a little too cluttered. With clothing storage in another area, you can keep the clothes you need close at hand and put the rest “in storage” to cut down on some of the clutter. In doing so, you also have fewer clothes you have to sift through in order to find what you need when you’re getting ready or trying to decide what to wear.
5. Library
A finished attic or basement can be a great place to start building your own home library. In addition to the bookshelves, you can also add some comfortable chairs to create a reading area or sitting room to complete your library. This allows your books to have a place of their own in your home and allows your library to grow as it will have a dedicated space. Plus, you’ll have a relatively quiet place to relax and read or study.
6. Home Theater
A great way to put unused attic or basement space to use is to turn it into a home theater. It’s already a finished space, so you just need to add the comfortable chairs and couches and the big screen. You, your family, and friends can watch movies in comfort and in style. If there are specific shows you and your friends enjoy, you can also host viewing parties.
These are just a few ways to put some life into an unused attic or basement space. If you’re feeling stuck in your current home and are ready to upgrade to a custom home, contact Custom Home Group to get on the path towards your dream home.