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How To Turn Your Basement Into An Office
Posted by admin in Long Island Basements on June 14th, 2010
In the last 15 years or so, the office has suddenly become a common room in the modern house. Many people use their den as an office or one of their bedrooms but few people think to turn their basement into an office.
An advantage of this idea is that it separates the office from the family and the family rooms. So many people are working longer hours and with the advent of the computer they are working more in the home. Their family life and work life becomes more of a blur than it was in the past.
By turning the basement into an office, you can more easily separate your work time and family time. This is important and will aid in the health of your family unit. In order to make your basement your office, you should do a few things that will make the room more enjoyable:
Heat – If you are going to be in the basement you need to make sure it is warm. Most basements are dark and cold and this is not an environment you can work in. Make sure that you have ample heat so that you feel you are in a real room. The more comfortable you are the better work you will do.
Great Lighting – You need good lighting if you are going to turn your basement into an office. Good lighting is imperative so that your eyes are not strained when you are looking at report, paper, or you computer screen.
A neutral paint job – As I just mentioned, basements are offten dark because of the lack of windows. If you choose your paid carefully, you can create an environment that is conducive to work. You want something that reminds you a that you are there to get work done but does not depress you at the same time.
Comfortable furniture – any work environment needs comfortable furniture. Make sure you don’t skimp on cheap chairs and furniture that will make you uncomfortable when you are at work. Also, besides having your desk and chair, you might include a second more comfortable softer chair to relax in. That way, when you need a quick rest, you can move over to the softer chair to recharge your batteries.
These are just some of the things you need to do to turn that basement of yours into an office that you will enjoy working in. If you do it right, you will have the best of both worlds; your family life and your work life.
For more great basement design ideas like this one please visit my website Basement Ideas.
Turn Your Basement Into A Kids Playroom
Posted by admin in Long Island Basements on June 2nd, 2010
My wife and I don’t have kids yet but we turned our basement into a kid’s playroom. Why would we do such a thing? Well we have lots of friends who have kids and when they come over now the children have a place to play. It was always uncomfortable for both our guests and us if they brought their children because there was no where for them to go. They would just have to sit there in the living room with all the adults and soon they would get figity. This often caused our friends to leave early just because of their children.
Before we made the change, our house wasn’t a kid friendly home. Friends would come over and when they brought their children, there was nothing for them to do and nowhere for them to play. It felt like we were constantly having to keep our eye out for the kids to make sure they didn’t touch certain things or break anything. Turning our basement into a kid’s playroom was one of those basement ideas we thought would help fix that problem.
We decided we needed a room where our guest’s children could play and get away from the adults. In our new basement playroom they don’t have to worry about breaking things and they can make noise and not bother us as well. The kids can also have more fun than when an adult is constantly looking at them.
All we did was to go out and buy a lot of cheap toys for all ages. We got some toys at discount stores and a lot of real cheap toys at garage sales. We even got an old Nintendo and have it hooked up to one of our old TVs downstairs. Having a variety of toys for all ages makes it easier for kids to get along when they are thrown together. There is something down in our basement playroom for any age.
Our basement playroom is carpeted and that is important. Kids tend to be rough and fall all over the place so you don’t want them playing on cement. We also put an extra floor heater in the basement playroom to keep it warm. We have removed everything that is breakable or of value so that we don’t have to worry about things getting broken. We also know and accept the fact that the walls and carpet is going to get a little banged up. Kids will be kids, you know.
When there are children down in the basement we are sure to leave the door open so we can hear if anything goes wrong. Someone also checks on them periodically just to make sure everything is OK. Our basement playroom has worked out well and we are glad we made the change!
Do you want more great basement ideas? I have lots more at my web site Basement Design.

