Your unfinished basement may be a useful space for storing unsightly odds and ends. However, you can take things a step further and add to your home's habitable square footage by converting the basement into anything from a workout room to an entertainment area.

Our REALTORS® can give you ideas to get you started. Your finished basement could turn into one of your home's most desirable selling points -- yet another way to stand out from other Belleville homes for sale.

Have a look at these five suggestions for your unfinished basement.

1. Renovate Your Storage Area 
   There's no reason your basement has to look like a garage sale. First, clean it up and remove clutter. Do an assessment: are you ever going to use that rolled up rug of Aunt Sally's again? Get rid of it, and anything else you haven't used in several years. Next step: clean up, repairing broken drywall, adding insulation in the walls for better climate control, and fixing air leaks to the outdoors. Then, organize with neat shelving (use shelf paper wherever you can), pegboard for tools. Store clothing, books, and odds and ends in plastic containers that will fit in the shelves. 
   
   
2. Design a Workout Room
   Those exercise machines just don't fit in with your upstairs decor, tending to be obtrusive no matter how you try to hide them. If you haven't gone overboard on buying equipment, you may be able to fit everything into one end of the basement. Make sure your workout space is clean (no moldy, damp smells) and airy. An air purifier or exhaust ventilation can help. Got a cold concrete floor? Soften it up with square foam floor mats in contrasting colors for visual interest. Go a little crazy with bright colors and creative designs.
   
   
3. Create an Underground Retreat
   Create a getaway room that'll become your new favorite room in the house. Among the options:
   • Relaxation room for yoga and meditation.
   • Reading room with shelves of books, magazines, and DVDs.
   • Kids' room with games and DVD player.
   • A "cave" where you can relax and display artwork and collectibles.
   The right lighting can set the mood, so if electrical outlets are in short supply, try hanging some industrial string lights. Area rugs and some comfortable furniture will make your retreat cozier.
   
   
4. Section off a Utility Area
   Section off your appliances and laundry area to one end of the basement and use the remainder for another function, be it entertainment, working out, or tool room. Start by beautifying the laundry area, painting cinder block walls a clean, light shade of turquoise or powder blue (blue shades are calming); add a black and white tile floor, going large with the tiles. Curtains can separate the laundry from the rest of the space.
   
   
5. Extra Bedroom
   Who doesn't occasionally need an extra bedroom to put up guests or for sleepovers for the kids' friends? A fabric canopy ceiling and a pendant light help create a traditional bedroom effect; separate the sofas and chairs from beds with gauzy curtains.

Turn that extra square footage beneath street level into a selling point. Contact us today.