Basements Going From Drab To Fab

Owners spending a bundle to create special lower levels

By Marge Colborn. 03/04/01

Stop calling them basements. That’s the edict from professional remodelers and their clients who are spending beaucoup bucks turning dark, drab basements into stylish, multipurpose lower levels.

“Once my basement is finished, believe me, I’ll be calling it the lower level,” says Glinda Fragale, who’s currently in the process of transforming the cavernous space under her five-bedroom colonial in Troy, Mich.

A number of Detroit-area remodelers report that basement remodeling is growing in popularity, with homeowners shelling out anywhere from $20,000 to $50,000. Nationally, homeowners spend about $40,000 for a typical basement refinish, according to Remodeling Magazine.

What’s interesting about this lower level-remodeling phenomenon, however, is how people are utilizing their new spaces and an innovative new basement wall finishing system.

“People are now installing full kitchens, guest suites with full bathrooms, home movie theaters, home offices and exercise rooms that rival the local fitness club in their basements,” says Terry McGovern of McGovern Building Group in Bloomfield Hills.

“Homeowners are finding that remodeling a basement is a great way to expand their living space to uniquely fit the family’s lifestyle, interest and hobbies.”

John and Tara Washington of West Bloomfield Township, for example, recently decided to finish their basement when their sons, ages 4 and 8 needed more play space.

“We were tired of the family room being the play room,” says Tara Washington, a radiation oncologist, who hired McGovern to do the job. “In addition to the large rec room for the boys, we had a kitchenette with counter space for eating built, a bathroom with a shower and a separate smaller room for storage or extra bedroom.”

The Washington’s lower level was designed to be very kid-friendly. The couple installed low-pile Berber carpeting in a royal blue pattern, cheerful yellow furniture that’s easy to wipe clean and painted white drywalls with a yellow accent stripe. Although the Washington’s believe their new lower level will be an asset should they decide to sell their home in the future, their main concern was to improve the quality of their life at home.

“We needed more living space, and now we have it,” says Tara.

McGovern says the days of low end basement remodeling (basic paneled walls, drop ceilings, tile floors) are dwindling.

“Our goal,” he says, “is to design something that makes the homeowner forget that the new space was ever a basement.” --

And The Latest Lower Level story:

Homebuilders Take Basements to a New Level

What was once called the basement is now being labeled as the lower level. Home builders aim to attract home buyers with lower levels that offer more fun and functional space.
By Professional Builder, April 2007 Issue.

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