How To Turn Your Basement Into An Office In 8 Steps

Barcelona real estate Blog

Thursday, 10 February 2011 09:46

Basements can be underutilized spaces in your property. Make sure that yours is clean and dry before turning it into a cozy and colorful office space. You don't want water pouring into an open window because your three year old turned on the garden hose!

Clear Out the Junk

Basements often become storage bins for our extra stuff. Now is the time to weed out the garbage, give away what's recyclable, keep a few items, and move on to redecorating. Items you want in your office can often be hung on the wall to give yourself more floor space. Make sure that they are anchored securely so that they don't fall off suddenly and bonk you on the head while you're dozing. If you will be sharing your office space in the basement with the washer and dryer and hot water heater, then partition them off. Allow for air circulation around the heater though, for safety reasons, and keep combustibles away from the area.

Painting the Room

Use a light paint because this makes the space airy and clean looking. There is special paint for concrete, if your walls are made from that. Try and get hold of no or low VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) paint and don't use bright white or you'll think you're in an asylum.

Cover a Concrete Floor

< You can both paint the floor, then use a nice area rug to define the area. Carpet tiles are a great way to go in case you spill toner on one. You can simply pick it up and chuck it, then replace. Buy extra tiles and you'll have them on hand. If you're a messy person, keep them on an easy to get to shelf.

Place Your Furniture

If you have a window, try and face your desk to it. Sketch out furniture placement first and measure everything. If you have a simply gigantic basement then put your office in one area and use the rest for other spaces. A lot of people in the US design Man Caves in their basements. This is for when the boys come over and watch a soccer game or something. It's easier to keep a concrete floor clean than a few other house surfaces. A cool tip, by the way, is placing an old door on top of two 2-drawer filing cabinets, then placing a piece of glass on top of that. This is a great way to recycle a few items.

Make Storage

You can repaint old kitchen cabinets and hang on the wall, or build a few shelves. An old bookcase also works well. With some furniture, you can define your area. Coordinate it all by painting the same color. Hanging shoe organizers also work for wall storage, but remove smelly shoes first.

Lighting

This is often underestimated. If you have to squint, you may get headaches. If you can't see your keyboard, you can make a lot of spelling mistakes. Of course, for some people, that happens anyway. Basements often need a lot of additional lighting because they are, quite frankly, underground. Some have windows although, often, you may only see people's feet as they walk or run by. Remove outside bushes if you can, that may also block light from a basement window. Track lighting is great for a basement office as you can turn the lamps how you want them.

Dampness

Always check for seepage and dampness before you start creating your home office. Where it's damp, mold grows, and electricity doesn't like water. If you have an air conditioner then that can help with any temporary dampness, but try and seal your walls as well.

Personalize Your Office

Add a live plant as they really help. If there isn't enough natural light then get a grow-lamp for your plant. Some species do pretty well in low light but all need some light. Add personal touches like photos and wall hangings, but don't try and cover every inch of wall space as it will look too crowded.

After closing your basement door, you can emerge from your home office into the light of the upper world. This is like being a Morlock by day and an Eloi at night (remember The Time Machine by H.G. Wells)? Any workspace you make in your basement or elsewhere has to suit you, be comfortable, attractive, and perhaps most of all -- productive.

This is a guest post by Lloyd Burrell. Lloyd enjoys writing reviews on all types of office desk furniture. If you are looking for a suitable desk for a basement then Lloyd recommends an office computer desk.