Costly and often unnecessary, basements may become obsolete — if they aren’t already. Here are responses to every reason to keep them around

Renovations lighten up a dad's dark rec room and make space for guests and family

Merging a house and a basement flat into one townhouse creates a spacious family home in London

A bar, fireplace, play area, guest bedroom and bathroom make up this freshly renovated basement in the Toronto suburbs

Basements practically beg to store stuff. These pointers help them hold belongings safely, effectively and with uncompromising style

With mudroom organizers, laundry and a well-organized space for crafts, this basement puts a Massachusetts home in balance

Crafts, wine, billiards and ... soccer? Yup, this tricked-out family basement has room for all that and more

Maryland homeowners go for a polished, traditional and gracious look for their Cape Cod home’s basement

A large unused space becomes a host of rooms for playing, watching TV, hanging out and putting up guests

Dark and dated? Naturally. But this '70s-style basement had myriad other design issues too. See how the designer rose to the challenge