Need help creating a Kid Friendly Family Basement

5 years ago

We built our house in 2019 and planned for a future bedroom / bathroom in the basement. We have an initial layout but did not really think through like the rest of the home. The mechanicals ended up in some inconvenient places, even though they were not supposed to be there and it's challenging to work around. We really don't need an extra bedroom as we have a spare bedroom upstairs. I'd like to make a nice kids play area in the basement but also more family friendly so it's comfortable enough for the adults as well.

I've made some adjustments to the original floor plan as shown below (not 100% to scale but I measured outer walls). Would love to get input from the community here on how to best utilize the ~1300 sq ft.

The key items: Workout area (weight bench, bike, rower, etc), closed off storage, bathroom, Kids play area, and lounge area. Our kids are currently 2.5 & 5.

The bathroom must stay as drawn given the rough plumbing is there. I've noted the location of the electrical panel, HVAC, water heater, sump pump, water softener, and incoming water line.

The stairs go half way up, stop at a landing and continue up on the other side, therefore, there is a slanted ceiling wall next to the stairs which makes the space between the stairs and pole rather unusable.

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Comments (3)

anj_p
5 years ago
I think your plan is good....just make sure your fitness equipment will fit in your fitness room. It's really remarkable how much space it takes up (we attempted to do this as well and realized we'd need half the basement for everything - not to mention $15k-20k for equipment, so we scrapped our plan). We did a theater space and got theater seats, which i highly recommend. Your short leg of your sectional won't get used very often - at least not comfortably - for TV watching. consider doing a bar behind your couch for additional seating instead. You can also sit a lot closer than you think - our seats are set about 8' from our 80" 4k TV.

For the play area, you could consider getting a playhouse loft, which will double your usable space and be fun for the kids.
seitzsar thanked anj_p
seitzsar
Original Author
5 years ago
Thank you! Those are some great thoughts... I was just looking at photos of bar tables behind couches and wondering if I'd have the space, good thought! Completely agree with the workout equipment, it takes a lot of space. We've already acquired it over time and it's in the unfinished basement so we've been able to see it in the space and hence the design around it. Love the playhouse idea but may put a train/lego table in that area with storage cubes on the wall.
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anj_p
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
If you use actual distance to TV guidelines and your TV is a large 4k or a smaller 1080p, you will have plenty of room for a bar table. With 11'-9" wall +- 3'-0" to the bathroom wall, you'll have almost 15' to use. With seating (eyeballs) 8' away from the TV + chair backs (generously say 1.5') + bar table (2') + 3' clear = 14.5'!