A place where aesthetics is banned from, the basement could well be a display of your inner self. This can, however, turn out to be somewhat problematic if that part of your personality is a mess. It is easy to live in order if spurred by peer pressure when you worry about how people perceive you, but managing your storage space often turns out to be nightmarish, as it often becomes a rug to sweep all your hoarding tendencies under. People tend to neglect the dangers of flooding, electric hazard and rodent pests. Furthermore, a mess has never motivated anyone to stick around a workshop or an impromptu place for exercise.
Usually places for holding water heaters, furnaces, storage, laundry or hobbies, storage spaces can prove to be a cool getaway for the public-weary. However, to make this part of their home inhabitable, one has to keep it in order, if they aren’t a neat freak, at least to a certain extent.
Image by Board and Vellum via Houzz
For starters, when tackling bigger activities, like getting your basement in order, the smartest thing to do is breaking the task into manageable parts. Not only does this give you an opportunity to plan your work, but also enables you to see the light at the end of the backbreaking tunnel of this spare time killer.
Image by 8Foot6 via Houzz
Next, you should probably throw those hoarding habits straight into the trashcan, along with that bunch of useless stuff, you yourself know you don’t need. I know, it’s a pity to simply say goodbye to that PC from the age when Harrison Ford was still flying cars and chasing androids, but if you can’t sell it as an antiquity, just get rid of it. We recommend piling all the things you haven’t used in more than a year and taking it from there. It is virtually impossible that you need all the three meters in height of it.
Image by Amanda Miller Design Studio via Houzz
After you’ve done the basic sorting of this type, create a “give away” category and throw everything else away, unless it is of immense sentimental value to you. No, that floppy disk collection doesn’t count.
Now that you’re done with your basic clean-up (yes, this was basic, stop lying to yourself), think about getting shelving systems and bins. Visit a couple of DIY and organizing stores and home centers or websites and start browsing for shelves. Very simple to set up and more than practical in use, shelves can be put on any surface you can’t walk on (yes, even the ceiling can be turned useful, using hanging shelves. Sorry, Spidey). Now black’n’decker that sucker! Doing simple things like screwing your shelves in comes at little effort and, in the obvious addition to clearing up your storage space, it makes for a feel of usefulness and accomplishment.
Image by Case Design & Remodeling Indy via Houzz
When you’re done with the physical work, pop a beer open and rest by browsing some plastic crates to clear the clutter. Far more reliable than their cardboard counterparts, these babies not only compartmentalize your storage stuff, but have also proven to be a tremendous protection against flooding (as they float rather than soak), short circuits (plastic is an insulator) and any kind of damage save for demolition.
Image by Cory Connor Designs via Houzz
Now, take a look at what you’ve accomplished and the amount of empty space you’ve created. Just listen to that echo! Done? Now put whatever you want inside. Make it your quick-to-access getaway. Place some workout equipment, laundry machines, or spare towels and blankets. You’ve managed to turn something needlessly cluttered and frustratingly inaccessible into a useful environment. Use it for hobbies, gaming nights, get a tennis or pool table. You can even sound-insulate it and get a cool band rehearsal alternative. Possibilities are endless, as long as what you desire doesn’t require sunlight.
Image by Weaver Construction via Houzz
There isn’t a single reason why you should let a bunch of potential space be rendered unusable by a vast amount of things you don’t really need. Everyone can do this and, furthermore, you don’t have to spend a fortune on some expert that will over-charge you for something this basic. All you need is a couple of tools that you probably already own. So follow this tutorial and enjoy the storage space you’ve created!
