Lavish Lower Levels

Like the kitchen and bathroom, the basement has undergone a significant makeover in recent years. It used to be the place for the kids’ toys—or even the kids themselves. It’s where the old sofa went when you bought new furniture. It was the storage catch-all. It was cold, dank, dark, and musty.

“Basements were viewed as a component that was a necessity for home construction but as a secondary space,” says Brad Johnson, a project manager with Wooddale Builders in Minnetonka. “Now they’re a fully functioning part of how people live.”

Indeed, basements have changed remarkably—so much so that they’re not even called basements anymore; they’re lower levels. The lower level is now the hub of the home, where homeowners gather with their families to entertain and retreat.

The Basics and Beyond
Standard lower levels typically include wet bars, fireplaces, game/recreation spaces, and multiple TV viewing areas. But the imagination rarely stops there.

For starters, wet bars have transformed from a free-standing structure with a dorm-sized fridge to full kitchens with cooktops, pizza ovens, small dishwashers, custom cabinetry, and beer taps. “If you’re having a lot of people over, they’ll gravitate to that area downstairs,” Johnson says. “It’s a larger, more open area. You have the ability to accommodate more people.”

Game or recreation areas are another popular feature. Billiards tables continue to be a requirement, but homeowners are also requesting built-in poker tables, pinball machines, video games, and even arcade rooms. A major benefit of these spaces is that they appeal to kids of all ages. “These are for every member of the family,” says David Frosch, vice president of Kootenia Homes in Woodbury. “I’ve got a Pac Man machine that I play every day.”

Televisions play an important role in the functionality of lower levels. You don’t see too many single-TV rooms anymore—TVs are on either side of the fireplace, by the pool table, and in the upper corners of the wet-bar area. “We’re seeing more flat-screen TVs—three, four, five of them—at different spots rather than in just one designated spot,” says Bob Near, design/renovation manager at Streeter & Associates in Wayzata. “The idea that the family gets together and watches TV doesn’t happen anymore.”

And the TVs are in all shapes and sizes, too. Television design has evolved so much in the last five years that TVs are now on display, thanks to their small stature and sleek lines. “We used to make cabinets that had to be thirty inches deep to make the TV disappear, and now you don’t need to,” Near says. “You can recess the TV right into the wall, so the front of the TV [looks like] it’s just part of the wall.”

Some homeowners are choosing multiple TVs in lieu of a dedicated home theater. “The home theater is definitely popular, but how many people in the busy world today just go down to a designated theater room that has stadium seating?” Near says. “From a practical standpoint, the lower level is only going to be so big. You can get the effect of a big picture with large-screen TVs, but it’s part of the entire room.”

Those who do choose a dedicated theater room make great use of it, says K. C. Chermak, president and owner of Pillar Homes in Plymouth. “If you don’t have time to go to a movie, what’s the next best thing, or even better, to do? Watch a movie at your own house. Besides, the chairs are more comfortable at your home anyway,” says Chermak, who notes how good surround sound technology is these days and how easily audio/video equipment can be hidden.

Comfort is a driving force behind home theater design, Frosch agrees. Instead of the stadium-style seating that was popular several years ago, people want a place where they can relax. “I have a sixteen-foot sectional where everyone can just lie wherever they want,” he says. “Another level up from there is a regular sofa, and in each corner, we have recliners. People who have seen it say, ‘This is the right way to do the theater.’” Warming Things Up
The construction and design of the lower level have advanced leaps and bounds from its cold, dark predecessor. In new construction, the walkout lot has literally opened up a host of design opportunities. “The walkout lot is such a premium because people feel like they’re getting better value from that lower-level space,” says Peter Hagstrom, president of Hagstrom Builder in Lake Elmo. “Walkouts make lower levels feel like they’re part of the main living area because of the windows and the light that is allowed in.”

Nine- to ten-foot ceilings are the norm, not the exception. Ductwork and mechanicals can be built into the floor truss design, allowing for higher ceilings. “There no longer need to be dropped ceilings in lower levels,” says Steve Schwieters, president of Wooddale Builders. “That’s a myth. It’s something in the past.”

One must-have for the lower level is in-floor heating. Most systems use in-ground, hot-water tubing, on top of which concrete is poured. “Making sure we’re not cold to the bones is quite important to people,” Chermak says. “It’s the number-one thing I get asked about. People want their homes to be comfortable, livable, and a place to completely relax.”

Warmth is important in the figurative sense, too. “You have to do lighting and heating in a manner that’s going to be comfortable, both physically and psychologically,” Near says. “The finishes also have to be done so that it feels like a warm place.”

To that end, homeowners are creating spaces with materials that match the quality of the main levels while keeping the space a little less formal. “Homeowners are still doing very nice things, but they’ll make it a little more rustic,” Hagstrom says. “They may have used cherry cabinetry on the main floor, but on the lower level, they may use knotty alder or knotty pine. Countertops are mostly stone. We’ve done all granite in our last few projects.”

For flooring, carpet and tile are still popular choices because of their durability—an important consideration if you’re planning on a well-used space. (Choose carpeting with a thin pad, Frosch advises, so you can reap the full benefits of the in-floor heating.) Another benefit of installing carpet in the lower level is that it absorbs sound.

Tiling is most often used in the bathrooms and wet-bar areas, but homeowners who have an outdoor pool find that using tile where there’s heavy foot traffic is the perfect fit for their family and guests. “For instance, if you were to have an outside pool area, you need accessibility to the bathroom, the bar, and the food-prep area from outside,” Schwieters says. “For that, you want hard-surface floors, like ceramic tile. You don’t want kids running across the carpet with wet feet.”

Lighting also plays an integral role to a lower level’s livability. “Lighting is so much better than it used to be,” Hagstrom says. “You can light the space without seeing the source of the light. You can use recessed lighting and not see the brightness of the bulb. Valance lighting lights the ceiling. It’s great for watching TV or conversing.” Many choose halogens for lighting artwork and under-cabinet lighting for their wet bar/kitchen area. Specialty Rooms
The lower level is the perfect place to carry out a theme in your home. Chermak recently completed three lower-level projects that reflect the personalities of the homeowners. One project exuded what Chermak calls a Grandview Lodge feel, with pine doors, a pine pool table, black-and-red checked stools, and a dark-surround fireplace. Another addressed the homeowner’s desire for a British-style pub by including a U-shaped bar with a brass foot rail, custom burgundy woodwork and carpeting, cozy fireplace, paneled cherry walls, and engraved and carved woods. The third project featured a whimsical, nautical theme modeled after the Tommy Bahama brand. In this lower level, sand-colored carpet with a subtle palm-leaf design adorns the floor of the main area, while aqua-blue glass tile covers the bathroom. Even the workout room received the island touch with bamboo benches and floors.

In each of these instances, the homeowners wanted to create a place to escape. “People want an experience that allows them to unwind, explore, relax, retreat,” Chermak says. “Check your attitude and worries at the top of the stairs. That concept is the underlying driving force behind how homeowners want to finish the lower level.”

Like themed lower levels, specialty rooms create an oasis that is meaningful to the homeowners. There are virtually no limits to specialty rooms; if you dream it, you can have it. One common request is an exercise room, which can range from a small space with a few pieces of equipment to a well-appointed area with club amenities. Chermak has created mini-spas on lower levels, complete with changing areas, tiled walls, club-like lockers, a steam room with triple-headed showers, heat lamps, and exercise spaces with small trampolines and mirrored walls for Pilates or aerobics. Some lower levels, when tall enough, have even housed small gymnasiums, used for a myriad of indoor sports.

Wine cellars are also popular. Homeowners design this room to best showcase their collections, often through custom shelves, special cooling units, and rustic cabinetry. Cigar aficionados create a similar space for a humidor.

Then, of course, there are those rooms that make you say, “Just when I thought I’ve seen it all . . .” At the request of a client, Frosch built a chapel in the lower level of a Lake Elmo home. Frosch reclaimed an altar out of an old church in South Dakota that was no longer in use and incorporated it with artifacts that the homeowners had collected on their travels throughout the world. A rounded ceiling completed the space. “It looks just like a mini-church,” Frosch says. “The homeowner prays there every day.”

Whether you seek a “wow” factor like the chapel or just want a place for the family to gather, the best way to determine how to make the most of your lower level is to find a builder who will help you prioritize. “The most important thing for us is taking time to get to know people and their needs,” Streeter’s Near says. “What are your priorities, and what are you trying to accomplish with this space?”

Under the Garage If you want to do even more with your lower level but don’t have the square footage, consider utilizing the space underneath your garage. Local builders have created a multitude of unique uses in this area, including:  * a swimming pool * more cars, but especially collectibles or motorcycles * workshops * gymnasiums/sport courts * skating rinks with synthetic ice * photography studios/ dark rooms * sound studios * home theaters * hobby rooms (such as crafts or scrapbooking) * additional storage space