"Secret Surprise" Basement Game Room Help
Hi guys! I'm going to let you in on a little secret.
As many of you know we are way over budget and over time with our addition/remodel. One of the planned on things was a basement entertaining space. Long story short our basement has shrunk down to about a 13.5' x 15' ish area and we can't afford to finish it right now. This was supposed to be my husband's space and he is bummed.
Well his birthday is coming up in March... And what I'd really love to do is surprise him by getting the basement set up to a useable space, and then throw an open house party on his birthday which happens to be a weekend.
I need ideas/help on how to make a dark unfinished basement into a functional space on an extremely tight budget, timeline and space.
The area would be primarily be for casual video/card game nights, movies, and parties.
My mom bought him a tv back on black Friday. (I've been scheming for a while.) I am going today to pick up a used round table with leaves that I will re-finish. Round will be perfect for games, but it can be expandable if we host a holiday. I am also on the look up for a used/cheap sectional.
I am hiding all the furniture at both our parents houses for the next two months. lol.
He is a big baseball fanatic and his favorite team is the Seattle Mariners. So we are going to incorporate the nautical/compass theme. I am stenciling the compass rose on top of the table for instance in the team colors.
What does every game room / man cave need besides a couch, big tv, and a table?
He originally wanted a pool table but it won't fit anymore. :'( Maybe one of those small fold up ones?
Thanks for listening!
Comments (10)
party_music50
6 years ago
localeater
6 years agoRelated Discussions
Game room organization help needed-major dust trap
Comments (6)I can relate. We ended up turning over a basement family room to my oldest for a bedroom and hanging out spot for all of the guys. Frankly, I just kept a path cleared to the laundry room and kept the door closed. He's lucky I didn't kill him when he moved out. In regards to the dishes, I just let him know that if I picked up dishes, I'd throw away anything I wanted, so the boys all made a point of getting that stuff back upstairs. He moved back home for a couple of years and is clearing out again this week. I let him know this time that if he left any mess for the rest of us to clean, I'd be taking the money for my services out of his account (which I'm on.) Really, it was a good trade-off. The room was a mess, but since it was the lowest level I didn't have to look at it except for a few minutes a day. Ours was a walkout basement, so the boys didn't even have to bother us to come and go. Knowing where a dozen 19 year old boys were at midnight on a Friday night was worth the aggrivation. I'd focus on getting your work space more comfortable. Gloria...See Moredoes anyone have a pool/game room? Please post pics!
Comments (20)Another GREAT Room! I'm struggling with paint color and have test paint BM Kingsport Grey and a Brown HC19 that I'm not as fond of. I was in the egg and i last week and their yellow top and black beadboard was very nice and got me thinking that might be good downstairs. Not sure. I was able to upload some pics onto picasa web -- I'll try to upload. Please excuse dog beds....See MoreFurniture layout help – game plan
Comments (87)Recently, I had a custom-made entertainment center built in for my family room. I used the same cabinet maker who made the cabinets for my kitchen. I'm still researching seating options to replace my aging couches. My room is smaller than yours, 13' x 15'. As part of the remodel, I removed a wood-burning fp from a corner of the room. I had planned to replace it with a linear, direct-vent fp under the TV, but omitted the fp. Direct-vent needs no flue or chimney, but it does need to vent to the outside. Here are some inspiration photos with a linear fp. Layout below has 2 chairs on the window wall. TV, fp, and matching bookcases on long wall. 2 floating couches. I think the TV is too high, but there is storage space and seating is a comfortable viewing distance from the TV. Layout below has 2 chairs on the window wall, TV on the left, short wall, and 2 floating couches. But that would leave you with one long empty wall. Sectional with fireplace, TV, and one bookcase on long wall Below, the TV and fireplace are on the same wall, but separated. Not much storage in this one. I decided to go with a layout similar to the one below - without a fireplace under the TV. You may have enough room for something like this layout below. I' don't like seeing the back of a couch when I enter a room - but I think it looks OK if there's a sofa table behind the couch....See MorePlease Help Choose a Rug for Eclectic Basement Rec Room
Comments (21)Well the green rug arrived and we unwrapped it and put it in place today, and.... Sigh... I'm not in love with it. I'm trying to love it, but it's just okay. It's darker and drabber than it appeared in the listing photos, and is not as soft as I had hoped. I've ordered rugs online before and usually been pleased with the quality, but this one is a reproduction antique (which I realized after ordering it) and seems to be lacking in quality. It's not awful, it's just kind of blah. My husband feels the same way... He doesn't dislike it but doesn't love it either. I like that it's monochromatic and has a subtle pattern, but don't like that it looks kind of heavy and dark in the space. If the quality/feel were better I might be able to get over the color being darker than I'd hoped, and if it was super cheap I'd probably just make do. But it is returnable, and as much as I dread the idea of repackaging an almost 10x13 rug to send back I'm kind of leaning toward returning it. I guess I'll sleep on it, but would love your honest opinions. I think it might look better in the pictures than it does in real life. Here's the runner in the adjoining hallway that has a similar green in it. If I return this one, I'm not even sure what to look for color-wise. As much as I love green, it feels like too much in a large rug. I would love to find a neutral-ish wool rug that's soft and not difficult to clean. We have an Oriental Weavers wool rug in my husband's office that used to be in our living room that has stood up to a lot of abuse over the years from pets, so I'm open to non-antique rugs too. If anyone has any suggestions for brands or places to look, please let me know. Or maybe I should just look locally as now I'm nervous to order another large rug online....See More
chicagoans
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agoladygibbs
6 years agofunctionthenlook
6 years agoparty_music50
6 years agoladygibbs
6 years ago
Here is the layout I am currently thinking. The room dimensions are 13.5' x 18' but the stairs do protrude about 4'. Beside the stairs is the electrical box and sump pump. Eventually to be walled up inside a closet.
Definitely not a large area, but hoping it will be cozy without being too crowded.
just_terrilynn
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agojust_terrilynn
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agoIt's me I know but I would try to set the room up to first accommodate a true surround sound experience for movie watching and then figure out the rest for a card table.
Not to scale but where speakers would go. X= ceiling speaker except I haven't put in the sub.
Even if you don't do ceiling speakers you would still need something like this arrangement for a surround sound.
robo (z6a)