The question is how do YOU plan on using the basement. The question is also, have you all that you want on the first floor with regard to kitchens and baths and finishes etc? All of the upstairs is a far more important facto in a resale than a basement.

Never plan that any basement will enhance a sale. .......: ) Do whatever you do, for you.

The house would usually need to be in a 2 family house zoning district.

Instead of spending money to install a gas line, consider electric. Redo your budget and decide if you will use this kitchen enough to justify the cost. Never remodel to make it appeal to some future buyer because, as you see on all the shows, buyers hate the features of the previous owners and rip them out!

I would first check with the local rules. Some areas zoned single family it is not allowed to put full kitchens in a basement. Stoves, cook tops, or ovens are not permitted.

If zoning allows, do you plan to entertain in the basement? Will you have teenagers in the future? Will people be hanging out in the space frequently? I love the idea of a kitchenette in a space that will be a game watching/playing space. It’s nice to have food, drinks and the ability to prepare and clean up in the space where everyone is rather than having to cart it through the house.

Agree, it may not even be legal to have a kitchen in your basement, and it might be a fire hazard. Also agree, basements are often not included as living space in a home sale, just as finished or unfinished, or separated or unseparated, unless it is a home set into a slope as an example, with a ground level walk out.

Thanks everyone for chiming in. Where I am, basement counts towards overall living sqft. Builder didn’t mention anything about additional permit. Right now, our permit is based on a wetbar...

I am sure we will use it a lot but if it is a deterrent to resale down the road, I would rather not...

Personally I’d put in a sink, microwave, refrigerator drawers, and dishwasher and be done. Those are all things I can see you using in a movie space. A stove and oven not so much.

How do you plan to use the basement spaces? For example, I see a bedroom, But the bathroom is way across on the other side of the basement, through living space. (and visible from the bar/kitchenette).

And, If you plan a bar, do have a sink and a small refrigerator.

Have electrical lines in place for induction range with oven and exhaust hood. Place cabinets such that one cabinet can be removed later to allow for range install. IMO options for future use are always a good idea.

It depends on how you use the space. I've know people who live in their basements full time and the upstairs is for show only. If you plan on living in the basement then you will need a full kitchen. If not I would just do a wet bar. I would put in a full size fridge. An extra fridge is nice to have.

Below grade footage never counts fully in an appraisal like above grade does. It costs more to finish that out than you will ever get for the appraisal bump. No one needs a second kitchen below grade.

For a full basement kitchen lots things need to be considered: zoning, more permits, higher taxes, not much added selling value (if any).

I would put a wet bar with [EDIT] a convection microwave [not induction] (double check code that it's okay), full fridge and plenty of counter space. Then you could use [EDIT] countertop induction plate, electric griddle, toaster oven, crockpot and have a fully functional cooking area without it being called a kitchen.

And when adding any type of cooking equipment in a basement make sure you have good ingress and egress for fire safety.

We have a “snack kitchen” in our basement. Bar, sink, drawers & lower cabinets, and a fridge/freezer. To every convenience- I’d add a microwave and a small dishwasher. That way all dishes can stay downstairs- you won’t need to keep going back and forth or only wash by hand.

We didn’t put a microwave down here (although could be added easily), but we plan to get a popcorn machine for movies, and probably a pizza oven (countertop style) so we can have pizza and popcorn down here :)

I wouldn’t bother with a full blown range - unless you plan to really use the basement as a suite for in laws on a full time basis. If just visiting - a wet bar with fridge and microwave or toaster oven is fine.

I’m also planning a little coffee station for down here - with a mini keurig, etc. both for me and for overnight guests!

This is ours before the fridge was delivered.

We have a large 25 ft. long walk behind basement bar, the appliances we have are: 2 refrigerators, one commercial beer refrigerator, a wine refrigerator, sink and dishwasher. It's all that is needed. We entertain frequently and have never seen the need range or oven.

We have a full kitchen in our basement. It was there when we bought the house. The basement acutally has its own address but we don't rent it out and use the space instead. I used the oven a couple of times. I use the fridge mainly for cooling bulbs and other plants during the winter. I use the cabinets to store my sewing supplies and kids craft supplies. We will eventually remodel the basement and don't know if we'll keep a kitchen in there or not. We'll most likely use kitchen cabinets and use the room as a workshop. No oven, no diswasher, only a sink that will be built-in. There will be a spot where a fridge coul be given a future unexpected need. We plan on having a free standing island that could be substituted with kitchen cabinets and oven if desired. Flexibility is very important when you needs are not well defined.

The only way I'd put in a full kitchen in the basement is if you plan to use the basement as a rental. If you plan to use it for your family, then a "wet bar" equipped with a sink, dishwasher, fridge/freezer, & microwave. If you do decide to go the full kitchen route, do check on the permit. There will be some changes. Those changes will = more money, if that is a concern. I do not see it helping with resale value *unless* it can be fully closed off with a separate entry for future rental use. Young couples and such love the potential of extra rental income for basement rentals if the main home does not need the extra basement space to function properly.

Minimum of a fridge and a bar will suffice. A sink would be a bonus, but not necessary. We have this set-up on a distant (from the kitchen) porch and bringing the dirty barware in is to wash is not really a problem. It's great to be able to fetch a cold drink, but an entire kitchen seems like overkill to me.

IMO....it would be a 'total' waste of money.

I would put a wet bar with an induction microwave

What is an induction microwave?

No.

What is an induction microwave?

Sorry about that! I meant convection microwave and was thinking about the countertop induction plates as I was typing.

Hi,

We just finished our basement and put in a convection microwave as it seems quite versatile. We built it in below the counter using the trim kit. We have only made popcorn and heated up food at this point. :). It has a grilling function as well. We do have a standalone burner down there from when we did the kitchen a few years ago. I like the idea of getting a stand-alone induction burner.

https://www.abt.com/product/94904/Samsung-Black-Countertop-Convection-Microwave-MC12J8035CTAA.html

I also put in a sink and dishwasher and refrigerator with water and ice (I considered an ice maker but they are $$).

We are happy with it all so far.

NO

My main floor kitchen has enough counter space but is quite short of actual storage space. When we redid the house, the original laundry room was directly under the kitchen but we ended up moving the laundry across the basement leaving the space empty.

I call my basement space my baking kitchen although I have only used it a couple times in the past year. The space has an electric wall oven tucked under the stairs, storage for baking pans and the kitchenaid mixer, our good microwave and a single basin sink in the middle of a 12 foot countertop. As it turned out, we ended up with a duel fuel range so the main floor oven is much better for baking than we expected, based on our previous gas stove.

We don't have a fridge down there but there is a 30 inch wide space under the stair landing with an outlet on a separate circuit. If someone ever wanted to put a cooktop there, the original vent and gas pipe for the driver are still capped off behind the wall.

I am in an average sized single family home so code enforcement might not be happy with the space but it is obviously not an illegal separate living space. In my area, large new homes often have basement kitchenettes which are actually larger and nicer than many kitchens found in older existing homes. No one even raises an eyebrow about such a space in a new house but the sight of a second stove in a older house causes the inspectors to have a conniption. An electrician told me he had once asked an inspector for a code reference as to why he couldn't have the same features as found in an expensive house in a fancy neighborhood. Of course, there was no official documentation; it was an unwritten policy and when challenged, the inspector backed down.

Most important is the electrical power - I'd say 3 - 20 amp circuits - Fridge, dishwasher on one, counter top outlet for microwave, and another for a toaster oven or induction hot plate. Be sure to have enough countertop space.

I would skip the range - it will involve venting. You can add the plug-in appliances later after inspection.

You might consider a small but complete efficiency kitchen with a small drop in three burner stainless steel electric stove behind a peninsula as a part of a "bar" corner.

We finished our basement last fall and put in a kitchenette. We have a full size refrigerator, upper and lower cabinets and a sink. We plan on getting a microwave but so far haven't really needed it. We mainly use it as a hang out space for our two high school aged kids and so far it's been great - they hang out at our house more than at their friends'. I'm so glad we went with a full size refrigerator. We keep mainly drinks in it (minus any kind of liquor) and the freezer portion houses pizzas and other snacks.

We knew we didn't need a full kitchen so we didn't even consider it. However, I was recently talking to a few of my coworkers about it and they said it is becoming a more popular option with some people that want a "spice kitchen". I don't know how you would vent a stove in the basement though.

If possible, I'd put in a fridge, a full-sized sink, a dishwasher and microwave. Anyone desiring to live down there could always cook on portable induction cooktop.

Regarding my family's living arrangements, my daughter recently graduated from college and is now living in our basement apartment while saving money to buy her own place. As close as we are as a family, it is so nice for her to have her own space for the next couple of years, and we are very thankful that we could do this for her.

Agree with jo re kitchenette.

Chocolate Bunny - ours is the same way, most people would call it a bar, but we aren’t big drinkers... so “snack kitchen” seems more appropriate! Definitely more pop and snacks there than booze :)

We have a "full kitchen" in our basement.

- NO one is going to be baking in the basement. No reason to have the oven.

- For cooktop we just ran an electrical line and did NOT install the cooktop. It has dedicated space and if someone needs to we can always install it.

-We did installed nice refrigerator that we use and a sink.

-Two electrical lines of outlets

-Have a microwave

-Nice bar

Build it initially to meet your present needs and provide rough mechanical so a full kitchen could be built in the future. Provide a wine cellar now.