Design Confidently, Live Comfortably
   Build where you canBonnie Croteau wanted to incorporate eight functions -- from family room to pantry to guest bedroom -- into the basement of her Bedford, Massachusetts, colonial. But she didn't want the basement's support columns cluttering the space. Instead of removing them, her contractor used their layout to determine the shape of the rooms, incorporating the columns into the walls.  Install a window wellInstalling a window well or enlarging an existing one can help bring light into a below-grade basement. Because this usually involves cutting into your home's foundation, the construction of a window well is best left to professionals. In addition to bringing in light, a basement window may satisfy building code exit requirements, but only if it's the right size and in the right place (check with your local inspector for specifications).  Bump out a wall for a media closetTapping into dead space can be an effective strategy. Rather than sacrifice floor space in their basement home theater, another family bumped the back of their big-screen TV -- as well as its speakers and electronics -- through the wall and into the back of an adjacent garage. There, a water-tight closet houses the wires and cables, leaving the screen flush with the wall. NEXT: Introduction BACK: Underground Matters |
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DRAWINGS: CHRISTINE ERICKSON |
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