From Utilitarian to Unique: Why You Should Remodel Your Unfinished Basement

by | Feb 21, 2025 | Blog

Basements make up a third of our homes but are often unappreciated spaces. Families will often use this space to store out-of-season clothing, old furniture, or the endless holiday decor that somehow grows every year. Even most new or updated homes leave the lower level unfinished, cold, and poorly lit, when it could be transformed into additional living space.

The right basement renovation can completely change the way you and your family experience your home! We like to think of it as a blank canvas with immense potential, where you can add livable square footage, increase the value of your home, and have the opportunity to create a totally unique space that enhances your life.

Keep reading to find out how a basement remodel can transform the way you live!

Top 3 Benefits of a Basement Remodel:

 

1. Future Planning

Unfinished basements are generally not included in the calculation of a home’s total square footage, but finished basements are. For example, if your home currently has 2,300 square feet and you remodel an 800-square-foot basement to act as your new family room, suddenly your home is 3,100 square feet. That’s no small amount of space! As your family dynamic grows and needs change, this can be the difference between needing to purchase a new house and the ability to remain in your beloved family home.

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2. Adding Value

More usable square footage almost always translates into higher home values. Adding a finished media or family room in your basement will increase the amount you can sell your home for in the future, should circumstances change. Further, if you are able to add a legal bedroom or two and a bathroom, the boost to your property value will be even greater.

3. Creative Design Opportunities

Commonly, and understandably, homeowners will feel like their design options are limited when it comes to remodeling their basement, or inversely they become overwhelmed looking at a “blank canvas”, like we mentioned earlier. Nonetheless, when you work with a Design Build firm the creative possibilities are both endless AND completely feasible. The fact that you’re working with an underground (or partially underground) space actually provides more unique opportunities that would normally be challenging on the main or upper levels. For example, great natural soundproofing and higher-than-usual windows make basements ideal for home theaters, studio rooms, and hosting social gatherings. They’re also great locations for home gyms, kid’s play areas, and quiet home offices.

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Types of Basement Living Spaces:

The sky’s the limit when it comes to basement designs! Here are a few basement remodel ideas to get you started:

  • Home Theater
  • Bar/Entertainment Space
  • Family Room
  • Sauna
  • Home Office
  • Game Room
  • Home Gym
  • Kid’s Play Room
  • Laundry Room
  • Wine Cellar
  • Lounge/Study
  • Craft or Art Studio
  • Guest/Extra Bedroom
  • Guest/Extra Bathroom
  • In-law Suite
  • Cigar Den

Compared to other types of home remodeling projects, a basement renovation comes with some unique benefits and specific considerations. We have had clients who want the whole nine yards, and others who simply want more flex space. Whatever your vision may be for your unfinished basement, it is important to work with a remodeling company that will ask in depth questions about how you and your family live. This knowledge not only builds trust but also empowers us to present creative design solutions that will fit your needs.

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Ready to transform your basement?

 
We’ve helped homeowners throughout Northern Virginia, Montgomery County, MD, and Washington D.C. create brand new, unique basement spaces that fundamentally transform how they use their living areas. Your basement doesn’t have to remain a forgotten area of your home! It can become a truly special part of it.

Browse our portfolio to see our work and contact us today to learn more, tell us about your ideas, and get started with your project!

Our Work

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Testimonials

 

 

We were thrilled with the work performed by Sun Design. We had used a different contractor to build a porch and it was an awful experience with long delays, so we were cautious. The Sun Design team listened to all our needs, presented multiple options to meet those needs at different price points, and delivered on time and on budget for our first floor renovation. They are exceptional at communicating with their clients on what to expect during each stage of the journey and carry our strongest recommendation.

Brendan Mahon

 

 

10/10 would highly recommend Sun Design. We found our kitchen layout was too small and wasn't working for us. We told Sun Design what our issues were and what was important to us, and their amazing design team created the kitchen of our dreams. It turned into a whole first floor transformation, moving kitchen, dining room, and living room around to a configuration that worked best for us.

Ashley Norman

 

 

I am a HUGE fan of Sun Design! The first time that we worked with them was over 15 years ago. We were ready to have a deck built, but not just any deck, and of course, Jeremy was the designer at that time and I remember how he went about designing it so that it looked like "part of the house" - It is beautiful. We recently refurbished it, and it looks absolutely beautiful!

Josie Zamolyi Caldwell

 

 

Sun Design transformed our "cookie cutter" house into a spectacular, unique home. Working with Ericka was a delight - her confidence and fun personality made the process enjoyable. Ours was a complete remodel - kitchen, family room, powder room, upstairs bathrooms, and some primary bedroom work. We loved working with Sun Design so much that we will be working with them again in the future when we are ready for an addition that will add a garage and in-law suite. Highly recommend!

Patti Ahlstrom

 

 

SunDesign came up with a creative design for our screened-in porch that beautifully fits into our existing landscape. Project was executed on budget and their craftsmanship is superb. Their responsiveness to a warranty issue we had with the door was immediately addressed. We highly recommend SunDesign — their teams are awesome to work with.

Gisela Ulmschneider

 

 

We had a fairly big project to build out part of our house. Sun Design has done a phenomenal job so far. We are getting close to complete. The design process was very collaborative and the execution of the build has gone well so far. Every part of the experience has been top quality and the team we are working with is amazing. The team is expensive but they are able to walk you through where every cent goes and why and they will look at different options to try to help reduce cost. They are well worth every penny. I would want to use Sun Design for any future projects and I highly recommend them.

Jen Navarro

 

 

Maryam and Jeff from Sun Design home care department are great to work with. Maryam is very responsive and attentive to all my inquiries. Jeff is my to go guy whenever I need work or maintenance in my property, very professional and thorough with his work. I have been a satisfied customer for 2 years now.

Brigitte Siegall

 

 

Sun Design handled the renovation of our large basement several years ago. We finished our laundry room and added two walls of built in cabinets, reconfigured a storage room and run-down kitchen into a guest room and sitting area, and finished a large rec room. Everything was redone - the floors, walls, ceilings, electrical work, etc. Sun Design did a terrific job - the rooms look wonderful. Our house was built in 1962 and we had a number of glitches along the way. But Sun Design made sure that, at the end, everything looked and worked properly. I highly recommend them.

Susan Louis

 

 

I have been working with Sun Design for over 15 years. They are a great company to work with, very friendly and professional staff. They are very clean, responsive, respectful of your property and I have nothing but the great things to say about Sun Design.

Goran Zukic

 

 

This review is to introduce you to Sun Design services and to recommend them for your next project. We used Sun Design for a deck – sunroom redesign, and the end result exceeded our expectations. Sun Design is easy to work with, thinks creatively, and effectively communicates ideas to enhance projects, and thus Sun Design has my highest endorsement. The staff is knowledgeable, courteous, and friendly. They truly care about every aspect of the projects they do. They arrive on time and leave the place spotless when the work has been completed.

H. Milton Richardson

Our experience with Sun Design has been nothing short of wonderful. From our initial meeting with Craig to working closely with Morgan & Emily, every stage of the design process has been refreshingly easy despite the fact that our kitchen restructure was complex. With thoughtful consideration to our 124-year-old home, Sun Design presented plans that maintained the character of our farmhouse & resolved issues with functionality & form— all while respecting our desired budget & overall objective.

Sarah & Erkan Orman

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