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Basement Woes and Fixes

Again we hosted Christmas with my family and again I was frustrated that we have a large space -- the basement -- that we couldn't/didn't really use. Sigh.

In discussing plans to finish the basement, it became clear that we won't have the funds to do it in the next 6-8 months, at least. And maybe not at all this year. (It's a lot harder than you'd think to prioritize house projects/improvements.)

But, I have to do something about it or this icky feeling of having a space in my house that I can't use will eat at me. So, I'm gathering my goals and figuring out some ways. 

Goals
Lego Land: The girls use the basement as their Lego playroom. We've thrown Ikea tables and pieced together some rugs down there, along with some lights. I need to maintain that and maybe make it more comfortable. (Note: the neighbors came by this weekend and moved a majority of legos back to their house, but I have a feeling they'll be back.) 

The Home Gym: There's a good exercise space down there that I can use for my evening workouts, so I'd like to make it a bit more attractive and clean -- so it doesn't feel like I'm inhaling dead insects and spider webs. 

Storage: I've got bins galore down there and luggage that I need to find a permanent home for. And I've got shelves that I'm certainly not using to their full potential. I'd like to add an area for kitchen storage near the beer fridge for large appliances I don't have a home for. 

Strategy
Step one is a clean up -- so my cleaning service is coming this week to vacuum up all the dead things and dirt. I have to do a good deal of pre-cleanup before they arrive.

Here's what I'm currently dealing with: 



Step two: Once the cleaning service has de-grossified the space, I'll get to work and organize the bins, move around the storage. I'll connect all the random rugs into one or two and put the Lego tables back into place.

Step three: Decide if I want to invest in carpet tiles (Flor, of course) to dress it up a bit. They worked wonders in my awful bathroom. Or what other worthwhile but minor investment I can make - paint? Screens? Or if moving around some of the shelves will do the trick.

Maybe a few sketches are in order... 
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