Adult Children Living at Home? 5 Renovation Tips for Your Basement

It may not be a lifestyle they chose, and they may be as eager for it to end as you are. Until that day, renovating your basement can help give your adult child a feeling of independence at home.

And your basement renovation doesn't have to be just for them. Finishing or revamping your basement can also be a good way to increase the property value of your home. It also means you'll potentially have a space you can rent out when your child does move out. So with these ideas in mind, here are five renovation tips to turn your basement into a comfortably livable space.

1. Enable Separate Climate Control

One of the age-old fights in a household is what temperature to keep it at. And having someone living in the basement will usually add fuel to the fire. Since your basement is probably underground, it will run much cooler than your upstairs spaces. Someone living it in will usually want to keep things a bit warmer than the rest of the house. Installing a separate climate control system in your basement can keep everyone happy.

Not that a basement doesn't need any AC at all. Without air conditioning, even basements can become uncomfortably warm during heat waves, and there's also humidity to consider. Extending central air into your basement can be expensive, and it doesn't really address the separate system issue. One option is installing a mini split system, which lets your basement dweller control their space's temperature without affecting the remainder of the house. It's a simple and relatively affordable solution that can make a huge difference.

2. Add a Kitchenette

Knowing how to feed yourself well is one of the cornerstone skills a person needs to live an independent life. Eating takeout or fridge snacks every night doesn't count. One way to help your adult child develop their culinary expertise is to enable them to cook. And you can do that by installing a kitchenette in your basement.

A kitchenette is essentially just like a kitchen, except everything's just a bit smaller. Think mini-fridge instead of refrigerator and two-burner stovetop instead of full-sized range. Installing a basement kitchenette will give your child the opportunity to cook healthier meals. So rather than let your child survive on Taco Bell and midnight snacks from upstairs, help them hone their cooking skills.

3. Provide a Separate Bathroom

Similar to a kitchenette, installing a bathroom in the basement will help bolster your child's feeling of independence. As with renting an apartment, having your own bathroom is a huge plus. It means your child won't need to come up into the main part of the house to use your bathroom. Consequently, you'll also have more of your own personal space, giving you a break too.

Now, admittedly, installing a bathroom can be more expensive than a kitchenette. It really depends on whether or not there's already plumbing in your basement. But even if adding plumbing is expensive, it can significantly increase the value of your home and its sale or rental potential. If it's in your budget and aligns with your long-term goals, a new bathroom can be a great investment.

4. Divide the Space with Walls

A common feature of most basements is that they're one big space. Since they're usually used for storage or housing various household mechanicals, there's no need to subdivide them. But consider how the rest of your house is arranged into different rooms: kitchen, living room, bedroom. By dividing your basement into different areas, it will feel more like an apartment and less like a hole in the ground.

The good news about building walls in the basement is that it's relatively inexpensive and simple to do. This way, your child can have their own place while you get to keep your storage in a separate room. Again, creating rooms in your basement is a great way to help increase the resale value and/or rentability of your house. When it comes to basement renovations, adding space dividers like walls is a no-brainer.

5. Install Lighting Fixtures

Before someone was living in your basement, there wasn't much need for attractive lighting. All you needed was to be able see what was down there clearly. But you can imagine how unpleasant it would be to live with nothing but bare bulbs or fluorescent light all the time. And since basements are partially or entirely underground, they present fewer opportunities for natural light. So help the space feel more like a place by adding new lighting fixtures.

This can be as simple as changing the bulbs in the ceiling fixtures to a warmer color and adding a dimmer switch. Or you can place lamps on various pieces of furniture around the basement. Color-changing LED strips are a great way to liven up the space, especially if your child wants to entertain friends. There are tons of different directions in which you can take lighting that will help make your basement a more pleasant place to live.

A Space That Works for Them

In addition to the renovations suggested here, ask your adult child what they want in their basement living area. Maybe they could use an office area to help develop a business. Or perhaps they'd like space for gym equipment to get or stay in shape. Having clear wants in mind will provide direction for your renovations. And they'll support your child's needs until they're able to fly solo.