Creative Uses for Basement

[Tim Loughrist]

I have a duplex with a shared basement. Currently, it is used for w/d and free, unsecured storage. The foundation on the house is crumbling and needs to be replaced. The replacement is going to greatly increase the size of the basement.

In an ideal world, I'd put a third unit down there, but it doesn't seem to be in the cards given the municipal code. So, I'm looking at other uses for the basement to increase cash flow.

My ideas so far are (1) building secured storage units and (2) building living space to append to the first floor unit (which would require a compact stair or some such thing).

Has anyone found a good use for basement space apart from these or tips on how to do either (1) or (2) effectively?