Tina’s Boston home is on the small side, a situation complicated by the fact she has two children and her husband runs a business out of the home. “So if I was going to paint, I needed a place to be uninterrupted. That’s what gave me the idea of having the basement finished and turning that space into a studio.

Renovating the basement to serve as an art studio or other creative work space is an increasingly popular option in Boston. Painters, quilters, artists and crafters all need open space to do their favorite things; basements are chronically underutilized spaces in many homes. “Our basement had the usual things – the furnace and whatnot – and a few boxes of old papers. Once the basement finishing company put the walls up and the floor in it looked like an entirely new space,” Tina explained. “So bright and airy – I couldn’t wait to get in there and set up my easel.” Her first few paintings don’t exactly look like something you’d find in a gallery, “But I’ve had a lot of fun,” Tina said, “and I think that’s what Mom would have wanted.”

Renovating the basement to serve as a guest suite made good sense. “Everyone can be comfortable,” Sandra said. “It’s really nice down there. Our Boston basement finishing company completely did that space over. There’s new walls, new floors, new lighting – it’s bright and comfortable and warm. I’ll tell you a secret – when we don’t have guests, I like that room as my own private getaway. I go down there with a book or watch a movie on my iPad or whatever – you’ve heard of the Man Cave? Now it’s Mom’s turn!”

“We had the basement remodeled into a guest space,” Sandra said. “My best friend had a similar situation, except she has her adult children living with her on a more permanent basis. What was nice in that case is that the Boston basement remodeling company incorporated even more features into the new place – there’s a bathroom and a cute little kitchen built right in – while making sure everyone has the space necessary to be happy!”

“So I decided to rearrange my priorities,” she said. “Otherwise, I’ll be in the nursing home working on this thing!” Making sure she had a quiet place to work in her Boston home was an issue. “My daughter lives here with her three kids,” Karen explained. “It’s a fun environment, to be sure, but it’s noisy. That’s why I called the Boston basement remodeling company.”

Karen’s desires were simple. “I wanted a quiet, bright place to study with a door that shuts.” She laughed. “Maybe I need to reference Virginia Woolf in my work!” Her concerns were that the basement was already crowded with a furnace, washer and dryer, and the family’s accumulated stuff, stored in green plastic totes. “Was there really going to be any room for me?”

Her Boston basement renovation specialists proved to be a valuable resource. “They looked at the space available and helped me figure out how things could be configured better. In addition to finishing the walls and putting in flooring and lighting, they had some great storage solutions that really freed up a lot of floor space.” Karen particularly enjoyed how the furnace and other vital home systems could still be easily accessed. “Now when it’s time for a service call, we just pop the wall panel open – so simple and easy!”