“Growing up, all of my favorite family memories took place in the rec room,” Aaron said. “We did everything there – marathon Monopoly games, movie night, cards – and we just hung out together. I really think that’s why my brothers and I are so close even today. And I want to provide that same experience for my 3 kids.”

There’s only one problem. Aaron’s family lives in a small home in the Boston suburbs, and with three children, a wife, and a home business, every available inch of the house is already in use. “We started looking into basement finishing systems right away,” he said, “because I knew I couldn’t afford to build up or out, but making use of what underutilized space we already had sounded like a good idea.”

Aaron’s wife Amber initially was against the idea. “Our basement was so dark and really kind of creepy. I know Aaron says I baby the boys, but I really didn’t want them hanging out in such a scary environment!”  It was only after looking at other pictures of finished basements turned into rec rooms on the internet that she began to change her mind.

“I don’t mind doing a little home improvement myself,” Aaron said, “but my free time is very limited, and what I do have I want to spend having fun with my kids.” He recommends choosing a Boston basement finishing company with lots of experience. “One of the things that made me very comfortable about choosing the company we did is that they could show me all these pictures of finished basements they’d created. The quality of work was very high, and I felt comfortable that our family would really enjoy the space.”

“It’s become our favorite room in the house,” Amber said. “This winter in Massachusetts was so long and snowy and the kids were out of school for days. Being able to send them down to the rec room to blow off some steam was a life-saver! I highly recommend having your basement turned into a rec room to everyone.”