30 Basement Reno Lessons Learned

Some advice and cool nuances we added

Mar 13, 2026

Random Observation/Comment #925: I think I’ve consumed way too many movies post-basement era of living. Time to go build some more things.

//Can’t wait to have more parties

Why this list?

My basement is done (it was done back in late Jan 2026)! The actual work was only 8 weeks (because Daniel is awesome), but the desire for a finished basement has been a long 3-year journey of despair. In any case, here are things that made a difference in the design and overall vibes.

How it started:

How it turned out:

Here's the Amazon buy list https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/27CTGOQGTXUV8?ref_=wl_share

If you’re in Denver, here’s the review for Daniel Diaz from Laguna Construction, LLC: https://maps.app.goo.gl/ALECjrmcAmfsKytR7

Get the right general contractor through recommendations and reputation - Daniel Diaz from Laguna construction, LLC (Google maps) has all my high praises. He’s so personable and genuinely felt like he treated my basement as his own. He would keep iterating until he was happy with it and proud of his own work. I felt like he made so many ad-hoc suggestions in design that really brought the whole basement together. He’s such a great guy that I’ve befriended him as a poker friend (and probably a general great contact to know about home improvement).
Designers can be hit or miss - Part of the basement journey was working with a designer that really did a terrible job with communication and sticking to schedules. She charged for everything and we had to threaten lawsuit. We felt she had a good design eye, but a scammy business. Sadly, these type of services vary in quality and become super boutique tailored to wealthy clientele. I’m happy we eventually found a diamond in the rough.
Submitting for city permit sign off takes at least 3 months - The permit process took longer than the actual build. If you’re starting that basement journey, just be aware of the long lead time.
Consider your floor design for future bedrooms - Bedrooms require a closet and a window, so the resell value will be much higher if this space can be converted. I’ve opted to make a functional office with the window well, but it might make a difference on paper in the future (far, far, future).
Don’t forget to design for storage - Design for 10-15% of the square footage space to stay as storage. I hated this rule, but I think it’s the right thing to do.
Pay for quality flooring - If you’re in a fully unfinished basement, then highly consider going in on leveling, underlayment, and a high quality LVP. Flooring is done once, so we’re happy we also finished the storage closet.
Expect stress and clutter - There’s going to be clutter from things moving from the basement to other rooms. There’s going to be a lot of overhead in thinking as well. The weight of the renovation is real.
Expect lots of Amazon purchases - We went pretty crazy with last minute purchases on things that we didn’t know we needed. The Amazon bill was pretty high, but super thankful everything is 2-day shipping with Amazon Prime. It says I’ve saved over $1000 on prime in the past year, so I’ve definitely ordered way too much with way too many trips.
Create your Pinterest board - Go through a bunch of photos and start to star what you like and what might be cool to have in different parts of your room.
Look for colors that match your vibe - We also used the Color Concierge (Google Maps, https://thecolorconcierge.com/ ) who did a great job deciding on the colors inside the office and bathroom.
Work with Floor and Decor designers - We were really lucky to have gotten XYZ name from the Central Park location in Denver, Colorado.
If you get any renderings, you can always use AI to adjust little things - This was a game changer since I didn’t have the software to do the little updates.
//Drywall pic
//Fun nano banana rendering in the style of Star Wars
//Drywall progress of our wet bar area
//AI rendering of the materials we’ve picked for the same photo
Consider taxes - If you have your own company and you work from home then you can claim the work in your office to offset and gains. This could save quite a bit to offset income taxes.
Dupe.com could save some money - We didn’t always skimp on quality, but dupe.com was great site for looking at alternative furniture with similar looks. There could be good taste in furniture that doesn’t need to be 10x the price.
Consider this awesome recessed lighting - It has a regular light and also a dimmed version of it.
Consider govee strip lights - I can’t believe how important it is to have good lighting as it adjusts all the vibes. Spend the extra few hundred on the details of lighting.
Consider these panels as an accent wall - I’m super happy with these wall veneers because they just look so badass. It was pretty expensive, but super worth it.
Instead of buying a hidden bookshelf, consider a hidden wooden veneer wall - The carpenter really did a fantastic job. It looks so good and has really great sound.
Reverse Osmosis water tastes so much better! - This was one on my wish list after going to a friend’s house.
For your sink, consider a bar glass cleaner jet - This was the dream!
Pay extra for a wet bar with matching cabinets - Daniel did his own cabinet fronts to the wine refrigerators and dish washers.
Consider buying an awesome toilet with built in bidet - A regular porcelain bowl is $250 and the seat I’d buy as an attachment was around $200, so I paid a bit extra at $600 to get it all together.
Consider buying this awesome projector - Valerion VisionMaster Pro 2 mounted on the ceiling upside down around 12 ft from the wall (used ChatGPT to suggest the measurement and size). It gives me a 170” screen. Not only do I love the image quality, but the projector itself looks like a giant heat sink.
Finalize speaker wire hiding early - If you’re doing surround sound (which you should), the wiring plan must be finalized before the drywall goes up and they start insulating the ceiling. I definitely messed this one up, but I’ll find a solution to use a lightweight amp up there with low latency.
Buy fewer nice pieces of furniture than just fill the whole space with junk - This is a general design philosophy. Less is more.
Insulation is for sound (and also temperature) - Rockwool was used for the ceiling of the basement to dampen the sound of footsteps from the floor above.
Soft-close hinges and dimmable switches - In the grand scheme of things, this is pretty much pennies, but it will feel more expensive every day.
Live in the space before buying anything large - You don’t know the flow of the room until you’ve walked it for a few weeks. We just bought the couch and that will probably be the end of our spending for the rest of the year.
Listen to your wife - She’s usually right about the “feel” of the room, even if you’re focused on buying more junk.
Celebrate the win - I can’t wait to have a “stock the bar” or “bean bag” party where we can host and also celebrate the completion of the project. I intend to have a “friend’s cabinet” space where friends can keep their own glass for you to use.