Help me make my basement a little more habitable

June 29, 2015 8:05 PM

A friend will be crashing in my basement for a little while and I'd like to make my basement that is a little dark and damp more habitable for him to crash temporarily. Snowflakes and pictures inside.

My basement has a sectioned off room that at one point (probably 50 years ago) was used as a bedroom it seems. I don't want to finish my basement or this room, I just want to make it a little more habitable for him to crash in. We occasionally (about once or twice a year) get a small amount of water coming in (I'd estimate half a cup of water) through the side of this room and the ceiling, it's also pretty dusty and not "homie" feeling down there. I plan to use something like "drylok" basement waterproofing sealant on the walls, and to sweep and mop the floors. I already have a dehumidifier going down there and the air is at 60% humidity. Any tips, advice, or problems you can see? I have never done anything like this before. Here is a picture of the basement wall

posted by denimchair to Home & Garden (14 answers total)

Response by poster: I notice that most drylok stuff is for basement wall cracks, but I don't have cracks, what do I have? holes? and is my wall poured concrete? or what is it? here is a closeup pic of the holes
posted by denimchair at 8:16 PM on June 29, 2015

Room divider or curtain hiding that serial killer wall, for a start.
posted by Scram at 8:58 PM on June 29, 2015 [3 favorites]

Paint the walls and the floor. White is fine on the walls, I'd do darker on the floor, you could even splatter some color on it. Get a carpet of some sort for the floor, a carpet remnant would be fine. What are you thinking about for a bed? Air bed? Regular bed? Sleeping bag? You can probably pick up a bed cheaply or even free on craigslist, I'd be careful about mattresses. bed bugs. Get some nice bright sheets and maybe a comforter. If you have a favorite thrift store check there for something to hang on the wall, they often have sheets as well. Find some sort of bedside table and a little lamp. Maybe some hooks on the wall to hang things. Those Command hooks work pretty well if you don't want to dril into the walls. Your could use a couple above the window to hang a curtain rod and some little curtains.
posted by BoscosMom at 9:06 PM on June 29, 2015 [3 favorites]

Thrift stores, garage sales, craigslist and freecycle are your friends here if you don't want to spend a lot. Also Home depot or hardware stores have some stuff that is supposed to absorb smells if it smells musty down there.
posted by BoscosMom at 9:13 PM on June 29, 2015 [1 favorite]

What sort of bed do you have for him? Get some inexpensive brightly-colored bedding -- from Ikea, Target, whatever you've got in your area. If you can splash out a little further, you can't go wrong with a small bedside table, a lamp, some sort of artwork for the walls, a carpet (you could use a bathmat). You don't have to go nuts. For $100 you could do a lot, easily. For $50 or less you could still do a lot if you're willing to go to a few garage sales. But yeah, you've GOT to perk up that prison cell you've got down there. I looked at the pic and half expected the Birdman of Alcatraz to wander into the frame.
posted by BlahLaLa at 9:19 PM on June 29, 2015 [1 favorite]

I'd be sure to get some way of keeping the sleeping surface off the floor, so a platform with risers or something, definitely. Carpet remnants are a good idea.

Those walls are pretty scary and it seems like a time consuming annoying job to fix them. Maybe if there's a handyman or contractor you trust you could ask them for a consultation to make sure you're going about fixing them the right way, and in the meantime I think even the ugliest curtains would be an improvement. A tension rod maybe if you can't attach anything to the walls without special tools?

Lighting goes a long way. Get at least two different light sources and put full spectrum LED bulbs in them. A trunk or small chest of drawers so there's a flat surface and a little storage will help keep more things off the floor and give a spot to put a lamp. If it's summer where you are that's high season for yard sales so keep an eye out.
posted by Mizu at 9:42 PM on June 29, 2015 [2 favorites]

I already have a dehumidifier going down there and the air is at 60% humidity.

I keep mine at 35% and you might want to do that while he's visiting.

And put it on a timer so that it runs while he's out of the room. Or just remember to run it when you leave the room.
posted by sebastienbailard at 11:08 PM on June 29, 2015

Talk to someone at a hardware store about how to fill those holes. Then clean the wall thoroughly to get off those rust streaks, let it dry completely, and give it a fresh coat of white paint. Fill in all those little cracks so it's ALL white. Paint the inside of that window frame (not the glass), too. It may take two coats.

For the floor, you also want to paint and seal it (or use a tinted sealer). A dark color (dark brown perhaps) will look nice.

Get some pothos (potted ivy plant that can live in very very low light) and hang it near/in front of the window.

Get a bed or air mattress and a side table. If you have some sort of other furniture (dresser, bookshelf, other table against the wall), that would be nice, too.

One lamp on the side table, and one floor lamp (or fix the existing fixture, I'm assuming a bare lightbulb, with something nicer). Hang at least one thing on the wall with a command hook (any kind of art will do).

Make sure he has electrical outlets (or an extension cord and power strip) to charge his things.

Lots of cozy snuggly blankets. Some books to read.
posted by amaire at 12:05 AM on June 30, 2015 [2 favorites]

The thing that would creep me out about staying in that room is the thought of spiders and insects. I would like the bed to be off the floor and I would like a place to hang my clothes such that they wouldn't be touching a wall.

Also a small desk/table and chair, if they'll fit. And what's the electricity situation - is there a place to plug in his phone charger and a lamp? I don't see any outlets.
posted by lakeroon at 2:27 AM on June 30, 2015

How will your friend get out of the basement if there's a fire? That looks like it might work as an egress window, but how will he open it in an emergency--is it glass block or regular window glass?
posted by thomas j wise at 3:35 AM on June 30, 2015 [7 favorites]

I've used hydraulic cement to fill basement wall holes.

As thomas j wise said, egress is also a concern.
posted by LoveHam at 4:08 AM on June 30, 2015

Both of my last two bedrooms have been in finished English basements, and the one I'm in now gets barely any natural light. I've been pretty happy with them despite the basement-ness. My landlords did: carpeting (maybe in this case just throw down a cheap rug), white paint or whitewash on the walls, bright ceiling lighting, thorough room cleaning by a cleaning service before move-in. I did: multiple lamps, brightly colored curtains, lots of pillows so it's cozy and snug, wall decals and/or framed photos. In your case, covering the floor and scrubbing the rust stains will get you, I'd say, 80% of the way there.
posted by capricorn at 6:55 AM on June 30, 2015 [1 favorite]

Back in the day when we were young and hippie-ish, we hung hippie wall hangings over scary walls and put carpet remnants on floors. Elevate the bed, as has been said, in any way possible. (Maybe pallets?)

Also, get a dehumidifier to run much of the time. And maybe a space heater for occasional use. Warn them not to use the heater when not occupying the space.
posted by RedEmma at 8:07 AM on June 30, 2015

Clean with bleach & water, then with water & vinegar to get rid of any musty smells. Curtain and an adequate bed with bedside table and lamp will humanize it. Dehumidifier is critical in summer. Possibly some natural scent - balsam pillow, cedar chips, even just some vanilla.
posted by theora55 at 4:41 PM on June 30, 2015