Dads, or just parents in general, go through a lot just to keep their family healthy, happy, and well-adjusted. Sometimes, the daily cycle of commuting, working, running errands, doing chores, and spending time with the kids can get too much. And even if you’re at home, you may not truly get the rest you deserve with the rest of the family talking in your ear or climbing on your back.
Many dads seek solace by having a drink at the local bar after work or waiting until the weekend to “get away” for a while. But what if you bring that R&R right in your very home? If you were lucky enough to get a finished basement with your custom-built home, (or finished the basement after you moved in), here are some ideas on how to turn it into your personal dad getaway.
1. Underground bar
Ever since having kids, night outs become a thing of the past for many parents. And even when you manage to squeeze in a drink at the bar, you may still be worrying about getting home on time or wondering what the kids are up to (have they burned down the house yet?). The solution? Build a bar in your basement. And we’re not just talking about a small rack to keep your alcohol; we mean a real bar with stools, an ice maker, and a bar wall!
With your own bar just a flight of stairs away, you can relax with your favorite drink without having to worry about making it home on time or calling an Uber if you have too much to drink. Better yet, an underground bar will serve as a great hangout space for you and your friends, especially parents who could use a drink. And if your spouse enjoys a fifteen-year-old wine just as much as you do, your underground bar can be an amazing date spot just below your house.
2. Game room
For many gamer dads, their home office doubles as a game room. However, if you don’t want to mix business with pleasure, or simply don’t want your kids to hear you yelling profanities at the enemy team, building a game room in your basement is an excellent option.
A game room doesn’t even have to be about video games. If you’re not a gamer, you could put a pool table, a darts board, a card table, or even a vintage arcade game in there. With some board games, you could also make the game room double as a place for family game night.
3. Workshop
If you engage in woodworking, mechanical tinkering, spray painting, or other similar hobbies, you need a workspace that is away from the rest of the house and is relatively inaccessible to your young kids. The garage and the attic are great options, but sometimes, they are too full of stuff to use as a workshop. Moreover, your kids may gain access to the workshop and accidentally hurt themselves on your tools or materials.
To keep your projects and your kids safe, consider turning your basement into a workshop. Even if you have an unfinished basement, it can be a great place where you can do building projects or tinker with mechanical parts all you want without getting disturbed. Just make sure that you have sufficient electrical outlets to plug in your tools as well as adequate lighting to ensure that you can work safely. Moreover, it is important to keep the basement locked to prevent your kids from entering it and possibly getting themselves hurt.
4. Home theater
You want to watch the game, but the kids want to watch cartoons or your spouse wants to watch their favorite crime documentary. If you’re sick of fighting everyone else in the house for the remote, why not create your own home theater in the basement?
With a flat-screen TV or projector, a surround sound speaker system, an HDMI cable, a Blu Ray (optional), and a surge protector device, you can enjoy your favorite shows and movies all you want without anyone bothering you. And since you’re in the basement, you won’t have to worry too much about the volume being too loud and you definitely don’t have to worry about waking up the kids when you want to watch some late-night TV.
Turning your basement into a dad getaway can give you a great place to relax without straying too far from home. Apart from being your ‘man cave’, it can also be an extra room where you can spend family nights, relax with your spouse, and hang out with your friends who are just as tired from parenting life as you are.
