How to Plan a Layout of Basement Walls

Make a list of the things you want in your basement. This can be functions of different spaces or a list of the spaces and specific contents. For instance, if you are building a home gym in your basement, list specific items going into the gym. If you know you are putting in a treadmill, rowing machine, weight set and stationary bike, list those things. It helps to determine the size of the rooms later.

Measure your basement. If there are already multiple rooms in your basement, measure each one. Transfer those measurements to the graph paper. Also note every door and window in the basement.

Put the mechanicals into your drawing. These are things like hot water heaters, laundry equipment, furnaces, central vacuums and electrical panels. Also mark where ductwork for the furnace runs. This can be important later during the building phase, especially when you have to install vents or cold air returns.

Add the wall layout to your graph paper draft. Now is the time to play with the wall arrangements and determine what suits you the most as well as what works best for the space available. Consider having all the mechanicals in one room so they are separate from other living spaces in the basement. If your basement already has bathroom plumbing roughed-in, it is a good time to plan for an additional bathroom. Plus, people using the space later won't have to run upstairs to get to a bathroom.