Rooms
Entertainment walls, bars, bathrooms, bedrooms, offices, gyms, storage and the mechanical room.
- Which appliances belong in a basement bar, and what does each one need?
Start a basement bar with a front-venting beverage fridge. Ice makers need a drain and their own circuit; wine fridges and appliance drawers come last.
Updated October 10, 2026 - Dry bar, wet bar, kitchenette or full bar: what should go in your basement?
In BuildFlow's pricing a basement dry bar starts around $5,000, a wet bar with a stone counter and sink is about $8,500, and a designed bar with seating is about $22,000. Here's what each step adds.
Updated October 10, 2026 - Should my basement have a full bath, a 3/4 bath or a half bath?
A basement with a bedroom needs a 3/4 or full bath with a shower; a family room or bar needs only a half bath. Clearances, plumbing, fans and BuildFlow costs.
Updated October 10, 2026 - What does a basement bedroom need to be legal in Minnesota?
A legal Minnesota basement bedroom needs an egress opening of 5.0-5.7 sq ft clear, 20 in wide, 24 in high, sill under 44 in, a 9 sq ft well, and 70 sq ft.
Updated October 10, 2026 - Does my basement bathroom need an ejector pump?
A basement bathroom needs an ejector pump only if its fixtures sit below the sewer line. Ejector vs grinder vs up-flush toilet, basin, vent, alarm and upkeep.
Updated October 10, 2026 - Basement entertainment walls and built-ins: every option, priced
In BuildFlow's pricing a basement TV wall starts around $900, a floating console with shelves is about $4,500, a full-height built-in wall about $9,500, and a built-in with a linear fireplace about $15,000.
Updated October 10, 2026 - Can you put a fireplace in a basement, and which kind should you choose?
Yes: a direct-vent gas fireplace vented through the rim joist, or an electric unit on any wall. Vent-free gas is banned in Minnesota; wood is rarely practical.
Updated October 10, 2026 - How do I design a basement playroom or game room that grows with my family?
Build the shell for the teen years: waterproof LVP, closed storage, sight lines, TR outlets, and a game zone sized to the table plus a cue length on each side.
Updated October 10, 2026 - How do I lay out a basement guest suite or teen suite with a bedroom, bath and sitting area?
A basement suite needs a legal bedroom with egress, a bath off a 36-in-plus hall, a sitting area and closets placed as sound buffers, in about 350-500 sq ft.
Updated October 10, 2026 - How do I design a home office and home gym in my basement?
Put a basement office by the egress window with front lighting, wired Ethernet and a solid door. Put the gym on rubber over slab under the highest ceiling.
Updated October 10, 2026 - Can I put a kitchenette in my basement guest or in-law suite?
A sink, mini fridge and microwave is a wet bar. Add a stove and a separate door and many Twin Cities cities treat your basement as an ADU. Rules and layout.
Updated October 10, 2026 - How do I finish around the laundry in my basement?
Keep laundry by the floor drain, wall it off from the furnace, vent the dryer in 4-inch rigid metal under 35 ft equivalent, and give it a 20-amp GFCI circuit.
Updated October 10, 2026 - What should you do with the mechanical room when you finish a basement?
Wall off the mechanical room around code clearances: 36 in at the panel, 30x30 in at the furnace and water heater, combustion air and a door wide enough.
Updated October 10, 2026 - Should my basement be a media room or a home theater, and how do I lay it out?
Pick a media room for a lit, flexible space with a big TV, a theater for a dark room, projector and rows. Sizes, risers, Atmos layouts and wiring.
Updated October 10, 2026 - Basement shower: should you use an insert or tile, and which door?
Most basements suit a multi-piece acrylic insert: faster, cheaper, fewer seams. Tile over a bonded membrane suits custom showers. Doors, pans, fans compared.
Updated October 10, 2026 - How much basement should I leave for storage when I finish it?
Most finished basements keep storage unfinished and wrapped around the mechanical room. Size it from the bins you own now and keep clearances clear.
Updated October 10, 2026