Basement Finish · Mullica Hill, NJ
The house was built the year before by a production builder, and the new homeowners came into the process too late to have the basement finished as part of the build. That left roughly 600 square feet sitting raw underneath a brand-new home. Our team stepped in to finish what the builder left undone.
A wide, single opening in green barn doors replaced the French doors originally on the table, giving the storage room space to load large items without doors taking up the floor space.
Three litter boxes sit behind a dedicated cut-out door, keeping pet supplies contained to one room instead of scattered through the house.
Framing, insulation, and full conditioning turned a raw, dusty corner of the basement into a gym that doesn’t track dust and odor upstairs anymore.
Upgraded, thicker flooring throughout gives the space a warmer, softer feel underfoot than a typical basement floor.
Recessed fixtures light the full 600 square feet without eating into the low basement ceiling height.
The staircase was left open rather than boxed in, keeping the finished basement from feeling closed off from the rest of the house.
Shelving inside the storage room was built to the specific heights of individual items, with trim and lighting integrated so the room reads as finished space.
A dedicated closet now stands where the homeowners had previously just stacked storage.
Door styles, trim profiles, lighting, and flooring were all chosen together at Avalon Flooring and in-home selection meetings, using the homeowners’ own Pinterest references.
The basement was framed and insulated from the studs out, so the finished space is fully conditioned and temperature controlled rather than just finished on the surface.
01
Before.
Roughly 600 square feet sat raw and unfinished beneath the homeowners’ new house, framed but otherwise untouched since the builder handed over the keys. Gym equipment was set up down there anyway, which meant working out in the dust and carrying it upstairs every time.
![Basement home gym with a squat rack, weight bench, and shelves of equipment on a concrete floor, with mats and exercise balls nearby.”] ,](https://www.ldrdesignco.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/unfinished-basement-home-gym-concrete-floor-featured-project-scaled-e1789486063206-576x1024.webp)
02
Our team walked the layout first, before any materials were chosen: a home gym, an oversized storage room built for a serious seasonal decoration collection, and a dedicated space for the family’s cat all needed to fit into 600 square feet without feeling chopped up.
03
Walls were framed and insulated to bring the space fully into the home’s conditioned envelope, an open staircase design kept the layout from feeling closed in, and a custom storage room was planned with double barn doors instead of French doors. A dedicated cat room with its own cut-out door rounded out the plan.
04
Selections were made in person — flooring picked out at Avalon Flooring, one of our design partners, alongside door styles, trim profiles, lighting, and the electrical outlet layout, using catalogs, an iPad, and Pinterest references the homeowners brought in. Once materials were finalized, the design was rendered so the family could see it built out before construction began.
The basement is fully conditioned, temperature controlled, and dust-free, with recessed lighting throughout and flooring upgraded to feel warmer and softer underfoot than a standard basement floor. The storage room is closed off with the green barn doors pictured from the start, the cat room holds three litter boxes behind its own door, and a new closet replaced what used to be a pile of storage in the corner.
The 600 square feet the builder left raw is now fully conditioned and finished. The homeowners now enjoy a home gym that doesn’t track dust all over the house, a storage room built custom for what they needed to store, and a dedicated room for the cat.
Most of our clients ask some version of these. If yours isn’t here, call or book a discovery call, we’re happy to talk before you’re ready.
Yes. This is a common starting point for new-construction homeowners who came into the building process too late to have the basement finished, or who chose not to at the time. We handle it as its own project, from layout through the finished space.
We walk the layout first, then move into materials and finishes — selected in person using catalogs, an iPad, and any reference photos a homeowner brings in — before finalizing everything in a 3D rendering so the family can see the space before construction begins.
This roughly 600-square-foot basement finish took about eight weeks from start to finish. Larger or more complex basements can take longer depending on scope.
Lifestyle Design & Remodel is licensed in New Jersey as a Home Improvement Contractor (#13VH11653400), and is also licensed to work in Pennsylvania.
