"Simple Strategies for Maximizing Space in Basement Designs"Minimizing wasted space in basement designs is typically more critical than when dealing with totally new construction. Increasing overall floorplan space is rarely an option, therefore creative thinking saves the day in squeezing existing square footage into more effective and usable areas. Even though everyone has their own preferences regarding what they want to do with the areas available to work with - there are usually points of compromise along the way.
Avoiding this give-and-take in basement designs is almost impossible, but there are certain areas you can commonly focus on to save or "redeem" space. Based on my years of helping homeowners add value to their property and lifestyle by improving their basements here are several real-life solutions that have proven to work well.
Customize Your Mechanicals Corner. Pay special attention to positioning items such as your hot water heater, furnace, HVAC, etc. If at all possible keep them close together. These necessities are typically tucked into their own walled-off, closet-style, room. 
This can be a great area for storing those items that are necessary to keep around the house but might only get used once or twice a year. Usually when one or more corners of these small rooms are not filled with mechanicals, therefore by simply adding some shelves it can become more efficient. While this may sound contradictory regarding saving space - sometimes increasing the size of your mechanicals area might actually save you from "space eating" clutter zones in your activity areas.
Prioritize with "Well-Built" Shelving. Experience has proven that there is more to effective shelving than initially meets the eye. Even if you only put them in the mechanicals room it will pay off to give them a bit of careful thought. First, consider what you plan on storing on them and get shelves that will bear up well under the load for a long time. 
If the areas that you need shelves are more exposed and will be seen by guests you will likely want something a bit more quality than simple department store wire units. Possibly nicely finished, built-in wooden ones that your contractor can do without paying the price a custom cabinet shop might charge - unless of course that is what you want. Next, if the shelves will be hidden I would still recommend staying away from wire units as they typically do not last over time. A general rule-of-thumb is to keep the bottom shelf up to 24" off the floor to allow for larger, heavier and bulkier items, with the next one approximately 16" above that. It goes without saying, but if you know specific sizes of things you want to store then plan specific accommodations.
The location of your sump pump pit will likely help you decide what to use this additional space for. For example, if your basement designs include adding a new bathroom and the sump pump pit is next to the one wall it could be entirely possible to turn that space into a linen closet. This would free up valuable floor space inside the bathroom itself. Use your imagination!Seasonal Lifestyle Evaluation. Or perhaps it is ice hockey equipment your son doesn't want cluttering his bedroom year round. Maybe you'd like a better place to keep your family's winter clothing with less hassle than those old boxes way up in the attic. Whatever it may be, most people have special items that are affected by seasonal change and with a little forethought storing them could become easier.
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