Added height brings with it a higher level of finish for lower-level ceilings. Suspended acoustic tile has gone the way of the over-the-pool-table beer-company light, replaced by the same quality drywall found elsewhere in the house.

With the lower level becoming so much more important to the home’s overall design, the staircase itself is gaining importance as an architectural element. U-shaped staircases can be defined with a landing halfway down. The landing can become home to a small bench, flanked by bookcases and topped by backlit stained-glass artwork, giving the entire stairway a purpose in the overall design.

Windowless, corner, below-grade, lower levels are ideal locations for enjoying home electronic equipment, and many home buyers are requesting rooms created specifically for their new plasma televisions and surround-sound systems.

Sloped lots are ideal for creating walk-out lower levels, with exposed foundation areas providing wall space for sunshine-welcoming windows and French doors.

It’s a word that conjures up images of Ping-Pong tables, dart boards, bad lighting and leftover furniture. Though these ingredients may add up to some happy teenage memories, they certainly don’t match the upscale tastes of today’s custom-home clientele. Added space for entertaining, housing guests and, yes, teenage hideaways are all goals for high-end buyers, but these discriminating customers are insisting on features and finishes equal to the quality of that found elsewhere in their homes.

No longer an afterthought, these below-grade spaces now feature standard-height ceilings, ample natural light and high-quality flooring. And, in the process of polishing up their image, they’ve also lost the moniker of “basement,” for a tag that’s a tad more marketing friendly.

“We are very careful to use the term ‘lower level,’” says Ken Workman, AIA, architect with Cincinnati-based RWA Architects. “When it’s all finished out, there’s no difference in the level of finish — ‘lower level’ definitely conjures up a better image.”

A new emphasis on natural light is playing a key role in the basement’s rise to “lower-level” status. And, in a lemons-into-lemonade situation, some builders are finding greater opportunity for adding natural light in the sloped lots that formerly were considered bottom-of-the-barrel building sites. Such locations are ideal for creating walk-out lower levels, and their exposed foundation areas provide wall space for sunshine-welcoming windows and French doors.

Many functions, many forms

Though the finishes sported by today’s lower levels are far above those seen in yesterday’s basements, these areas still function, basically, as spillover space. And, whether they’re seeking a secondary family room or additional guest quarters, today’s homeowners are most interested in adaptability to future needs.