Article I've written about making a recreation room. Part of my real estate search engine marketing services is to write in depth about the homes being sold.

Making room for recreation

by Scott Salwolke

With the popularity of Texas Holdem, more and more people are once again looking to put a recreation room in their home. And many are not content with just having a poker table in their room. They're looking at putting in pool tables, foosball tables, and pinball machines. Even a Packman machine.

“I think another reason people are putting in game rooms is because they're building bigger homes,” said Ben Anderson of The Throw Line. “They now have 2,000 square feet on each floor. A pool table is a great way to fill some of that space.”

Envisioning a room with gaming equipment, a built in bar, and a big screen television is fine. But before you begin shopping consider your budget. And more importantly get out the tape measure. 

“Before they even begin shopping they should know exactly how big the room is” explains Anderson. “In older homes, many basements are only twelve feet wide. This isn't enough room for a pool table. You don't want to make it a room that you have to maneuver around in. The last thing you want is someone playing pool bumping into care players.” 

Crissy Bahl of J and J Billiards agrees.

“I find a mistake many people make is to put a pool table in a room too small,” said Crissy Bahl of J and J Billiards. “They end up using smaller cue sticks to play a game. It's just not the same.”

 “For an 8 foot pool table you ideally should have a room that is 18x14. For a seven foot table, then a room 17X13 ½ is enough.

Also consider how much the room will actually be used. If it's a place the entire family will use often, then the expenditure is worth it. If it's only going to be used once a month for a card game, then so many purchases don't make sense.

For many the centerpiece of a gaming room is the pool table. This used to mean people simply went out and purchased a green felt table. This is no longer the case.

“People now have a variety of colors to choose from with pool tables,” explains Bahl. “There have been colors other than green for a while, but now people are getting braver in their choices. They're going with Burgundy, blue, or tote.”

“You can even design your tables online. You can choose your own designs and colors to make something uniquely your own. Olhausen Billiards then allows you to print out your design and we then order it.”

Another early purchase is likely to be a poker table.

“Poker’s the big fad right now,” explains Anderson. “A lot of people are getting together to play Texas Holdem. So a lot more are out looking for poker tables.”

“The poker tables are made from a variety of woods. Some are looking for tables that match there other woodwork. Some, however, want a table that stands out from the rest of the home.”

Some simply want a room with stylish furniture in it. Others are looking to create a room with a theme. It's decorated in football memorabilia or perhaps Nascar. Others want a room that looks like a bar with neon beer signs on the wall. This means they also want a foosball table to complete the look.

 Lighting is another important consideration. If you're redoing a basement, the fluorescent lights overhead might not be enough. There's nothing worse than betting a stack of chips only to find out that spade is actually a club. Put decorative lamps around the room or track lighting.

 And with the lighting goes the outlets. Make sure you have enough places to plug in lights, pinball machines and most likely a refrigerator. After all, when you want a cold beverage you don't want to have to go upstairs to get it.