Studies show that the most popular definitions of a happy home are a space where you feel secure (69 percent), a place for relaxation (64 percent) and a space where you can be free to be yourself (57 percent). When it comes to making a home feel like a home and feel comfortable, interior design is a big reason why.

The interior design industry generates $10 billion annually as homeowners buy furniture, do remodeling projects or redecorate to spruce things up in a home. This is especially true of new homeowners. In a 2014 survey, millennial homeowners were just as likely to renovate their homes as other age groups and were driven by a desire to make a newly purchased home their own.

When it comes to DIY projects, one project that can spruce up your home while increasing it’s value is a basement remodel. Rather than being a spot to store things, a basement can be a useable living space and can make your property much more valuable. In fact, according to Home Advisor, the average basement remodel can have up to a 70 percent return on investment.

Here are five tips to pulling off the perfect basement remodel:

• More bedrooms: By remodeling your basement, you can potentially add quite a bit more living space like extra bedrooms. Keep in mind that for a space to be considering a bedroom, it must have a closet and it must have two forms of egress, that is a way to exit the property. Installing something like a window to add another exit point can take some work, but it can pay off in long run. It will help increase the value of your property and hopefully appeal to a broader range of buyers who are interested in your property if you sell it.
• More bathrooms: Having an additional bedroom can be nice, but so can having an extra bathroom. Having additional bathrooms in a house is always a big point of interest with potential buyers, especially if your upstairs living space has just one bathroom or one and a half bathrooms. This addition will come with costs including plumbing work, tiling and potentially putting up drywall as a divider among other things. Again, it will take some work and money, but the investment you make now will pay big future dividends.
• Return on investment: it’s already been established that a finished basement can have up to a 70 percent return on investment. Perhaps that’s a big reason why basement remodeling has become so popular home remodeling project. According to surveys conducted by the National Association of Home Builders, finished basements have become some of the most popular renovation projects over the past two decades. When it comes to ROI, keep this in mind: if you spent $1,000 on finishing your basement or remodeling it, the value of your property is increased by about $700.
• Extra Storage And Recreation: When prospective buyers are looking at photos of houses and see stunning finished basement photos, their interest is going to go up. If you turn your basement into a game room or lounging area, those things are going to stand out in finished basement photos that the buyers see. Rather than being cold and dark, you can make your basement the place to be in your home, turning it into the perfect spot for parties, playtime and just hanging out. You can also create organized storage space rather than just chucking your extra belongings down there.
• An Easy Job: When buyers are looking at finished basement photos, they aren’t looking to see the highest of high quality. If you can put in decent lighting, a heat source and some good flooring that won’t warp, that will add a lot to your basement. That means you don’t have to spend a ton of money on materials if you’re going to do a basement remodel.

If you’re looking to remodel or finish your basement, an online search will yield numerous finished basement photos to give you a wealth of ideas to transform your basement the way you want. Taking the time to do this project will liven up your home and should give you a great return on investment in the future.