One of the reasons we chose to buy our house was because of the full basement. My husband and I liked the bonus of added living space. We had big plans of utilizing this area as a playroom for the kids, work area for my husband and home gym for me. I was looking forward to setting up a dedicated workout spot where I could have easy access to exercise equipment. As soon as we moved in, we got busy remodeling the basement. We added carpet, put up new lights, painted and installed a dehumidifier. We devoted one section to a couch, television, game console and toys for the kids. We designated one corner for my husband’s power tools, workbench and woodworking materials. I bought myself a really nice yoga mat, weight bench, hand weights, jump rope, foam roller and resistance bands. I enjoyed having my home gym for almost a month. When the weather warmed up and the snow melted, our basement filled with water. The flooding wrecked the carpet, dehumidifier and electronics and caused damage to my husband’s tools and my workout gear. We dealt with mold and mildew growth and musty smells. I didn’t dare workout down there with such poor air quality. I finally invested into a sump pump to handle the influx of groundwater. The basement dried right up and we bought all new stuff. A month later, the electric went out, causing the sump pump to quit running. The basement filled with six inches of water overnight. I’ve not spent even more money on a backup, battery-powered sump pump. I’ve also needed to once again purchase new carpet, new stuff for the kids and new workout gear for me. I could have easily paid for a lifetime gym membership for what I’ve spent on a home gym.