And you don’t have to drive across town to get to them – just walk downstairs.

Builders, designers and home owners across the city are catching on to the trend of developing new and existing basements into rec rooms with all the amenities the young-at-heart could desire. Whether you’re a movie buff, a gamer, a pool player or you just like to invite friends over to sip wine or swig scotch at your personal bar, a rec room can offer it all.

But why spend money developing a rec room in the basement when you have a bonus room? As Lesley Graham, Design Manager for Calgary and Edmonton with Centrex Homes explains, a bonus room might not logistically meet all your entertainment needs.

“I think people were finding that with a bonus room quite often they’re open concept and they’re right next to the kids bedrooms, that kind of defeats the purpose of having it that as your TV or entertainment room if you’re trying to keep things quiet when they’re sleeping,” explains Graham.

She explains that while the square footage of a bonus room is cheap, these rooms are generally hot in the summer and cold in the winter because they’re over top of your garage. They also don’t offer as much space as a basement, so people are opting to create nine foot ceilings in their basements and taking these spaces downstairs.

If you’re considering developing your rec room, Graham says the construction stage is the best place to start. And to give you some ideas on how to use this space here are three of the biggest trends in rec room design.