With the trends we have all seen in today’s recovering economy, people have been spending their money more wisely, but let’s be real.  No matter what you do, you will always have a burning desire to spend your hard-earned money on things that you want rather than need.  And that is okay. It is your money.  Too many people, however, spend their extra money frivolously and could enjoy their purchases so much more if merely given a little thought rather than acting on impulse.  Creating a billiard room, home bar, or rec room will provide you with hours upon hours of fun and entertainment, not to mention that it will increase the value of your home, as well.

            In college, I learned that balancing work time with play time is essential in leading a good, healthy life.  However, people have varying ideas on what play time consists of.  Some people like to take vacations or weekend getaways every chance they get.  Others enjoy concerts, sporting events, and so on.  Although these are great play time ideas that produce a lot of great photos and memories, they are primarily service-driven, meaning that once you have paid for the services and attained them, the experience is over.  Instead, why not use that few thousand dollars to better your quality of life each and every day by creating a billiard room or rec room for your home?  There will be other chances to go to that vacation destination in the future—and you will have a great looking billiard room to come home to, also.

            Adding a billiard room to your home is something you can continuously enjoy, as many times as you want, all for about the price of a family vacation.  The billiard table is obviously the most expensive part of a billiard room, so if you do not have enough extra money for the table initially, then start off smaller with a general rec room or activity area.  To start, throwing on a coat or two of paint and putting down some cheap, but nice, linoleum or tile squares should not cost more than $200.  Then you must decide on furniture and décor.  Starting a billiard or rec room with a general theme of your choice could include décor or logos dealing with sports, poker and gambling, automotive, alcoholic brand names, and so forth.

            Furniture for a billiard room is vastly abundant.  Bar stools, pub tables, Tiffany billiard lamps, a small side bar, and wall cue racks are just a few ideas.  Smaller décor items (which take up very little space) include logo floor mats, pennants, neon or billiard table felt wall clocks, beer steins or pilsners, logo mirrors, plus much more.  Even complimentary games can be included, such as a dart cabinet, foozball table, or pinball machine.  Just make sure you leave plenty of moving space for activities.  For example, my home billiard room consists of a combination of large and small items, some of which include bar stools and a matching pub table; team logo floor mats, pennants, and billiard balls; a collection of beer steins; alcohol-related beer mirrors and neon signs; a dart cabinet; and of course, my billiard table.  I also have a set of drums and a keyboard in there to keep me entertained musically.

            As long as you do not have to do any major improvements (adding or knocking out a wall, carpet, major electrical work, etc.) to your existing space, designing and building a billiard room or rec room can be rather inexpensive.  You can definitely create a billiard room for under $2000, excluding a billiard table.  However, a nice, sturdy, high-quality billiard table can be found for around $1000 and up (depending on length, base and leg style, slate thickness, etc.), which, in my opinion, is worth the extra money to make your new rec room complete.