Love seeing outside home improvement projects as well! 
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We have old icky carpet in our basement, but had a waste-water flood, which is giving us the āopportunityā to put down new flooring. Iām thinking LVP would be better than carpet.
We donāt āliveā down there, so Iām not worried about warmth.
I donāt feel like we need top of the line, but anything we should know when we are considering options? We will need to pay extra from how much they are giving us, but Iām OK with that.
TIA
We put down LVP in the basement with some area rugs. We got a mid price option from Floor and Decor (Duralux) that our contractor said was easy to install (which cut down on the price). Would recommend!
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I posted a picture upthread of the waterproof LVP Home Depot installed on the lower level of our cabin a few years ago. It was reasonably priced, and weāre really pleased with it.
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If anyone has an opinion on whatās āinā regarding color or width of LVP please enlighten me. Since itās the basement Iām not very particular, but might as well go for what might help if/when we sell.
My own personal (strong) opinion but no grey!!
Donāt have hardwoods on your main floor? Would you want to mimic those tones?
You have cats - do they shed? Darker floors will show that hair to drive you crazy!!
Is there any natural light in the basement?
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I am a āgreyā (and blue) person but not for floors.
I do have hardwood floors on main level, but they are not current color or size. (Theyāre the orangey yellow brown that was popular a couple decades ago, probably 2 inches wide).
Cats arenāt allowed in basement (too much stuff they could get into) but you are correct - it would drive me crazy!
There isnāt much natural light in the basement. Only 2 small windows that are towards top of the space.
I guess Iāll be heading to a couple of places soon to check them out.
I think overall a wider plank than what you have e upstairs is more popular now. and I think not so obvious āgrainā Like an oak floor might be.
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My going in thought is wire but not too wide, and something very neutral, likely on the light side because thereās not much light down there. But I will get opinions from salespeople too.
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Honestly, I get that you donāt want to make a mistake, but Iām in the camp that you always buy what appeals to YOU, not the next owner. Youāre the one whoāll live with the floor, and you need to love it regardless of what the magazines say. Have fun browsing and pick that style that grabs you and to heck with anyone else.
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We went with a contrast from what we have in the rest of the house because it would have been impossible to match our 100+ year old hardwoods. The upper floors and stairs are a narrow, dark hickory color but we did a light blond wide plank in the basement.
Iām with Choatie to get what appeals to you! You should be able to bring home samples to see what you like best in your space.
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If you go barefoot, check the samples out with your feet also. Some feel better to me than others
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Day 1 - 2nd store of looking and I kind of like this LVP, but I donāt know itās quality
This is the current wall color pick - not sure if it will stick either
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I like the colors. No advice on the LVP quality, but apparently the biggest issue with LVP is improper installation over uneven subfloor. Carpet is much more forgiving if the subfloor isnāt even.
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Saw this today and thought of this thread. Are there some you think are way off in their estimates??
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Paintā¦ it depends on what surface it is in and ownersā tastes. For example, we havenāt painted our House1 since we moved in. That paint was 18 years old when we sold the house, and the realtor thought we painted recently. 
Paint in House2 is still Ok! We repainted MB before we moved in because it was painted poop brown, walls and ceiling, and so depressing! Whoever sells that color paint should be ashamed!
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Iāll have to tell H our sofa is 30+ years overdue for replacement. Replaced our original 1966 windows in the past two years. New ones had better last longer than 15 years for what we paid!!
Interior paint ā have rooms that I painted in 1998. Kitchen wall paint doesnāt last as long.
A/C and water heater were replaced after 25 years.
Household appiances arenāt as sturdy as they used to be. Weāve had four dishwashers in 27 years ā the current one is the only one to last more than six years. Refrigerators are lasting 7-8 years. Maintenance folks and installers tell me the energy efficiency requirements make things less durable. In every case, we were replacing appliances that were 25+ yo and the new stuff would fall apart in a few years.
I think most of those are to either get you to replace things sooner (spend more $$$) or make you not feel bad if something of yours breaks earlier than you had hoped.
We keep things much longer than listed. Iād say 15-20 years for appliances. Of course a family of 8 would go through washer/dryer/dishwasher faster than one of 2-4. Replacing doors and windows? I figure those last forever unless broken. Paint and carpet - more in the 15-20 year range.
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Our house is 120+ years old and we still have the original hardwoods in most of the house along with the leaded glass windows.
I agree that this list looks like itās promoted by manufacturers!
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I agree on the windows!