Before you even step into your basement, garage or special workout room, there's one thing that can give you a very good head start. That's diet. If you can afford to eat correctly and fill up on protein and sufficient calories, while hitting the weights hard, your muscles will grow. If you're a hard-gainer, then consider purchasing a protein shake. These shakes usually act as an extra meal and should be consumed within 30-45 minutes after your workout. It’s also important that you eat immediately after waking up. You want to get your body from a catabolic to anabolic state as soon as possible. If you want every advantage, also consider eating prior to bed as well.
The next step is to turn on the radio for motivation and hit the weights hard. If you'’re looking to build muscle then you're going to want to go up in weight with each set. The more your muscles fight, the more they breakdown and rebuild, which is how building muscle works. If you can afford it, it would be ideal to have a lot of extra plates for your dumbbells and barbells so you can really pile on the weight (while still keeping caution and safety in mind).
When you're at the gym, you should be focused on lifting. When you're at home, there can be many distractions, including loved ones, the telephone, the doorbell, etc. It's very important that you explain to your family that when you're in your wotrkout room, you need to remain focused and you'd like it if they only came in if there was a real emergency. As with any sport, the mental battle is half the game.
If you can eat right, stay focused, get the right equipment and remain motivated without a workout partner, then working out at home might be for you. If you work hard, you will see great results.