Renovating Your Basement

Make your basement a living space
Often, a basement represents “found” living space in your home. If an unfinished basement or cellar can be finished to become functional space, you have in essence expanded the square footage of your home without moving. A renovated basement offers you with additional comfort and convenience and will enhance the future value of your home.

Renovating a foundation makes always sense
Even if your basement is already finished, finishing again may still be in order. A previously unused basement home entertainment may turn into that wine cellar you need, or a infrequently used recreation room for the kids may turn into the spare bedroom room you’ve always wanted. It’s a good possibility that if your basement has already been finished either by the previous owner, or by you many years ago, a good portion of the work and expense can be cut out of the new project.

Is your foundation dry?
It is critical to be satisfied that your basement will remain dry before you start your basement renovation. Kick off your project by thoroughly reviewing the foundation walls, paying particular attention to the corners and the area where the walls meet the floor. Hire a specialist to fix any cracks in the foundation walls you might spot, and it is absolutely an important investment to have the walls waterproofed before you begin your renovation.

Cover the walls
No matter what type of space you may be remodeling, you must cover the foundation walls. To cover the foundation walls, it is best to employ a dry wall specialist who will stud out the walls and install the sheetrock. Finished and painted dry wall will immediately give your unfinished basement space a warmer and more inviting appearance.

Build a beautiful floor for your basement
You might consider having your contractor build an insulated floor covering the cement slab; this will keep the finishing basement cozier and dryer. The cement basement slab can be overlaid with linoleum or ceramic tiles, or it may be carpeted. A well-constructed and handsome floor gives a finished basement the appearance of being an integral part of the house, not just a postscript.

Proper lighting
Basements are by their very nature dingy, because they have a paucity of, or no natural lighting. Proper lighting is very important to a first-rate basement renovation. What we want to accomplish with basement lighting is to allow the resident to forget that he is in a space with no windows, or at best, equipped with small windows.
If the basement is partially below ground, try to install as large a quantity of windows as possible to maximize natural light. Indirect lighting is the most effective way to light a basement, since it gives the space a more spacious appearance, and provides the impression of taller ceilings. If the basement is completely below ground, the homeowner should use as much lighting as possible to get around having the typically low-ceilinged basement feel like a cave.

Let your creativity run wild.
Since your basement is for all intents and purposes reclaimed, let your creativity run wild. If your bank account can stand it, you can convert some dank, damp storage space into a wine cellar, a home entertainment room, a comfortable den, a home office – and add value to your residence in doing so.

Frank Sarntarpia
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