Expand your home by adding a finished and beautiful basement. A complete and accessorized basement can be utilized as work out space, family room, home-theatre, kitchen, wet bar or whatever you like.
But first, you have to chalk out a plan to finish your basement properly. For this project some handy tips on finishing your basement can be helpful.
Before finishing the basement a lot of things have to be considered like whether you have the required space or not and other terms and needs. You can hire trained professionals to guide you rightly in the maze. The expert designer can draw up the best plan according to your need; estimate the cost and can predict a specific timeline.
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An Upfront Plan Is Necessary
“A stitch in time saves nine”- follow this proverb by heart; only replace ‘stitch’ with ‘plan’. Plan beforehand for future including everything like the furniture, furnaces and other appliances and plan the construction of your basement thus.
Is the venture profitable?
Acquire some upfront information before you enter into the architectural transformation of the basement. Look at homes in the neighborhood those have finished basements and investigate whether the value of those homes has increased or not and how fast the prices have gone up.
The dimension of legality
Before starting on the basement completion project, check out the rules and regulations on basement construction from the building department and ensure your basement meets the authorized legal standard.
There may be some restrictions on the construction of your basement like limitations on steel column or “I” beams, underground plumbing, window wells, height of the ceiling or floor conditions. It is essential that you or your designer checks out the rules and limitations and construct the basement according to the rules.
Though you have your designer to take care of permits, but you should know that there could be four types of permits you will need:
• A building permit for construction
• An electrical permit for electrical installation
• A mechanical permit for the installation of appliances related to heating and air conditioning
• A plumbing permit for installing plumbing appliances and gas pipe systems.
Ensuring safety for the basement is of immense importance. Make sure that inspection on necessary building permits, application for variances and building code are complete. The construction should be rigorously according to the building and fire safety codes.
Before starting the construction, move your valuables out of the basement to make your possessions safe and to ensure smooth building process.
Illuminate your basement
Lighting the basement is a critical issue because the basements are usually dim and there are a few and at times no windows. A perfect combination of direct and indirect lighting is ideal for the desired luminosity. Install hidden fluorescent lighting if your ceiling design allows it and install light bulbs for a more natural tone.
Plan special lighting for special areas like the billiard table.
The other sides
The humidity can dampen the warm spirit of your basement so pay attention to moisture issues. The ventilation for your basement should be superb.
Gear up your basement carefully with adequate electrical outlets, sound insulators and weather stripers. Wire your basement properly.
Design the walls with paints, wallpapers, brick or stone veneers, and solid stone, cast stone or brick ceramic tiles.
Now zoom at the floors. Cover the floors with floor drains properly and water resistant floor coverings.
Order some unfinished kitchen cabinets, assemble some shelves quickly and design the counter top with plastic laminate bearing resemblances to granite, marble or leather. With the dramatic hue of recessed lighting your stunning bookcase or storage is ready.
So follow the handy tips on finishing your basement to exploit the dim space to the fullest and transform it to a dazzling and integral environ of your home.
by Manuel Kupka
