Finishing your basement is no easy task, but with a little bit of planning and hard work, you can turn your drab basement into a fabulous lower level living or entertainment area.
Get ideas
When you are thinking about finishing your basement, there are so many possibilities. Will it be a play room for the kids? A home theater or game room? A home office for mom? A hang out for dad? Or maybe your have enough room in the basement for all of that. For whatever purpose you want to use your basement, there are a lot of neat ideas that you can use to make sure that your basement is fun and unique.
Are you creative but on a tight budget? This guy decorated his basement with $10 worth of Sharpies. If you have a small space, look at what these people did in their basement. And of course, men can dream up the biggest basement plans watching DIY Network’s “Man Caves“.
Set a budget
There has never been a better time to finish your basement, but there’s no denying that taking on basement renovation is no cheap task. You should have a pretty good idea of what it will cost and what you can afford before you begin. You don’t want to run out of money before the project is finished, and you certainly don’t want to spend thousands more than what you can afford just to finish the project. Find out the costs of finishing the basement before you begin.
If you hire a basement finishing company, they will handle the entire project and quote an all-inclusive price. If you decide that you can do all of the work yourself, you can use this online calculator to get a rough estimate the cost to finish the basement. You may need to start your basement finishing fund long before you start your renovations. Save money in a savings account or checking account that is specific for home and basement renovations.
Prep the basement
Before you put up the first wall or lay carpet, you will need to prepare the basement. If your unfinished basement is like that of most, it has probably accumulated a lot of junk over the years. Now is a perfect time to have a garage sale and sell that stuff that you will never use. As you go through your storage, you might find stuff that would fit perfectly in your newly remodeled basement.
You need to resolve any water problems that you have. There’s nothing worse than putting thousands of dollars into a basement only to have it ruined by humidity or water seepage. That is why most people hire a basement waterproofer whether they have an existing water problem or not. Waterproofing your basement can be the most important step that you take in protecting your investment in your basement. A proper basement waterproofing system will include a drain tile system and a sump pump to control the water and keep it from destroying your basement. Even if you are planning to do the basement finishing yourself, you will want to hire a professional waterproofing company to do this type of work because they can provide a permanent solution to keep your basement dry.
Another great idea for finishing your basement can include finishing products that are made to assist in keeping your basement dry. Often, basement waterproofers offer products such as waterproof wall liners and specially designed floor tiles that will not only keep the water away from your belongings, but will also keep the moisture and water vapor out of your basement.
Begin work
Once you’ve prepared your basement to be remodeled, you are ready to begin. Install your sub-floor, walls, electrical and plumbing, finish the walls and paint. Because basements have very little natural light, you will want to paint with colors that create the ambiance that you want in your basement (i.e. lighter colors if you want more brightness). This is also something of consideration when you are installing your basement lighting.
After the basement renovations have been completed, it’s time to buy the furniture. Select furniture styles that will complement your basement layout and design and fit well within the given space. You want to create an environment in which you will enjoy spending your time. Enjoy your new, finished basement!
For those who are not inclined to finish the basements themselves, we do not do basement finishing, but we can provide you with permanent solutions to keep your newly refinished basement dry!