A Beginner’s Guide to Basement Renovation

While an unfinished basement can act as extra storage space, you can use it more effectively if it were finished. A lower-level remodel can transform it into an extra living area, a home theatre, a craft room, or a playroom for simply hanging out with your family. 

If you plan to maximize your space, a finished basement will ensure your home’s lower level is not wasted. Besides, a finished basement can increase the value of your property by enlarging its functional space. To pull off a successful basement remodel, you need to come up with a clear plan. This guide contains everything you need to know about renovating a basement. 

What Elements Should I consider in my Basement Renovation Plan? 

Now that you have made up your mind to renovate your basement, you might be wondering where you need to start from. First, you must decide how you want to utilize the space itself. Do you want it to be a multifunctional space containing a kitchen, a full bathroom, and a private bedroom space? Or do you want an open concept entertainment base for your family? In the case of quiet office space for remote working, your needs will be different from someone who wants to turn their finished basement into a children-friendly playroom. 

Once you decide how you want to utilize the space, you can now look at the elements you want to include. They may include brand new components and existing fixtures that require an upgrade. Below are some basic elements for your finished basement.   

When it comes to your basement’s interior design, you should consider lighting it up well. There are multiple cost-effective basement windows you can use to light up your room. The more you install them, the brighter the room will be.

Lighting is essential since it prevents the basement from appearing dull and gloomy. Since this room is located underground, it is important to allow as much light to enter as possible.

Ventilating your basement is absolutely crucial for obvious reasons. Installing an HVAC unit for proper ventilation, a high-quality heating and cooling unit, strategically adding ample windows to allow airflow and making sure the floor plan is spread out. This is a crucial step, especially, if any of your family members has breathing problems.  

Typically, basement stairs are a bit tricky. Usually, they are not as stable as the ones leading to other floors. Besides, if the former homeowner neglected the basement, the stairs would be worse. Therefore, ensure there is a safe entrance leading to the basement. If you need to build new stairs, then so be it! It is up to you to ensure no safety measures are ignored.

Proper Insulation

Carrying out proper insulation will help you regulate your basement’s temperature and reduce water damage and energy consumption. It’s common that proper ceiling, interior, and exterior insulation minimizes the cost of heating and cooling a home by more than 40%. Spray foam is the most effective form of insulation and the most commonly used. 

If you plan to have a bathroom, a kitchen, or a laundry room in the basement, you must consider carrying out professional plumbing. Installing plumbing underground is a bit challenging, based on how your sewage pipes run. You may need an up-flushing system or a sewage-ejector system if your existing piping system runs above the basement. Even if you are quite handy, you will require professional services to install proper plumbing into your basement.  

Remember that more than 90% of homes with basements experience water damage at some point; hence, you literally cannot afford to ignore this point. Basement waterproofing varies in cost. It all depends on complexity, space and source of water damage. However, this is not optional. 

These are some of the key things to consider when doing a basement renovation. Of course, much of the work is down to you and your own vision. Choose the function of your basement before renovating it to maximize space and boost the value of your property. 

If you are looking to renovate your basement, schedule a free consultation with one of our experts today.