Whether your family is getting larger or your house is just getting smaller with the accumulation of life’s goods, if you have a basement that is being unused at this time, you are wasting some valuable living space in your home. It really doesn’t matter the overall size of the basement or the way it’s laid out, if you can use it you should. You don’t have to really go with a drastic change or anything and it really does make sense for your basement remodeling project to maintain the overall look and feel of the rest of the home. Not only will remodeling the basement help you gain that extra living space but it’s one of the more practical and sensible ways to do it.

One of the first things you have to do to make this successful is to purvey the current layout and come up with your basic basement design. There’s a few things that you need to keep at the forefront when taking it all in that I’ll discuss quickly here. First off, since you are creating a living space, the basement ceiling needs to be able to hide all that scenery located directly overhead. Things like pipes and electrical wires and air ducts. You want to keep those out of site in your newly remodeled space, but will need to account for accessibility in case any future repairs or modifications may be needed. You could use either a drop ceiling with panels or drywall, but with drywall. The only downfall with a drywall ceiling is you’ll have to repair that as well if you have to get into it. Second point to contend with is dealing with constructing basement walls. These need to be constructed cautiously in regards to any current concrete or stud walls already in place. Finally, although not so much dealing with design, but you are going to want to take appropriate measures to maintain a dry basement and now’s a perfect time to start thinking about it. Knowing what and where to waterproof is going to be critical and also opens up a realm of opportunities for different flooring materials.

Next, after you’ve got the basic design all together, you are going to want to visualize and maybe even put down on paper how you want the actual room to look. Keep in mind how you are planning to use the space. Basement rooms make for the perfect compliment for recreational rooms, guest bedrooms or entertainment areas. They can also be used as an additional storage or playroom for the kids. Maybe even a home office for all that work that you can’t get done when you are there. Maybe even a combination, split room that has an area to relax and watch the television and also room for an office space. Whatever you are visualizing, keep in mind all the components like shelving and other decor that you are going to want to combine to set the tone. This should include things like what type and kind of flooring you are going to use, any accessories that are going to need to be installed or pre-built, and of course how you are going to keep that lower level well-lit. You may even want to consult with a decorating professional before you ever drive a nail to get a good picture of what you are going after if you’re not the creative type.

A lot of homeowner’s these days take these projects on themselves. If you do decide to do that, there’s tons of information here all over this site to help you along the way. However, dependent on how extensive of a remodeling job you are planning you might not be able to accomplish it all on your own. You shouldn’t take that as a personal point of failure, sometimes these things are difficult. You shouldn’t feel bad about reaching out to a professional to get that basement remodeling project done and done right.

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Remodeling the basement tends to turn into a labor of love. You’ve got the perfect picture in your mind as to what you want the room to be and once you’ve got it, you’ll do anything to make it happen. You’ll pour everything into it: blood, sweat, tears and even cold hard cash to make it a reality. After it’s all said and done and the dust has settled, you’d expect that you’ve just taken part and helped create something that not only you are going to enjoy for some time to come, but also gain quite a substantial boost in your home’s overall value. The problem is, not all of these dream basement remodeling projects will add to your home’s value. In fact, some of them might even turn some potential buyers away. This is a critical point to consider before going all out with your basement upgrade.

Bigger isn’t always better.
When it comes to basement renovations, going big isn’t always a good thing. Sure you may want to overhaul the room to be your new “Nascar Man Cave” where you and the boys can watch the big race every Sunday complete with checkerboard flooring and built in working replica 1:55 scale Daytona track allowing you and they guys to re-live by holding your own 500’s. Or you may be a huge golf fan and have a theme in mind to reclaim TPC Sawgrass complete with working bunkers and water hazards. Although, two killer ideas for theme rooms, you really need to take in consideration whether or not the upgrades will pay off in the long run. All too often do minor upgrades turn into major improvements that can not only make it tough on resale value, but also your wallet. There’s simply a lot of buyers out there that won’t give in to what you think a themed room like this might bring, especially if they are not into the same things that you are. There is such a thing as over-improving for not only the individual home but for the potential buyer and the neighborhood that your home may reside. Sad, but true. A multi-thousand dollar basement remodel in a lower range housing neighborhood could turn unfavorable to your bottom line and return. A potential buyer simply may not see the same “value” that you do when you did the renovation. Take a look around and see what others may be doing in their basement as a standard for your area. This will undoubtedly bring you your best ROI and you can still dress it up some with the decor while you are there.

But I Need A Home Office
It’s true, there are certain people in the workforce that simply need a place to work from at home. Some may work from home full-time and others simply part-time or as an office away from the office. Whatever it is, if you work from home, you need a space where you can actually “work-from-home”. Not only that, if you have a home office, there could be a possible tax deduction for you as well. What you need to keep in mind is that if you remodel the basement for a home office, it might not pay off when you try and sell your home. This is especially valid if your basement is already being used as living space like an extra bedroom or something to that fact and you take part of that to be your new office. However, if you are finishing and unfinished basement, you could parlay this into a much better situation in the long run for you if you simply remodel it into a regular type room. Then you could use it as the office and splurge on all the amenities instead of the design and built-in structures instead. Think about furniture and desks, you could get some really nice desks and office material to furnish a standard room with than building out a specialized office space.

Specialized Spaces
Wouldn’t it be cool if you had your own movie theater in your basement. No more taking the family to the movies and laying down $100 for tickets, popcorn and cokes when you can just stay at home and watch the latest releases on-demand or via DVD. Heck, you could even invite some friends over to catch the big game in style. Of course you would have to deck it out with raised theater seating and big screen capabilities. Maybe that’s not you. Maybe you are more the type that would like to kick back and indulge in a refreshing glass of wine with a couple of friends and a good conversation in your own wine cellar? Complete with a cigar bar and piano in the corner? Again, these are basement projects where potential buyers may not share in your joy. A lot of times, people simply won’t see that as a convenience or something that may be usable and suitable to their needs as a regular finished basement would. Although, you’ll definitely get the pleasure of having your dream room yourself and be the envy of your friends, you simply might not see the same from an ROI perspective as you might think when it’s time to sell.

Should That Stop You?
One thing to keep in mind is that not everything you are going to do in a basement remodeling project in your home is going to increase the overall resale value of it. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s just a waste of your time and money either. Whether you are remodeling the basement or any other room of your home, it should be a personal decision rather than a monetary ROI one. If you are going to do it, it should be something you want that you see value in, after all, you are going to be the one living there and enjoying it. Sometimes it’s not all about the overall resale value.

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There are a number of benefits that a homeowner can reap when remodeling a basement. Probably the biggest benefit though deals directly with space, not only do you add additional storage space, but, dependent on how the space is finished, you could add some much needed living space as well. However, before you jump in head first, there’s some things you really need to take in consideration before you begin remodeling a basement.

One of the most important things that you really need to do before taking on this project is to simply really take the time to get thoroughly familiar with your basement. I know it sounds corny but it’ll save you loads in the long run. Now I’m not talking about the same type of familiarity you may have with your wife like knowing every nook and cranny of her, although that wouldn’t hurt, but really just getting in touch with the total surroundings in your basement. How it is in it’s current state. The layout of it all. Does it have any load bearing features that you’ll need to be careful with. What factors are you going to need to pay special attention too during the renovation like the HVAC system or plumbing. Is the furnace going to get in the way? There’s a ton of factors that you’re going to have to get involved with that you might really not want to, but we’ll get into those a little bit further down.

When you’re looking at this, just keep in mind that there really are only two types of basements. The first type is the one where it was built with absolutely no thought whatsoever other than being this place you had underneath your home. This type was never intended to be a livable or even habitable space. If you are lucky, you’ll have a home that was built with the second type in mind, one that was planned to one day possibly be finished and actually a usable room. These are pretty easy to spot. Typically older homes more often than not have the first type where you were never supposed to go down there and newer homes have ones that were built with an eye towards finishing. There’s a fairly adequate time period for it all too, if you’re home was built prior to the 1970’s it’s quite likely that you’ll have the first type of basement, those built afterwards will tend to favor the second type due to not only the technological advancements but also becoming more of a norm.

Along those lines, if you have a newer home you’re probably going to have a much easier go at remodeling the basement. You’ll still have to contend with you’re own peculiarities but in general it should be much easier renovating. In general, what you’ll find is most will already have the plumbing all lined out already to make it easier to put in that bathroom by being able to tie into the existing lines. The basement ceilings will already have all the air ducts and pipes and wires tucked into the beams nice and neat, or they may be confined to a more out of the way place as the builder was looking ahead at someone being able to finish the space out. You’ll also find that the stairs will be built with better headroom so you don’t bump your head coming out of or into the basement and that they’ll also likely be more accessible. Now this may not hold true for all newer homes, but in general, there’s probably more forethought involved.

However, if you’ve been blessed by owning an older home with an older basement, say pre-1970, you probably have nothing more than an extra storage area underneath your home that had no forethought into it ever becoming a place that was supposed to be finished. These were built as places that the owner would have that they could have easy access to as a storage area and furnace holder, as it’s much easier to throw something down in the basement than carry it up a ladder for storage in an attic. Some of these may have some really thin and poorly poured concrete floors, or might not even have a concrete floor at all and just be dirt. The ones that do have a furnace pit will most likely not be functional at all due to all it’s extremeties and likelihood that the pipes and ducts running from the unit will be all over the place. If it ever was upgraded to a forced-air furnace, you might be one of the lucky ones where your furnace is actually smaller and have less lines running all about.

One thing to keep in mind even if an old basement has been upgraded with a new furnace is this, the space still may not be practical and compliant with building codes for a livable area. Sure, the new furnace will free up some much needed space in an old cramped basement, but the space still might not meet the minimum height requirements by code. You may still either have to raise the house or lower the floor. These type of jobs really aren’t for the weekend home improvement specialist that you live with and more along the lines something that a professional should bang out for you as they require the use of some pretty heavy machinery and could ultimately affect, should something go wrong, the liability on your house to your insurance carrier. If you go this route, just make sure the contractor carries adequate liability insurance to cover any damages that you may incur. What you have to look forward to is that once it is done, then you can start your weekend carpentry skills to finish the basement yourself. Fortunately, this isn’t a norm and only has to happen very rarely. But giving yourself adequate headroom will not only make your basement easier to remodel but definitely more comfortable to use as well.

Knowing this now, you could really go over the entire area in an old basement to start inspecting the layout and not just the furnace if you plan on remodeling it. Start with inspecting the overall mechanics of the place. Where do all the pipes, wires and ducts run and also how good of condition they are in. One of the last things that you’ll want to do after remodeling a basement is to tear down the new walls and ceilings to fix or replace some faulty pipes, wires or ductwork. Not only is it a painful process because your tearing down your blood, sweat and tears your poured into it fixing it all up, but it’s a costly one as you’re doubling your expense having to rebuild it once your done.

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Basement remodeling is a great place to start your do-it-yourself career. Not only can you add a lot of useable space to your home, but its mostly concrete down there so there’s not a whole lot you can do to screw it up beyond repair. By choosing not to hire a contractor to do the work, you will save time and money in the process. But you will need to plan your remodel very carefully to maximize your potential.

First you need to completely empty the entire basement. Anything that is there besides the walls and ceiling needs to go so that you can properly assess the area. If the basement is currently used for storage, go through all those things carefully to decide what you can throw out and what you can keep. Measure the room carefully so that you have the best idea of how much space you have to work with. This is also a good time to look for water damage or mold problems. This is also the time to examine every inch of the space for structural damage. Before you begin your basement remodeling is the time to get these things fixed, it will only be more difficult later.

You should waterproof the basement if you’re planning on using it for a purpose other than storage. The main two ways of doing this are tanking and spraying the area. Tanking means applying a waterproof membrane to the basement to prevent water from getting into the basement. It’s pretty expensive but looks and works great. Spraying involves a chemical compound to prevent water damage, so it is less environmentally friendly than tanking, which involves no chemicals. If you decide to continue your basement remodeling without waterproofing, realize that you are taking a risk that may prove more expensive later. You may end up paying for water damage or mold growth in the future which will be more expensive than waterproofing the room now.

One of the most crucial points in this project is the lighting. Basements are generally dark, which is why they’re not used for much. But there’s no point in going about all this remodeling work just to have a depressing space that no one wants to be in anyway. Think of the purpose you’ll be putting the basement to in order to determine the right lighting. A workspace or office will need bright lighting so everyone can see. But a family room can have more subtle lighting to create a more relaxed space. Basement lighting can be a crucial ingredient in the remodeling project. These steps will help ensure that your project will be a resounding success.

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Basement Wet Bar

Like most homeowners these days, you might not even know what exactly constitutes a basement wet bar. First a wet bar is nothing more than a small counter or bartop that you can uitilize for entertainment purposes like mixing drinks. What makes it wet is that it includes a sink with some form of running water. This is what makes it wet. You’d be able to use this sink just like you would the one in your kitchen where you can clean glasses or knick-knacks that have gotten dirty during use. They come in a multitude of styles and designs and some are actually even quite stylish. The typical wet bar has either a stainless or wood countertop, and most of the woods are laminated some way to help aide in cleanup.

People are finding more and more uses for these these days and one of those uses is in the basement. Whether you are trying to create a “bar-type” atmosphere in a smaller basement or if you simply want a corner of a large basement that you could use to kind of entertain and clean-up after on, basement wet bars are becoming quite trendy. Not only that, people are being able to blend them into the basements decor quite naturally with finishing off the wood countertops in very unique designs and patterns. Wet bars are becoming more and more of a DIY type project as most of them are being custom built to accomplish this.

Although some might not consider these must have’s to complete a wet bar look, some of them you could be really lost without. Typically you’ll find that there is adequate storage underneath to not only accomodate a “mini-fridge” to keep those beverages frosty, but also shelving that would allow you to store basics like paper towels, drink mixes, stem-ware and whatever else you might need around a bar. With the onslaught of the “kegerators”, these wet bars are taking on a very different look and feel and some even have taps built right into the countertops on some higher end custom models.

If you do have a smaller type basement or simply don’t want to tie-in a wet bar in the room, you could go with the alternative of acquiring a portable wet bar. With a portable wet bar, you could have the ability to actually move them out of the way when you need the room for another reason. These are mostly store bought and are not very difficult to put together. Plus, if you plan on moving in the near future you could still use it in your current home and simply pack it up and bring it with you when you move.

As you can probably tell, there are many uses for a basement wet bar and you probably have your own idea of why you need one that could be completely different than the ones I’ve already stated. Regardless of whether you actually need one or not is completely up to you, but just keep in mind that if you are building a wet bar yourself, your options are really only limited by your resources and your ability.

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