Making the most of your basement space is important as this is area that can be used for all sorts of different activities if used well. Finishing off your basement area to make it habitable will make it into a space that you enjoy using and could really lift the value of your house by providing that extra space. Here are some tips for planning a finished basement space.
Rather than spending heaps of money and wasting time on using moisture preventing paints, go for a foam insulation to keep the place as dry as possible. If you have a small amount of money, then use extruded polystyrene, expanded polystyrene and isocyanurate. If you have a large amount of money to spend then a closed cell spray foam will do the job nicely.
If you have plans to have a bathroom down in the basement then before you decided where to put it have a look at where the drainage is for the plumbing upstairs. If you plan the area wisely you may be able to utilise the existing drainage system which will save you a lot of time and money. Because water runs downhill with gravity if you need it to run uphill you will need to get special equipment to make this possible.
Making the most of your space will require adequate lighting in the basement. Try and utilise natural light as best you can. If there are parts of the walls where there are windows or openings above ground then factor into your plans how you can go about making as best use of this space as possible. Not only will it make your basement more airy and provide air flow but it will save you money on your electricity bills.
When you think of a basement the mind usually conjures up images of a dank, dark, unfinished looking place but a basement space doesn’t have to look like a basement. With some wooden frames and plastering (with the addition of foam for insulation and to protect against dampness) you can have a space that looks as good as your upstairs quarters. Painting it in lighter colours will make it seem more open and keep it as light as possible in there.
Planning ahead and thinking about what you will want to use your space for is important when thinking about how you want your basement project to turn out. If you know that you will be using the space as a gym area then you might want the room to be a bit higher than a normal room would look. Having a higher ceiling can be quite an advantage for any future plans and once you have put in the ceiling it is difficult to change it, so think ahead and perhaps make it a big higher than normal. STIHL chain saws are a versatile tool for chopping anything and getting any big cutting job done so if you need wood cut to size why not try out one of these.
Mark Lathan is a construction foreman, and sports fanatic.
Insulation
Rather than spending heaps of money and wasting time on using moisture preventing paints, go for a foam insulation to keep the place as dry as possible. If you have a small amount of money, then use extruded polystyrene, expanded polystyrene and isocyanurate. If you have a large amount of money to spend then a closed cell spray foam will do the job nicely.
Plumbing
If you have plans to have a bathroom down in the basement then before you decided where to put it have a look at where the drainage is for the plumbing upstairs. If you plan the area wisely you may be able to utilise the existing drainage system which will save you a lot of time and money. Because water runs downhill with gravity if you need it to run uphill you will need to get special equipment to make this possible.
Natural Light
Making the most of your space will require adequate lighting in the basement. Try and utilise natural light as best you can. If there are parts of the walls where there are windows or openings above ground then factor into your plans how you can go about making as best use of this space as possible. Not only will it make your basement more airy and provide air flow but it will save you money on your electricity bills.
Ceiling
When you think of a basement the mind usually conjures up images of a dank, dark, unfinished looking place but a basement space doesn’t have to look like a basement. With some wooden frames and plastering (with the addition of foam for insulation and to protect against dampness) you can have a space that looks as good as your upstairs quarters. Painting it in lighter colours will make it seem more open and keep it as light as possible in there.
Height
Planning ahead and thinking about what you will want to use your space for is important when thinking about how you want your basement project to turn out. If you know that you will be using the space as a gym area then you might want the room to be a bit higher than a normal room would look. Having a higher ceiling can be quite an advantage for any future plans and once you have put in the ceiling it is difficult to change it, so think ahead and perhaps make it a big higher than normal. STIHL chain saws are a versatile tool for chopping anything and getting any big cutting job done so if you need wood cut to size why not try out one of these.
Most of the water problems happen in basement and there are various reasons behind this. It is very necessary that you should check first whether the place is completely dry or not before starting the work. We have also built a basement and there was water leak problem in our home basement. One of my friends’s advised me to use effective plumbing products to resolve the problem of water leaks. I purchased South Coast Sales heating plumbing supplies cork to resolve the problem. Basements are little bit tricky and it if you have constructed it properly, then it also increases the value of your house.
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