An unfortunate reality is that many homes have unfinished basements. Basements are essential when you start thinking about home plans.
Maybe the house you bought came with an unfinished basement. Maybe you built your house and 10 years later you still have an unfinished basement.
Maybe, you finished your basement but didn’t follow proper building procedures which led to water damage or an electrical fire.
Having a finished basement has three benefits:
Finished basements can drastically increase the property value of your home. If you plan to sell, a finished basement embraces home buyers that have this feature on their priority list.
A finished basement can become an extra living area for your family. You can create a second bedroom, bar, living, and entertainment area, or even a home gym.
If your basement is partially above ground, you could build a one-bedroomed apartment that can generate income. Or it can be part of your 2 bedroom house plans.
With so many great outcomes why wouldn’t you want to finish your basement? Follow this guide to build or update your future masterpiece.
Hire professionals
As much as you’d like to DIY your basement, taking shortcuts or doing it wrong can have some serious repercussions. Checkout Truoba house plans if you want to get an idea of which professionals to hire.
Water damage through leaking pipes or an electrical fire because of shoddy wiring will cost more than hiring a professional.
A professional will know what building permits you’ll need. Heating, Ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) units have specific code requirements as doing plumbing and electrical work.
If you would like to build an underground apartment in your basement, municipal employees will come to inspect your basement to make sure all this work is done well and up to code.
Depending on your basement design, you’ll need specialized tools like power actuated fasteners to anchor walls to the concrete. Doing this wrong could cause structural damage to your home so leave it to the pros.
There are so many aspects of basement construction that need a professional touch so do it right the first time around.
Keep your basement dry
Wet basements are a recipe for disaster. Doing away with moisture can be time-consuming and expensive but it is necessary. And your house floor plans are crucial.
Mold and mildew in basements are hazardous to your health not to mention it can also ruin an already finished basement.
Eliminating moisture can be done at two different stages of basement building.
If you’re in the process of building a basement here is what you can do. You can create a slanting gradient for water to flow away from the foundation of the house, or add gutters and downspouts.
If you’ve built your basement, adding an interior drainage tile or waterproofing the walls of your basement will save you some serious headaches in the long run.
This is one of the most critical steps in finishing a basement. It is highly recommended that you do not take shortcuts to reduce costs.
Fixing this mistake can be a costly endeavor so it’s best to do it right the first time around.
Suspended ceilings and Recessed lighting
If you have a tall basement ceiling, consider installing suspended ceilings with recessed lighting.
A suspended or drop ceiling is a secondary ceiling that hovers from the floor slab of the first level of the house.
This creates a space between the ceiling and the slab which can cover and provide easy access to plumbing, electrical, and HVAC lines through the removable tiles.
If you are constructing your house, design a basement with high ceilings that can easily incorporate a suspended ceiling. These ceilings eat into available overhead space but the benefits of this design outweigh the drawbacks.
If you’ve chosen suspended ceilings then the best lighting fixtures to install are recessed lights.
Recessed lights do not hang or dangle frivolously rather; they are inverted and placed into the existing ceiling taking up no overhead space. They are also easy to install with a suspended ceiling.
Egress Windows and Wall Insulation
Standard building codes require that egress windows are installed and fitted properly.
If you intend on having a basement apartment, egress windows let in sufficient light and are large enough that your tenants can escape in case of a fire.
If you’re currently building your basement, make sure to have large openings that can integrate egress windows.
If you have a finished basement that you plan on turning into an apartment, you might have to make your existing windows bigger to integrate egress windows into the design.
Egress windows will also help with insulation but in colder climates, this might not be enough.
Insulating the exterior walls of your basement controls the temperature, increases energy efficiency, and reduces sounds from outside the home.
Before you insulate walls, make sure your basement is waterproof to eliminate mold and mildew.
Updating your basement will be a bit expensive but the costs can be recovered through increased property value or renting the space. Happy Building! Read more news and stories from therightnewsnetwork.com.
