Looking for a better basement?
Your basement doesn’t have to be the damp, dark, and scary room that stores your old belongings. What if your basement could be a quiet den? Or a playroom for your kids?
Whatever you have in mind, here are some starting tips for flipping your basement into the functional room your house has been missing.
Check on the Pests
Before you begin designing the basement of your dreams, be sure it’s free of unwanted guests like mice and insects. Wood, stone, and concrete are ideal spots for pesky critters to hide, so make sure there are no surprises waiting for you in your basement.
Put in Some Plumbing
Homeowners who add an additional bathroom to their homes receive an average of 53.9% ROI when it’s time to sell. Installing plumbing and adding a bathroom to your basement is a great starting point for transforming your basement. The plumbing will most likely need to go beneath your concrete floor, which will keep your basement free from flooding.
Raise the Roof
Tired of having a height limit on who can enter your basement? Older homes will often have basements have low ceilings, making it hard to turn the space into a hangout spot. Get around this by having your contractor lower the floor by cracking open the concrete, digging deep, and relaying the flooring. Once you’re finished, you’ll be amazed at how new height improves your basement.
Start Venting
Poor ventilation is one of the top reasons people don’t hang out in their basements. You need to keep your humidity level below 60% for a space to be considered livable. But no need to worry – this can be repaired with a few HVAC tweaks that allow you to better control your basement’s temperature, insulation, and humidity levels. Plus, installing exhaust fans in your basement’s windows or walls is a great way to minimize moisture and push damp out damp air.
Bonus:
Proper insulation can also help make your basement more soundproof, which is great if you want to use it for a den or study.
Bigger is Better
If you think your basement is a tad too small to become a functional family room, then make it bigger! Typically, basements are around 1,000 square feet in size. Most basements are able to be expanded, creating more room for relaxing and storage.
Add an Extra Exit
Having egress windows, which allow people to escape a room, are usually required for finished basements to get a stamp of approval from a building inspector. These windows can be easily installed. Not to mention they add an extra layer of safety to your home. Plus, egress windows will allow some sunlight to flow into your dark basement.
Shed Some Light
Basements are under the ground, which means they are naturally dark spaces. Make sure when you’re redesigning your new underground room, you choose warm lights that cover lots of space and can take your basement from dark to bright.
