Remodeling Your Basement to Add Value to Your Home

Remodeling your basement is an excellent way to add extra living space, plus extra value, to your home. By planning carefully before you begin you can maximize the space and get the most for your money. When planning, consider a bathroom and wet bar area if the plumbing is available. This will add extra value and make entertaining in this room easier and more enjoyable. A small refrigerator, a microwave, and a coffee maker are good to include. A full bath is a great value, but a half bath is good, too. If the plumbing is there, or you can add it, do so.

The first step is to make sure the basement is, and remains, dry. Water seepage will completely undo all your hard work, so it is very important you don't miss this first step. There are many products sold in your local hardware stores that you just paint on the walls to keep your basement dry and leak free. It's well worth the time and effort.

There are certain elements in the basement that you can't move or change, so plan around them. Beams, support columns, furnace, water heater and any existing plumbing can be incorporated into your plan by building around them. Build a seperate room for the furnace and water heater. Box in beams and columns you want to cover and then drywall around them. Do the same with plumbing pipes, but remember to leave a way to access this plumbing in the future, either by adding a small hinged door, or a removable piece of drywall that can be latched in place.

The duct work for the heating system will be running through the floor joists. You can add a couple of heat ducts from the existing system to the new space to direct heat to where you want it in the room.

Frame the walls with 2 x 4's, with a header and footer, the studs being 16 inches on center. Attach these to the cement walls in the basement, and also to the floor.

Now it's time for the wiring. This is something that should definitely be done by a certified electrician. Electrical outlets should be plentiful, to allow free use of the space for whatever you choose later. Also, the wall switches should be the type that can be operated from two different locations. You don't want to come upstairs only to have forgotten to turn off one of the lights and have to go all the way back down to do it. We learned this the hard way when we did our basement, and changing out those switches is now at the top of my "To Do" list. This is also the time to install the wiring for telephone lines and surround sound speakers.

If you don't already have plenty of insulation, now is the time to put it in. It never hurts to have extra.

Hand and finish the drywall. This is a job that can be done by most do-it-yourselfers, with a little practice. Use drywall screws to attach the sheetrock to the 2 x 4's. You can use paneling if you prefer, but drywall makes it look more professional.

After the drywall is finished, it's time for the ceiling. Using a dropped ceiling is the choice of most people, for a couple of reasons. One is that hanging and finishing overhead drywall is a tough job. The main reason is that a dropped ceiling will allow easy access to those plumbing pipes and any wiring that will be running overhead. If there is a breakage or a leak, you can get to it easily, and also will not have to replace the entire ceiling, just the panels that may be damaged.

Put insulation between the floor joists before you hang the ceiling panels. This acts as a sound barrier to the overhead rooms, and is well worth it. We added extra insulation in the ceiling, and you can be down there with a crowd and the surround sound turned all the way up, and can't hear it from upstairs. It's great.

The flooring is the last step. Carpeting with good padding is a good choice. It makes the cold floor stay warmer and helps with insulation from the ground. Tile floors in the bathroom and wet bar area allow for quick clean up of any spills in those areas.

I hope this will encourage those of you who have been considering a basement remodel to go ahead and do it. It is a big job, but the rewards are even bigger. Enjoy!