10 Important Things To Consider Before Starting On Your Finished Basement

1. 10 Important Things To Consider Before Starting On Your Finished Basement The sole idea of adding extra living square feet to our homes is exciting! We begin thinking about the many ways we will use it. It could be for a personal gym, for a man´s or woman´s cave, for a playroom, for a business purpose, for a separate rental unit, provide extra room for guests or growing family, or give some independence to your teens or young adult kids. Once you have the idea of finishing your basement, you probably start imagining how it will look like, and how you will do it. That ´s so encouraging! Nothing better than having a family-shared goal. Moreover, if all family members will somehow contribute to the remodelling, it is even more stimulating. Simple basement finishes can be a DIY project, and there are fantastic low-cost ideas that will help you achieve. Nevertheless, before embracing this adventure, some practical aspects need to be addressed to do so; and which you probably didn´t think about in the midst of all the excitement. Consider the following aspects, for some of them you may require professional help: 1. Check if you need any permits from your local municipality. This is mostly relevant when electrical, and plumbing changes will be may. They might require inspection and approval. 2. Check for humidity. Before doing anything, ensure yourself there are no water issues, such as pools of water or drips that come through the below-grade walls. 3. Check the outside to verify the ground is not affecting your foundation

2. 4. Find if there are any cracks in your foundation´s wall that need to be repaired. 5. Even if you took care of moisture, basements tend to become damp. Think of adding a vapour barrier to floors and walls before framing and finishing such surfaces. 6. Basement floors and walls are usually built with masonry, block, cement or bricks. Check that, you will most likely need a fastener and anchors for your wall type, or a regular nail or screw won´t cut it when trying to attach the framing. 7. Even with a vapour barrier, it is suggested to add thin slats of metal or wood to the wall. These strips will create a slight offset from the external wall and will also contribute to level out a wall so to create a flat surface, adequate for posterior framing addition. 8. Don´t neglect insulation. It will not only control the temperature of the basement but also work as a further moisture control. You can also opt from the easiest spray foam insulation. Find out if there are any local code requirements for it. 9. Consider using suspending ceiling, such as removable tiles. These will provide easy access to plumbing and electrical lines if needed. 10. There’s some utility space you should better keep unfinished, such as where water heaters are. We mentioned just the main things that shall be paid attention to before initiating any remodelling process on a basement. Of course, depending on your property´s condition, some of them may not be necessary while there might be other issues to solve before starting to work on your dream finished basement! Article Source: http://www.1sthappyfamily.com/2017/11/10-important-things-to-consider-before- starting-on-your-finished-basement.html