Why Basement Renovation? Many people overlook the basement in their homes. When you think of a finished basement does the image of a dark, damp, moldy room with shag carpeting come to mind? For many of us that is how we remember the finished basements our fathers built! However, new technologies and building methods have changed all that. Now a finished basement can make a beautiful adding to any home. With proper planning and design considerations you can make your basement into quality living space. Whether you need a rec room, a home theater room, more bedroom space, or an office - the basement can be the ideal place. However, there are important considerations that have to be made before jumping to framing some stud walls and running down stairs with sheets of drywall! Planning: Planning before building is a prerequisite no matter what you're building. Whether it's an skyrise or a basement you'll want a plan first (yes, the one for the skyrise is a bit more involved ;). You want to map out all your specifications, your goals, and restrictions (let's face it if you have 5 foot walls, you won't get much of a rec room - unless it's only for your kids). If you start with a plan, you'll be well on your way to a perfect renovation, and trust us, it won't be time wasted, but rather much time saved! Obviously the first step is to measure your basement. Draw out the outside (or perimeter) walls first, starting at one corner and working your way around. Once that is drawn, you can plot in existing structures such as structural beams, hot water tank, fuse panel, water meter, stairs, windows, ducting, furnace etc. You can use any tool for this that you want, from a simple pencil and graph paper (graph paper as a minimum is recommended for easy scaling) to tools such as Visio, AutoCAD or special Home Design Programs such as Broderbund 3D Home Architect Home Design Deluxe 6 or Better Homes and Gardens Home Designer Deluxe. These programs are useful if your spatial imagination is not the best, since you can 3D render your renovation plans, and "walk-through" your new design before any nails are driven! Here are some quick suggestions that are common to many basements. Firstly, you likely still want storage space in your basement somewhere. Believe us, you will want to store something! Usually it is good to include a floor to ceiling shelving system to maximize space. While renovating the living space in the basement you can plan for (or at least allow for future) updating of your laundry room, with a counter, and cabinets or shelves. A two piece bathroom is also quite common if you have the room. Or at least put in the plumbing and the bathroom can be added later. But you will not want to start tearing up concrete after most of the basement is done! Finally plan for the future - rough in any connections you'll want later, from the simple television cable, networking cable (yeah there is wireless, but what if you need gig?), alarm system, home automation, telephone or even gas fireplace connection. You might not get everything (who can predict the future), but it should get most of it! Well that should get you started. However, if you don't feel comfortable with the design yourself, you can always get an architect or a designer to help you out. This can cost you up to 1000$ depending on the firm and requirements, but can produce amazing results. The designer should take your renovation goal and he should present you with ideas and alternatives. Obviously you shouldn't have to come up with all the ideas - that's their job! They will determine your needs and wants (and budget too :) and come up with the best solutions for you to choose from or customize! Key things to Consider: Air Quality: This is an very important aspect of finishing the basement. Moldy stale air can ruin the most beautiful basement. Due to the physics of basements, moisture and air quality can be big problems to overcome, and studies are still conducted to determine the best way to combat these issues. Proper insulation and ventilation of the basement wall is key in preventing these problems. These issues are addressed in our Insulating your basement solution! Energy Efficiency: By renovating your basement you can greatly increase the energy efficiency of your home. Caulking, air sealing, and wall-insulating will affect the warmth of not just your basement but your entire home. For more information of energy efficient housing see here. Light: You don't want your home to be dark, and the same goes for your renovated basement. If you can increasing the window size or installing new windows will definitively add more light. If that's not possible glass blocks may be an option (either in the perimeter wall to add light, or in interior walls to pass window light to windowless rooms). Finally, electrical lighting is also very important, make sure you plan the electrical layout to support enough light to adequately light up the rooms. Heating: The type of heating used in the basement can depend on what is in the house currently. If your house has forced-air heating the heat in the basement is often supplied by registers set in the ductwork along the ceiling. This can be relocated and cold-air return added to make the room more comfortable. It is also possible to add a entirely new heating method inexpensively while doing the renovation. For instance, if you would like comfortable warm floors adding in electric or hydronic based floor heating is easy, since you haven't put a floor in yet. These fairly new heating methods are becoming very popular due to their comfort and efficiency. See more on floor-based heating in our solutions section. Sound-Proofing: If noise travels readily through your house, you can move your family entertainment center to the basement, and you won't hear it right? Wrong, without proper sound-proofing the noise will leave the basement just as easily! This can be easily remedied by installing sound-proofing between the basement ceiling and first level floor. In fact if you're planning to insulate this anyway, you can buy combined insulation sound-proofing fiberglass batting. Special Problems: Certain basements come with their own special problems - like support posts right in the middle, or low floors that impede proper connection of bathroom fixtures to sewer mains. To tackle these problems consult a professional. Any structural work should be inspected and designed by a certified structural engineer. However, do not despair there are solutions to these problems! Renovating! So now you have a plan! It helps at this stage to go to the basement with your final plan and go over it one more time. Try to picture the room like the plan in your hands. Walk through the room, be aware of what is above you - is there a kitchen above the bedroom, or stairs right near the home theater speakers? This might seem silly, but a lot of issues can be caught like this before the renovation begins, and before it starts costing money! You should try to study the plans for about a week if possible before starting - sometimes thing sink in slowly! With the drawing you should also have a specification sheet that includes all the required materials with quantities, and costs. Materials should be specific, for instance the type and model of tile, make and model of toilet, etc. The more controlled you start out, the better the chances of a successful, painless finish! Now that the first part is done you can pick up that hammer...or that phone. If you have the time and a bit of DIY experience, much of the renovation job can be done by yourself and some buddies (for the heavy lifting). In the Renovations section of the guide, you can find important tips and techniques for this job, including many photographs to help you out. If you don't have the time to do it yourself there are plenty of companies that will be happy to help you. If you have a completed plan and specifications getting quotes from contractors should be quite easy. Beware of companies that stick out very much - remember you get what you pay for. If a company gives a very low quote, ask for explanations. Also asking for references is always recommended. Let The Renovations Begin! Well now you're renovating the basement. Whether you're doing it partially yourself, or you've hired a contractor, you still have to be involved in each step, and keep track of the milestones. Just because you have a contractor, your involvement is still needed. Now we don't mean you should stand over the worker's shoulders at all times, but you should check in a few times a day, especially during critical construction moments. The contractor may have your plan on paper but you created it, and went over it many times, that's why you still own the plan, and have to ensure it is implemented.