Basement Finishing Ideas For DIY Enthusiasts
Basements can be a major selling point when it comes to real estate. Many people like having a finished basement for many different reasons. For some it is a recreation room where they can set up a pool table or a ping-pong table.
For some it is a storage area, a great place to put things that won’t fit in the attic. For many, however, it is a wasted area that is partly storage, partly a game room, and mostly unused. But, for those of you with a little DIY heating and plumbing knowledge and the ability to get a home remodeling loan, the basement can easily be turned into the best spot in the house.
Why Remodel The Basement?
Most basements in America were not built for much of anything except extra storage space. They are usually left unfinished by the builder with nothing more than a 60-watt light in the middle of a large, open room. The biggest reason to remodel your basement is because of all the useable square footage that it will provide. There is a lot of wasted space in a basement because it was never finished enough to be able to do anything with it. All the other reasons for remodeling come in the form of what you will be able to use the space for.
I think that the best use for a basement is to convert it into an entertaining area. It is very nice to have a place to bring a lot of guests to without worrying about the whole house getting trashed. There is also a lot of benefit as far as noise goes. If the party is always in the basement, the noise will never reach the complaining neighbors! It is also a very unique entertaining experience to have a separate, slightly isolated area for entertaining. And so, the question now is, how can you make a dull, lifeless basement transform into an exciting, vibrant entertainment area? Here are a few basement-finishing ideas to help you out.
Make it warm and inviting
Basements are usually cold and inconvenient, that is why nobody ever goes down into them. Start with a heating and air conditioning upgrade. Run a few heating and air vents throughout the basement so that every section of it stays nice. A wise thing to do would be to allow the basement heat and air to be turned off when no one is using the basement in order to save money. Basement lighting is also quite inadequate most of the time. Run a few wires around and add more light. Be careful when working with electricity, as this is one of the most common causes of residential construction accidents.
Section it off
It isn’t that difficult to add a few walls here and there. Throw up a few walls for a bathroom, add some dividers to separate a kitchen area, and even put a small bedroom to accommodate guests. The addition of a few walls will make the basement much more appealing.
Put in a bathroom
When entertaining, you do not want to have to ask your guests to walk upstairs in order to use the bathroom, especially if you are serving alcoholic beverages, which increase traffic to the restroom exponentially. You also do not want to house guests in your basement and make them travel upstairs in order to brush their teeth or wash their face. A small bathroom, with or without a shower, will be a huge asset. Check out a lot of different bathroom designs in order to find the one that suits your situation. If you will not be sleeping guests in the basement, all you need is a toilet and sink. If you will have people staying in the basement, it would be nice to have a nice shower, sink, toilet, and closet space. Someone with a little DIY plumbing knowledge and an eye for bathroom design can put in a nice bathroom very easily.
Use it often
There is no point in doing anything to a basement if you are not going to do anything in the basement. Once you have put all the time and effort into remodeling, don’t let it gather any dust. But be careful, with a nice finished basement, you may never have a quiet night to yourself ever again!
Isabel Baldry
View all articles by Isabel Baldry
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