Basements are often underused and underrated spaces, but it doesn’t have to be this way!
If your basement is a big space that you don’t really use for anything other than storing clutter in, why not transform it into a room that you can use for a variety of purposes? From hosting parties or a paying tenant, to creating a family den or high end entertainment center, there are countless ways to turn your basement into a valuable space and not just give you more room within your home, but increase your home’s value, too.
To turn you basement into a valuable, usable space, here are a few basic tips and considerations:
Carefully consider lighting
Many basements are gloomy or even pitch black spaces, with no natural light at all. With this in mind, to ensure that space is welcoming and fit for purpose, you’ll need to have the right kind of lighting that illuminates it sufficiently, while still being cosy. If you have some natural light in your basement, try to take advantage of this as best as possible.
Opting for an open floor plan and a glass door leading down to the basement, can help make it lighter, along with using light paint colors and mirrored walls or ceilings.
Think about heating and cooling
Because basements are often neglected spaces that families don’t always use for extended periods of time, heating and cooling the space is rarely invested in. However, if you’re going to start spending more time down there (and especially if you’re going to be renting the space or having guests staying in there), you’ll need to make sure it’s warm enough in the colder, winter months.
You might need a secondary heat source installed down there, such as a floor warming system, wood burning stove or a fireplace.
Ways to make the space more livable
If your basement has posts and columns, consult with a construction contractor and find out whether any of them can be removed to make the space bigger and more open. If the posts are structural, then you may have to creatively work the design of the room in around them. Plumbing or air ducts may also need to be relocated if they’re unsightly or inconveniently placed, and if possible, relocated along walls or beams to leave enough headroom within the middle of the space, where it’s most needed.
Pull out as many posts and columns as is realistic. If plumbing or air ducts needs to be relocated, do so along walls or beams, leaving ceilings higher in the middle, where headroom is more vital.
Prepping your basement for flooding
While you always hope that flooding won’t affect your home, if you live in an area that’s prone to such weather conditions, you may need to consider waterproofing your basement as best you can, since water always pools in the lowest part of a house.
Work with an experienced remodeling company and let them help transform your basement from a dull, gloomy and uninspiring space, into one that is welcoming and 100% usable for all the family.