Remodeling a basement offers almost unlimited opportunity to add living space for your family as well increasing the value of your home.

In deciding what to do with your basement, the first step is to consider how you want to use the space. Some of the most popular uses for remodeled basement space are:

• Play room for children
• Home office space
• Teen or In-Law suite
• Guest Bedroom
• Media Room
• Game Room
• Computer or homework room
• Hobby or Craft Room
• Carpentry Workshop
• Storage

The next step is to begin to design your basement remodel. It can save a lot of time and headaches if you begin your design by sketching out the floor space in your basement. Next, mark your sketch to show important things you will need to consider:

• Windows
• Exterior door(s)
• Point(s) of access from the main floor
• Location of the fuse box or circuit breaker box, shut-off valves for water, gas, etc. (You will need to design around these items to keep them accessible.)
• Location of plumbing access pipes
• Location of appliances (furnace, heat pump, water heater, washer and dryer, etc.)
• Location of any support poles or beams
• If ducts for heat and air have already been installed, include their location to accommodate when you installing the ceiling.

Here are a few money-saving, labor-saving, and time-saving tips for your design:

• Place any new bathroom, kitchen, laundry room, etc. that will use water, as close as possible to existing plumbing. You might save a bundle by being able to connect with existing main lines.
• Decide if you need a second point of access from the first floor to the basement. For example, if you will use part of the basement as an in-law suite or a teen suite or a guest room, you might want a second (more private) stairway.
• Determine how you will work around and still provide access to shut-off valves, circuit breaker boxes, etc.
• Find a creative way to work with support poles or beams. Will you enclose them in a wall? Will you cover them with a fiberglass column? Will you just build a box around them?
• Where are the most logical places to create storage?
• Decide where you will construct walls and whether interior walls should be insulated or covered with sound board to reduce noise in other parts of the basement.

Attending to these considerations for safety and careful planning will result in a smooth remodeling project that can be done either all at once or in stages as you have the money to finish it.

Call C. Clary Contracting today to see how we can help you with your basement remodeling project.