Having a basement in your house can be a great asset. If your basement is unfinished, it will have the perception of being dark, damp, and scary. However, a finished out basement can add value to your home. The potential uses for a basement are limitless. You can do a number of different things with your basement and some of them may help you sell your house in the future. Here are a few tips to finishing out the basement.
1. Come up with a plan- You would be surprised how many people that set out to finish the basement have no idea what they want to do. You can't go into a basement remodel without a plan to go by. You need to decide what the best use of your basement would be. Look at your house as a whole and decide what it is missing. Do you have only two bedrooms upstairs and the rest of the neighborhood is filled with three and four bedroom homes? If so, you should probably include a bedroom and bathroom in your remodel plans for downstairs. If you have plenty of bedrooms, you might think about adding something fun. Putting a game room or theater room downstairs can really add some spice to your home. If no one else in the neighborhood has those features, it will give your house a leg up when you are ready to sell. Besides that it will add functionality to your home while you are living there as well.
2. Choose the proper flooring- Basements present a unique challenge for choosing the right flooring. Basements are considered "below grade". Therefore, you can't just put whatever flooring you want down there. This eliminates most real hardwoods unless you install them in a floating fashion. If you're going to do that, you might as well go with a laminate as its usually less expensive. Another great option for basements is some of the newer vinyl products that they have out. Flex floor vinyl provides a very realistic-looking floor with added functionality. It is great with water, so you won't have to worry about that. It is also softer underfoot than wood, laminate, or tile. In addition to flex floor, there are a number of wood-look floating vinyl planks that would be great for a basement remodel. They are waterproof and are easy to install.
3. Get professional help- Many people watch HGTV for five minutes and think they are qualified to build a house. Don't get in over your head with the basement remodel. If you are qualified to do some of the work yourself, then go for it. However, if you have never done anything like this before, then it might be a mistake to try. Sometimes, you can set yourself even farther back and a real professional will have to come in and fix what you have messed up. If the project looks like it is too big to tackle alone, don't be afraid to ask for help.
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Article Added on Friday, November 27, 2009
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