If you have an undersized house, you might have thought of having a basement as an additional space. If you are lucky enough to have a basement in your house when you bought it, then you might have considered transforming it into a home theater, playroom, gym and office. The problem is, it might cost you $20,000. Basement remodeling project is something you should be thinking about twice because of the crucial processes you have to do to succeed.
So, if you still want to consider making this project, then I will share with you some of the things you should consider.
1. Permit Skipping
Skipping a permit will be costly. Basement refinishing or remodeling is something that people do without a building permit, because it is located inside your house already. Since it’s only inside your house, you might be thinking that you can save time and cost when you skip the permit process.
This should be a “no!” situation. If someone catches you, the building department might force you to stop doing the project and rebuild it. Well, even if you did not get caught but you’re selling the house, the buyers might penalize you for the prize because of your lack of certificate of occupancy. Another thing is, a professional contractor might not be able to give you advices and technical oversight that you could have missed. Permit paperwork will only cost a few dollars by the way, so better safe than sorry right?
2. Investing in Noise Control
Transforming a basement into a recreation room or playroom will cut down the noise you experience in the main living space. You can plan of making an insulating ceiling above the basement using stone wool insulation or fiberglass. There are also drop ceilings that offer noise control so you can enjoy your good time while on the basement.
3. Dry it Out First
Most of the basements are wet and the moisture will form into molds and will rot if you don’t dry it out before doing the refinishing or remodeling. Some of the solutions you can do is repair the clogged or damaged aligned gutters, put a sump pump and seal foundation cracks.
However, the moisture can still infiltrate. Avoid using organic materials when you finish your basement because the molds grow on damp organic material. It means that no plywood flooring, no wood studs and no drywall. The best to use is a waterproof basement finishing system. You can also ask your contractor to install a heavy-gauge plastic sheeting before you finish the floors and walls so the moisture migration will be avoided.
So those are the 3 simple things you can do before you decide to refinish or remodel your basement. It is a crucial task to do so remember not to dive in in the do-it-yourself techniques because it might cause you more problems. So now, it is safe to assume that hiring a professional contractor is the best thing to do if you want to become successful in this endeavor.
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