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Why finish a basement

If your looking to add more living space at a affordable price there is nothing like finishing your basement. Finishing a basement is less invasive than tearing up the lawn for a addition or ripping off a roof and building up. The basement begs to be finished, it already has the walls, ceiling, and floors required for any habitable structure they just need to be finished off into a more elegant functional space that includes storage areas, play areas, a office, family room, home theater, or even a in-law arrangement the choices are nearly unlimited!

Remodeling a already finished basement

There are several reasons why you might want to remodel a finished basement. One might be that it was finished 40 years ago and its quite dated.  Or perhaps there is some water problems and it is moldy and musty smelling. Maybe the current layout just doesn't suit your needs and its time to start from scratch using todays modern materials.

Planing your basement project

The first and most obvious step in finishing your basement is deciding how you want to use the space. Are you just looking for more organized storage for all those Christmas decorations or do you need a play area for the kids so you don't have to worry about picking up toys every time someone comes to visit. Perhaps you have been working from home more and more and the Kitchen table looks more like a office than it does a place to eat dinner, maybe its time for a Home Office. Once you have decided how you are going to use your space you need to design it. Its time to get some graph paper and do make some drawings. First make a scale drawing showing the current layout of your basement including all structural post locations, mechanicals, pluming, stairs, and air duct trunk lines. Now using trace paper over the top of your scale drawing start sketching out floor plans. Try to incorporate support  posts into walls and be aware of  ductwork that will have to be built into soffits. Sometimes these soffits can be extended around the perimeter of a room making it look like a architectural detail not some odd bump out.

Getting Started

If your doing the work yourself or you have chosen Anderqual to do the project for you the first step is to make sure the basement will stay dry. The first step is to make sure the gutters are kept clean and the downspouts extend out from the foundation enough to allow the water to flow away from the house. Second make sure there is sufficient pitch to the grade around the house to force water to flow away from the foundation. Third make sure all the cracks in the foundation walls are sealed to prevent water from getting into the basement. Fourth make sure you have a battery back up sump pump. There are two things that will happen in a sump pump pump pit. 1) The pump will eventually fail and 2) The house will loose power during a storm. A battery back-up sump pump will take care of both of these problems. The fifth step is to test and see if there is a vapor barrier under your basement slab. A way to test this is to put a 5'x5' sheet of clear plastic over a section of the floor and seal the edges down with tape and wait a week. Check the plastic for condensation forming on the underside if there isn't then it is likely that there is a vapor barrier. If there is water condensation then you will need to apply a surface water vapor barrier otherwise water vapor will rise into your basement causing your basement to be damp and eventually mold. One method could be a roll on type barrier that could be tiled over, or another option is to simply layout plastic sheeting taping the seams. This method can be carpeted over. Whatever method you choose it should be carried up the wall so your basement will be as dry as possible. Once your basement is damp proof its time to frame out the walls install the Rough electric & Plumbing then insulate the foundation walls for warmth and the possibly the ceiling and interior walls for sound. Its even possible to insulate the floor with foam boards. After those steps are complete its time to hang the drywall and mud and tape it. After sanding it smooth get the primer and paint on and your ready to get to the finish work. Flooring is next followed by the mill work(Doors, baseboards, trim, etc.). After all the electric and plumbing fixtures are installed you are now ready to enjoy your new affordable living space now the question is do you remodel the upstairs now!

Anderqual Handyman would like to help you do your project whether you want us to do the entire project or only a small portion of it. Give us a call today for a FREE ESTIMATE (847)756-3808  or E-mail us at Handyman@anderqual.com