10 Musts To Consider Before Renovating Your Basement
If you are looking for some additional living space, your unfinished basement might be an excellent place to find some. When you are considering throwing money at a Winnipeg renovation contractor to fix up the basement, there are a lot of things to think about ahead of time. Before you dig right in, these are the ten things you have to know to make your basement area exactly what you want with no stress.
Prevent water
If you want to ensure that your basement stays dry, inspect it for any signs of pooling water or drips that might be coming from the walls or foundation. Also, check the outside of the house to look for any problems with the foundation, such as cracks. It is important to fix them before you even consider renovating. Also, for additional protection you might want to consider drain tiles. They help cut the risk of flooding by redirecting water away from your foundation, which can create cracks and let water in.
Know your local codes
Some ordinances require that you have a building permit and some don’t. If you don’t take out the proper permits, it can cost you in the end. If you are planning on doing any electrical or plumbing work, make sure to call your local building department to find out what steps you have to take before you start working.
How are things going to stay together
Renovating a basement is different from other types of additions. It might not just take a couple of nails to fasten things together. Sometimes you need to anchor things, fix parts with masonry work, or even work with blocks or bricks. It is important to make sure that things can be put together before you get halfway into the project and get stuck.
Create a barrier
When you are renovating your basement, moisture can be an issue. To prevent build-up, you will want to create a barrier between the walls and the foundation for condensation. There are a ton of really great materials that will help to not only keep out the cold, but also will stop the walls from trapping in moisture, which can lead to mold or other water issues.
Even things out
If you have uneven walls or rifts in the walls, that will make it very difficult to frame them. You have to create a flat surface by adding symmetry before you attempt to put your framing in for you to put up drywall. Otherwise, your drywall will be a disaster.
Insulate
Because your basement is below ground level, it will be harder to control the temperature unless you insulate properly. Not only will you want to provide the moisture control, but you might also want to add spray foam insulation.
Consider a drop ceiling
The basement will probably have a lot of piping and wires that supply water and energy to the house. Putting in a drop ceiling will ensure that you can still get to things when you need to. Making equipment easily accessible makes things a lot more convenient and inexpensive if you ever need to get at the pipe work to repair it.
Consider baseboard heating
Because heat rises and putting in heating vents on the floor is probably not possible, consider adding baseboard heating to keep your basement warm during cold weather. You can tie the baseboard units into your HVAC system. It will eliminate the need for you to use dangerous space heaters to keep things warm.
You don’t have to finish the utility room
Make sure that you don’t finish the utility room space. That is where you store your furnace, your water heater, and all the other whole-house appliances that service your home. Don’t encase them and make it impossible to service or access them when needed. If you try to cut out too much space and sacrifice convenience, you will end up being sorry in the end.
Your basement can be an excellent way to add living space to your home, but only if it makes good sense. If you have a basement that is prone to flooding or a foundation that has issues, you have to address them before you even consider a basement remodel. Taking the right steps before any work is done will save you money and headaches in the long run.
