Tips Before Implementing a Basement Design

Finishing your basement is one of the most important asset for your bank account and for your family life. When you are planning to sell your house, extra built in basement is a sure benefit during negotiations, even if you do not get similar price per square meters than for the upper levels.

If you do not want to sell your home but would like to sweeten your family life with a space for your teens to play Play Station in, or would like to give your wife some peace and calm minutes to be able to work at home, or would like to spice up the house with a new basement bar where you are able to spend happy hours with your buddies a finished basement is inimitable.

The TOP trends in basement finishing are the next:

1. gym
2. basement home theater
3. children's playing room
4. basement office
5. billiard room
6. music room

The most common ways of redesigning your basement are the next:

1. Decide on the new use of the basement
2. Try to imagine how will it look like
3. Make a preliminary drawing of the basement layout
4. Survey the current conditions of the walls, stairs, pipes, wires, ceiling and floor
5. Ask recommendation from friends who just finished a similar basement finishing project
6. Find competent and licensed basement designers
7. Plan and purchase the essential materials
8. Plan the time of subtasks of the project
9. Apply experts for remodeling
10. Check them

Either doing it yourself or looking for an experienced professional, there are factors you have to consider when finishing a basement.

Here are five topics to consider:

1. Humidity - Concrete draws moisture into your basement. Find a proper system like in-floor heating.

2. Insulation and waterproofing - Secure a waterproof seal. You can also decrease waste by bringing up the
R-value of your insulation.

3. Floor layout - Plan your layout must be kept. A licensed expert will help you in the proper decision.

4. Heating - Duct work and additional heat sources may be required.

5. Lighting - Adding a lighting plan that focuses on efficiency and warmth will not only cheaper, but make you more comfortable.

If you search for basement designers, there are some important factors should be considered.
Check the next before signing up with any remodeler:

1. Solid experience in basement remodeling
2. Reference works chosen by you not by the remodeler
3. License for basement works
4. Insurance
5. Price level
6. Planning and implementation capacity for finishing the basement
7. Cost plan in advance

By these you are able to reduce the risk of contracting with a pain in your neck basement designer.

Test your partner by asking reference and before and after photos.

Cost of basement finishing can be guessed easily when you have a proper software so you can not just design your basement’s layout but can guess the basic costs of more design cases.

Basement finishing costs vary from basement to basement from needs to needs but there are some guidelines you are able to apply.

First ask proposals with cost details from at least three to five designers. That means you will have more proposals and what is more important you will be able to filter the one that is very different from the others. If there is a too cheap proposal you know there is some problem with it. If there is a too expensive one you can save costs by not selecting that designer. As a result you will have a typical average cost level for your basement finishing assignment.

There is another possibility in which you do not have to ask proposals. You can plan your fresh basement by a home designer software. There are good ones on the market that can also guess costs of the planned project.

A third option is when you just ask your friends who have finished a similar project. They will be happy to share their experience with you including where they think spent very much for certain project items.

Fix the current problems first. Any unsolved existing obstacle can increase your cost later on.

Barry Norman is a basement design fanatic who spreads his tips, tricks and insights online at basement design pro.