By Glasy Maria
Are you considering remodeling your home or making an improvement by adding on a room or two? Maybe you just need some extra space to entertain your guests, have a game room, a home office or maybe living quarters for the young adult at home or for in-law quarters. Whatever the case may be, you might first want to look at converting your basement These areas are the most cost effective when you are trying to get that extra space for the least amount of money.
Converting these areas is not only cost effective, but easier because they already have floors, roofs, and walls. You may need to do a little reinforcing of a floor or ceiling, but still it will be less costly than adding on an entire room or two. Another advantage of converting a basement into a room is that now you have more square footage in your house which mean more value for you home. When you will try to sell the house you can ask for more as you have an extra room, so a 3 bedroom house will become a 4 bedroom house.
Let's first look and see if your basement is a candidate for conversion. If the basement is dry and has at least 7 feet high ceilings, then you maybe in business. A basement is usually separate from the homes living quarters, quiet and accessible from inside the house. They are usually large enough to convert the space to more than one room. The potential could be unlimited.
If your basement is damp or gets wet at different times of the year, the first thing to do is consult a waterproofing contractor to eliminate the issue. It could be as easy as grading, drains or a waterproofing system. Next you will need to deal with mechanical equipment like heat ducts, conduit and pipes. If there is enough room over head you can drop in a false ceiling and conceal all the mechanical equipment. If there isn't enough room for that, you can paint the equipment so that it blends in with the rest of the décor. The only other option would be to re-route the equipment. Also keep in mind that you will want to heat and cool the area as well. Check with a heating contractor to see about extending the existing units to cover the basement, which is pretty simple if the system is large enough to handle the extra load. If your existing system cannot handle the extra pull, then you will need to consider other alternatives for heating and cooling the new addition.
Lighting would also need to be considered. Most basements are below grade or ground and may not allow any room for short windows to be installed, if that is the case, plan for extra lighting in the basement.
As with any project you take on, check with local offices to see if permits are need for converting basement to living area. Also never take on more than you can handle, if you run into issues or problems, consult a contractor in your area for help.
Maria has a website and a blog on kitchen hardware and reviews stuff like Glass Knobs, Kitchen decor and other Bathroom products. Discover more at Discount Cabinet drawer hardware Read Reviews on buying Glass cabinet hardware like Glass cabinet Knobs . Also Coupon News on Cabinet Hardware at site western cabinet hardware
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