Imagup General Magazine 2024
Even if it looks like the most irrelevant part of your house, a well-designed basement can represent an essential and useful part of your home and a place where you can safely store all of your stuff without worries.
When you have an organized and useful looking basement, it can even become a place in your house that you could hang out. For example, you could install a pool table, or Table Tennis, which will make this part of your home more entertaining.
Also, another great idea is to place some small TV and enjoy peacefully in sports games, movies, or anything else you like. If you have the will and some extra money to invest, you could make a perfect lounge area from your basement, but it is essential to finish the restoration properly and have decent isolation of that space.
From other vital reasons for finishing your basement, we have to mention that having a decent basement can improve the cost of your house significantly. Nonetheless, you could make a living space from a basement and make it a room for guests, or older members of the family so that they could have their peace.
The decision to convert the basement is already a done deal. Now you need to think about the specifics. According to basementscanada.com, several action items need your attention. That’s because there’s more than one way to finish your Ottawa basement. Here are four examples of what you will need to consider before the renovation can get underway.
1. Start with Waterproofing Space
Whatever your plans for the basement entail, you will need to have a professional waterproof space. Your goal is to ensure that no seepage will occur during rainy weather. Seepage increases the potential for mold and could also lead to mildew on any fabrics or upholstery that you use in the space. Once this task is done, you can move on to making choices for other changes.
Also, when you know that your basement is fully waterproof, you won`t have to worry about anything that you want to store down there. With sound isolation, you can save everything from food supplies to electrical appliances.
Furthermore, you should install a subfloor, and the most common material for that is plywood and polystyrene sheets. However, before the installation of the subfloor, having drywall is even more critical.
2. Paint or Panels for the Walls?
There’s always the option of sealing the brick walls and the concrete floor after the waterproofing. You could even paint or stain the concrete if you like. Should you find that those choices are not to your liking, it’s time to decide what else you can do for space.
Painting the brick walls is something you may want to consider. If you’re going for something that will make space appear more expansive, a light color will work wonders. For homeowners who think they may want to expose the brick at a later date, there’s always the option of installing panels.
Those panels can be in one solid color or include a print. The latter would give the walls the same appearance as using wallpaper.
Also, placing some high-quality panels will provide your basement with better isolation, but it is more expensive than just painting the walls. If your house already has decent separation from the outside, the best option might be to only paint the walls.
3. Tiles or Carpeting for the Floor?
With the floor, tiles will undoubtedly be easy to keep clean. Consider going with one solid color rather than alternating between two shades of tiles. That will provide a more uniform look. You can use area rugs to define specific areas within the basement. This approach allows you to update the color scheme with relative ease.
Alternatively, it’s possible to go with carpeting with a short nap. It will also be relatively easy to care for and look great for quite a few years. Wall to wall carpeting also adds a touch of softness to a space that may have quite a few severe angles. Since you’re going with a short nap, it’s still possible to layer with area rugs if you want to add another shot of color here and there.
You could also use vinyl materials that look like wood, which are very easy to install, and represents excellent isolation because they are water-resistant. However, if you want to choose between tiles and carpet floor, the most significant advantage of tiles is that tiles will make the floor to be easy for cleaning. In contrast, the most considerable power of the carpet floor is an easy installation process.
4. Controlling the Temperature and Humidity Level
Should you tie the basement into the home’s central heating and cooling system? That’s certainly an option if the unit is capable of supporting the additional space without undue stress. If you’re not sure, ask a contractor to help you select some stand-alone unit for the basement only. You’d be surprised how reasonably priced a small group for this one area of the home will be.
Remember that before you begin any actual changes, it makes sense to obtain a basement renovation permit. Doing so will ensure that once the basement is completed by a certified professional, there is little to no chance of needing to make changes after the safety inspection. All you will have to do is begin making use of that newly renovated space.
Nevertheless, the basement represents the best place in your home for a heating and cooling system because it won`t take away some other space in the house, and you can still use your basement as storage.
