Basement remodeling is one of those projects that pays off now and for years to come via increasing the value of your Toronto home and elevating the quality of life for everyone living in it. There’s a visible, tangible benefit to remodeling the basement that simply doesn’t come into play when you paint your house, for instance. While house painting is necessary and adds curb appeal you just don’t experience a repainted house the way you experience a renovated basement.
Don’t Proceed With Basement Remodeling Until You Consider the Following
A basement remodel brings you face to face with issues you won’t face when renovating most other areas of your home. For that reason you’ll want to keep these things in mind:
- Moisture – Before you do anything conduct a thorough inspection of your basement focusing on water-related issues. You’ll want to move things away from the walls and look closely. Is there visible mold? Are parts of the inner foundation wall damp? Is there a strong musty odor? Is there evidence of water damage on bags or boxes? If the answer is “yes” to any of these questions you’ll need to address the underlying issues before proceeding any further.
- Headroom – You need to be sure you’ll have enough headroom once the floor is built up and the ceilings installed. It’s amazing how fast 8 feet of vertical space in an unfinished basement can be reduced to 6 ½ to 7 feet during a basement remodeling. Do you really want your taller guests feeling like they need to duck? If not you may need to consider lowering the floor as step one in your remodeling efforts.
- Access – Interior basement stairways tend to be cramped affairs so you may want to consider building an entirely new stairway leading down from the main floor that’s wider and more comfortable. Also, if the grade outside drops low enough at any point you may want to consider installing sliding doors that open onto a patio. Integrating the basement into the rest of the lot this way opens up a plethora of exciting options.
- Flooring – You may want to build a sub-floor above the concrete slab. The sub-floor will create a softer, warmer feeling underfoot, much like you experience in the rest of the house. If a sub-floor is out of the question just make sure you don’t install carpeting directly onto the concrete slab. Should it become damp you’ll have mold and odor problems. Instead install a rubberized base padding under the carpet to fend off these problems.
- Ceilings – Many of your home’s utility lines run across the basement ceiling before making their way up into the house. The ceiling you install should provide access to these utilities in the event maintenance or emergency requires it. This is one of the main reasons you’ll often see tile ceilings in a finished basement. But tiles aren’t your only option. If the joists are in good condition you can create something of a loft-like feel by leaving them exposed.
A basement remodeling project can expand the usable area of your Toronto home by a third or more. It’s the kind of project that will fundamentally change the way you and your family experience the house. In addition, should you decide to sell your home at some future date the finished basement will help ensure your home doesn’t linger on the market and that you recoup most of the costs you incurred as well. Call the remodeling experts at Karen Homes to discuss the finer points of basement remodeling or any other type of renovation project you have in mind.