Basements are an interesting case study in human psychology. More often than not they sit unused for years, accumulating dust and serving only as enormous laundry rooms or tool storage units. Upstairs, growing families lament the shortage of space in their home and contemplate moving to accommodate their needs, while just below them the basement waits patiently for someone to notice it.
In the end most basements remain unfinished and exactly why that is would probably make for an interesting study or two. For the purposes of this article though we’ll assume you’ve made the leap and decided to finish your basement and are looking for a few words of advice before proceeding.
Author Dave Schrock over at bottomlinepersonal.com has written an article that starts right off with one of the most important reasons to consider finishing your basement:
Expenses tend to be around 30% to 50% lower than the cost of putting a similarly sized addition on the home. And you can expect to recoup more than three-quarters of the cost when you sell, according to Remodeling magazine, a better payback rate than most home-renovation projects.
He didn’t just pull those figures out of thin air. Most renovation specialist agree that basement renovation is one of the most cost effective ways to expand your liveable area while increasing the value of your home. A recent article on interest.com puts your expected return just over 70%: just below adding a backyard deck and above a two story addition. The finished basement also has the advantage of being a 4 season, 24/7 space that you can rent out if you like to recoup your investment. Try taking a tenant on the backyard deck.
Back at bottomlinepersonal.com author Schrock draws our attention to one of the biggest issues involved in any basement-related project: water intrusion. His solution is a healthy dose of “an ounce of prevention” common sense.
If water leaks into your basement through cracks in your foundation—or through another route—have this remedied months before your basement-finishing project begins. That way you can be fairly confident that the problem is solved before wallboards and/or flooring block the area from view.
Once any water intrusion issues have been cleared up and you’ve decided to proceed with your basement renovation project there will be some things you can do yourself to save a few dollars and some things you’ll definitely want to leave to the pros. Housekeepingchannel.com suggests you handle as much of the tear down and other prep work as possible yourself and then, once the serious work is underway, you stay involved and ask lots of questions.
On the flip side they advise that you leave any plumbing and electrical work to the professionals and don’t change your mind about things during the construction process. This will only increase the chances you’ll wind up with a basement you don’t really want.
Be Sure to Select the Right Contractor for Your Basement Renovation
Once you’ve decided to go ahead with your basement renovation project, shored up any leaks and made a list of the things you’ll want to handle yourself, you’ll need to find the right contractor to handle the job. Karen Homes is the GTAs premier building and renovation contractor. We’ve earned our reputation through our leading edge design concepts, customer-centric service and meticulous attention to detail.
Our basement renovation team is comprised of the top people in their fields who use only the finest materials and keep you in the loop from start to finish to ensure your complete satisfaction with the final product. Others may try to attract your attention with lowball prices, we prefer to do it with the outstanding quality of our work.
What Are You Waiting For? Contact Us Today
So when you’ve decided it’s finally time to finish the basement make sure you hire the craftsmen of Karen Homes to get the job done right. Call us today on 416-661-6006 to set up a free consultation and find out more about how we can turn the most neglected part of your home into a dazzling showpiece you’ll cherish for years to come.