When you wish to expand your house, one way of doing this is to finish your basement. The basement can become many things and fulfill many functions. However, there are some things to consider when finishing your basement. Basement finishing tips can help you in this task.
The basement's intended use is an important tip to consider when finishing your basement. If you wish to use the basement as a workshop or for storage, you will need to finish it in a different manner than if you wish to use it as a living room or entertainment room.
Examine the floor of the basement. If the floor is sloped, then you will need to level it. You can either do this by applying a layer of concrete on the sloped end or reframing the floor using pressure-treated lumber to lay a new floor system on top of it. If you are going to use the basement as storage or a workshop, then you need to examine the floor. If the basement is wet, then you need to look into installing a new drainage system to waterproof the floor.
Check the walls to see if they are plumb. You may find that they lean in or out. If that is the case, you will have to build them out to make them square. You should also check the walls to see if they are wet. Sealing the walls may be something you will have to do before proceeding. Once you have reframed the walls, you can use whatever wall covering you like, be it drywall or paneling.
Before you finish the walls, you should consider your needs for electricity. If you are going to be using the room as an added room to your house, then you will need to install outlets according to the building codes in your area. The outlets need to spaced in a specific manner, since these change from community to community, you will need to get that information from your local town or city office. Hire an electrician to wire the basement according to the building codes.
Examine the plumbing needs for the basement. If you wish to install a bathroom, you should hire a plumber to install one. Since the finished walls aren't up, you can also look at the existing pipes. Wrapping the pipes with insulation can cut down on the noise of the water running through them from the upper floors. HVAC can be added to at this point as well, should there be a need to install a system in the finished basement. Once the plumbing, electrical and HVAC are finished to your specifications, you can finish the walls with drywall, panels or whatever material you choose.
