For many households, basements remain a great alternative to increase the living space. Basements have a huge potential, and you can build a great addition to your home. It is an economical way to add a new bedroom, a recreation room or an office to your home. The possibilities are endless.
Photo by Abramson Architects – Discover basement design inspiration
You need only a detailed and well planning and your unused and cluttered basement can be turned in a modern, cozy and charming living space.
A detailed and well planning means you should take in consideration several factors.
Energy Efficiency and Comfort
Creating a liveable space in your basement will increase the energy efficiency of your home. Your new basement will be a big improvement for your home. Instead of a cold basement, you will have a new living space with an ambient temperature, which will increase the efficiency of energy and the overall functionality of your home.
Light
Light is critical for a basement. Natural light is scarce for a basement therefore; you need to brighten up your new living space.
Of course, you can enlarge your windows and even you can create new ones. It is the law. You need egress windows for a basement living space. Actually, all depends on how low is your basement floor from the ground.
You can use glass for your windows or glass blocks if you need privacy. However, you still need a good artificial light.
Heating
Usually, in any non-livable basement, registers provide the heat. These registers are set in the ductwork, which is running bellow the basement ceiling. For a living space, you need a circulatory system, which can be created, adding a cold-air return and relocating the registers, and in this way, heat will be evenly distributed.
Air Quality
Basement air quality is extremely important for your health. Before start, your renovation job you need to reduce or even eliminate the moisture problem. How can you realize that?
You need to improve the exterior drainage to keep water from entering the basement. A French drain can help you to protect your home from outside waters.
However, if the mold is present in your basement you should clean thoroughly your basement with a bleach solution.
Flooded Basement Cleaning Tips | How To Build A House (howtobuildahouseblog.com)
Proper Ventilation
A good air quality means proper ventilation. Good ventilation improves dramatically the basement air quality. Take in consideration an exhaust fan and a dehumidifier for the hot season.
Sound – Proofing
Thinking of a recreation room in your basement?
In this case, you need audio, video systems, which mean … noise. To protect the rest of your house from noise, you need to sound – proof your basement.
Intercom System
An intercom system between your new addition and the rest of your home will be a great idea.
Rethinking the Facilities
A new living space in your basement will be at the expense of utilities such as laundry room, storage, etc.
You need to update your laundry room and find new possibilities to maximize the storage space (new shelves, cabinets, etc.).
A new bathroom or a powder room will be an excellent idea. Anytime you need a more bathroom in a home.
Special Construction Considerations
When renovating, you need to be extremely careful. There are many challenges such as the height of the basement or the supporting posts in the middle of a large open area.
Maybe now, it is the good time to ask a professional for help.