10 Tips for Renovating Your Basement
A professional contractor shares her tips on what to consider before you commit to a basement remodel
I'm a freelance writer and design enthusiast who believes the best design is collected, not decorated, and that homes should always be as comfortable and functional as they are chic. In addition to writing for Houzz, I work as the Head Copywriter for Layla Grayce and Zinc Door.
I'm a freelance writer and design enthusiast who believes the best design... More »
Remodeling a basement is no small feat. Unless you live in a newer home that's planned for a potential remodel, most houses aren’t equipped with basements intended to be transformed into living spaces. But don’t see this as a setback — it’s simply a matter of understanding how to handle the situation.
Renovating basements is old hat for Ventana Construction co-owner Anne Higuera. Soak up her knowledge, check out her original renovation shots for reference, and decide whether you're ready to jump into a basement remodel.
Renovating basements is old hat for Ventana Construction co-owner Anne Higuera. Soak up her knowledge, check out her original renovation shots for reference, and decide whether you're ready to jump into a basement remodel.
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| 1. Plan your exits. Building codes require safe exit routes in case of an emergency, particularly in bedroom areas. “A common requirement is that an opening window must be big enough to climb out of, and close enough to the ground to reach,” says Higeura. “This sometimes means cutting down the foundation and building a window well.” The windows in this finished basement not only let in loads of light, but they also provide an easy-to-access escape route in case of emergency. Check with your local building department about your home's requirements. 2. Stop the water. If you have any moisture or water coming in through the foundation or slab, Higuera recommends not finishing that part of the basement until the source is found and fixed. “Covering up a problem will just mean soggy, moldy insulation and Sheetrock in the future, along with ruined flooring,” she says. "Don’t risk it.” |
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| 3. Check the height. “If basements aren’t built purposely as living space, chances are they have low ceiling height, or low-hanging ductwork, wiring and piping,” says Higuera. “One option, as seen in this photo, is to dig down, which means pouring new footings below your existing ones.” Otherwise, Higuera suggests relocating the ductwork or waste piping into inconspicuous places such as closets. “There are many ways to remove ductwork, gas and water piping and other mechanical components from view by reinstalling them into the floor joists above,” she says. “Even beams can be flush-framed into the floor system.” |
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4. Can you drain? Most basement remodels involve installing a new bathroom, and that means removing part of the concrete slab and connecting new waste lines for the toilet and tub or shower. Your ability to connect those lines depends on how deep your waste lines are below the surface of the concrete floor.
“You need enough of a slope in the lines, called 'fall,' to allow the waste to leave by gravity,” says Higuera. “If you don’t have fall or your waste lines leave the building through the foundation, like this photo shows, you will need a sewage ejection pump to drain the bathroom waste.”
“You need enough of a slope in the lines, called 'fall,' to allow the waste to leave by gravity,” says Higuera. “If you don’t have fall or your waste lines leave the building through the foundation, like this photo shows, you will need a sewage ejection pump to drain the bathroom waste.”
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| 5. Identify your hazmat. Basements can be filled with various hazardous materials. Asbestos was often used to seal seams in ductwork (see photo), and can still be found in the mastic glue used to install many linoleum-type floor tiles in the 1950s. Most pre-1978 homes also have lead paint. Work with your contractor to identify these hazards, and bring in a lab to analyze samples for complete safety. |
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| 6. Retrofit. If you live in earthquake country, don’t finish your basement without bolting down your foundation and installing shearwall at your pony walls (the short-framed wall between the foundation and the floor system, shown above) as they are at risk for failure in an earthquake. “Standard retrofitting involves nailing plywood to the face of that short wall, as well as connecting it to the foundation and the floor system above, if possible,” says Higuera. “It’s easy to do when the walls are open, and much more expensive after the fact.” 7. Look ahead. Don’t finish your basement without thinking about future projects. Because the basement is the heart of most homes’ mechanical systems, you likely will need to get back in there to do any major work on your main floor, or for an addition. “If you’re planning on a kitchen remodel, run a few extra electrical circuits into the floor system. If a new bath is in your plans, run the waste and supply lines now," advises Higuera. “There’s nothing worse than having to remove and replace the work you’ve just put in to do a new project.” |
| 8. Reduce noise. Your newly finished basement has the potential to affect the rest of your house with noise, particularly if you create a media or play room. Installing sound insulation into the basement ceiling can help. Higuera also suggests using RC channel, which is a long piece of metal shaped like a hat when viewed from the end. Without a sound break, sound travels through the wood right into the drywall. The RC channel is installed across the joists before the drywall. When it’s time for the drywall to be attached, it rests on the RC channel instead of the wood joists, reducing noise transmission. Another option? Surface-mount lights versus can lights. “Can lights tend to carry noise, so use surface-mount lights if your ceiling is high enough,” Higuera says. |
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9. Choose your style. Do you want your basement to match the finishes in the rest of your home, or do you want it to have a different feel? This transitional bath has both traditional and contemporary elements, and the basement has painted trim and doors throughout. According to Higuera, it’s a complete departure from the main floor, which is a classic Arts & Crafts home with dark-stained fir millwork. However, the transitional elements make it compatible with a variety of styles while still giving it a unique aesthetic.
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| 10. Think out of the box. Don’t feel hemmed in by things like posts going down the center of your space, or window and door locations. "There are a number of ways to hold up beams while reducing the number of posts, and windows and doors can often be moved without a lot of trouble," says Higuera. "Even the stairwell to the basement can be reworked or relocated." |
Ideabook published on Aug. 9, 2012.
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Also great for first step if you are in the right area into dividing up to apartments.
1. Originally the furnace was in the middle of the room. As part of the remodel they moved it. Apparently this somehow rebalanced the system (no idea of the technical term involved) but essentially what we have is a home where the back of the house on the top floor does not get enough heat in winter / cold air in summer. Several heating contractors told us there is nothing they can. Whether that is true or not, no clue but if I were to finish a basement I would make sure that a heating contractor is involved.
2. Smooth ceilings are greg to look at but if you need to get work done on the pipes running through the ceiling it requires cutting in and making a mess. The drop-in panels are not as pretty but more practical and I have seen new product available that can be used on the panels to make it look like a coffered ceiling.
3. Do check your local code. I don't have window wells or a way to get out from the basement through the small high windows in case of an emergency, but I don't know if that is a requirement in our area or not. From a safety standpoint though I now wish they would have put in window wells...
Finally - do not underestimate the value of a finished basement at resale. When we bought the home the one major requirement I had was a proper finished basement with a nanny suite for our live-in child caregiver. I passed up homes with much nicer kitchens, grander master suites and in ground pools because we had to have an adequate living space for someone who was taking care of our child. So the nice, cheery, bright and new finished basement with wet bar, three piece bathroom and bedroom won over everything else. May not apply to anyone and of course, the main reason to do it is because you want to enjoy the space... but it will not hurt your resale if done well )no shoddy DYI) rather than a fancy kitchen done up to your taste that may not suit the next person.
Definitely important for people to check local codes for basement windows, because that will also impact what you can use the basement for. If the windows aren’t large enough, you can’t have a bedroom down there! This might be helpful:
http://www.nwda.net/Residential%20Building%20Codes%20Egress%20Requirements.pdf.
In cold climates heat in the basement must be addressed. I have been in many nicely remodeled basements that are ice cold in the winter. Hydronic heat in or on the floor is ideal since it eliminates the problem of a cold floor. You really need to insulate the walls. Some people skip this.
In some parts of the country we have perimeter drain tile and sump pumps to prevent basement flooding. Don't bother finishing your basement unless everything is in good shape, water issues are fixed, and you have a backup sump pump system. I always use Styrofoam for the first 18" at the bottom of walls and green board for the lower drywall. If the basement floods you don't have to tear everything out.
Radon levels need to be measured and addressed if it is more than the acceptable the limit. Radon affects most of the USA. Most common way is subslab depressurization with an additional line to the sump pit, stack run up the plumbing wall to the attic inline fan and out the roof. Some people run it up the outside of the house, but this is unsightly.
Install outlets every 8ft and in strategic areas.
Install plenty of lights. then install some more. I put 20 can lights on two dimmers in a 500 sq-ft basement room. It drove my electrician crazy, but it was the right thing to do.
Pre-wire for surround sound using UL-approved wire. Outdoor low voltage lighting wire is inexpensive and works well. The main run to where the TV and sound system are should be piped in PVC in the ceiling and wall in case you need to add satellite, speaker, HDMI, or Ethernet cables.
Leave utility and wiring access as needed if you drywall your ceiling. this may mean a section or strip of suspended ceiling tile that you can remove for access. Full suspended ceilings provide good access at the expense of headroom.
Consider removing support posts and using steel or LVL beams to support the floor. This will require an expert to calculate the loads.
Definitely put in a half or 3/4 bath and plumb it the right way. Masticating toilets are a cheap shortcut. A sump pit with sewage ejector pump is not that hard to install. A concrete saw beats using a jackhammer.
I have seen people put kitchens and/or master baths in basements that are not living quarters for anybody. Huge fancy bars won't bring resale value. All you really need is a small sink, serving countertop, storage cabinets, and a fridge.
A few number of large room is much better than a maze of smaller rooms.
You can take similar measures with waste pipes... wrapping in sound insulation. But we usually recommend cast iron vertical waste piping to our clients as the best way to reduce or eliminate the sound of water moving down the pipes. It's a little spendy but makes a world of difference.
Finally, on the heat issue: If you have high enough ceilings that you don't mind raising your floor level, you can install rigid foam insulation and pour a new concrete slab overtop of your existing slab. It's not ideal, but if you don't do this, anything you do to heat your existing slab will also heat the ground below it.
If you don't have a lot of headroom to spare, you can use an electric floor mat under tile or other materials, but again, you are heating the ground along with your room--not very efficient. You can also just add heat to your room in the form of wall heaters, gas fireplace or something similar. Using products like carpet and cork will provide some insulating value between the slab and your feet as well. Good luck with your project! --Anne with Ventana Construction
I should say that there doesn't seem to be any problem with water coming in from outside - we did paint with a Lock tight type product after we had some walls tucked, fixed downspouts and worked on the grading around the house just in case. We will work on windows when we can afford it.
We would like to put in a flooring - like bamboo, but worry about what water would do to that. I will go insane if all our new improvements are damaged by another flood. I want to go around and wrap the area where the walls meet the floor of the utility/laundry room and put down that self-adhesive rubber that is used to weather proof windows and roofs. At least several inches of water wouldn't be able to escape that room and ruin the others. I would then find some sort of water alarm to put on the floor. Someone must have thought about this before with older houses that may break several times before everything is finally fixed? I would think that people with a second floor laundry would have found a solution for water leaks, as well. Any suggestions?