Remodeling Guides
10 Tips for Renovating Your Basement
A professional contractor shares her tips on what to consider before you commit to a basement remodel
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.
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.”
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.”
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.”
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.
Hire an environmental services professional to remove asbestos from your home
Hire an environmental services professional to remove asbestos from your home
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.”
Find experts to help prepare your home for an earthquake
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.”
Find experts to help prepare your home for an earthquake
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.
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.
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.
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."
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.”