With proper renovation, your basement can be turned into a real gem and gain important competitive advantage for your house on any market.
When buying a home, most buyers are worried about the issue of water in the basement. Insulating the area against the weather and making sure it is dry if definitely a positive point for your house. Water in the space or even just damp, could be a disadvantage if you wanted to sell your house.
One great way to invest in your house is to hire a basement remodelling tradesperson to help you take advantage of the unused room in your basement. Most basements cover a large area that can be adapted for other things and are often unfinished. With such promise, isn't it a shame to waste this opportunity
The basement is going to take a lot of work to remodel, but at the end of the day it will be worth it, both in cash and in satisfaction of a task well done. To begin with the ceiling is going to give you the most concern Most basement ceilings are not as high as the other ceilings in your house This can be dealt with by building the ceiling around your ventilation and air conditioning.
Flooring for a basement is something you also need to think about, most specialists will advise you go for carpet. When getting your carpet, go for the thicker carpets, and be sure to buy quality under-padding. The thickness of these materials will go some way into protecting your feet from the hardness and cold of a concrete floor. In the main part of the property, the flooring is normally supported by wood rather than concrete so less damage on your feet.
Putting in a Home Cinema or Gymnasium
These features are normally considered as being nonessential, although they will help to sell your house more quickly if the potential buyers are willing to pay extra for them. Although, if done correctly, both of these features can add from $30,000 to $60,000 in a large country property, according to various agents. If you want to set up a home gym or home cinema room, then renovating your basement would be an ideal time to plan this project.
Installing a room cinema system is not as easy as most of us think. If you are starting from a vacant room, think about different designs and ways to set the system up, seek professional advice if at all feasible Now for the basics to complete this room, the 27" plus HDTV will be your first purchase, followed by the stereo unit, DVD or video player; make sure these are all surround sound capable, surround sound speakers and comfy chairs and that's just to start with.
Adding a gymnasium in your basement is a great idea and doesn't require much organization. There are some obstacles though, so you would need to think about the following:
- Comfort - rubber mats on the floor and maybe a couple mirrors on the wall
- Noise proofing (solves itself if you put your exercise equipment in your finished basement)
- A hi-fi system for music while you exercise is always a decent idea
- Air circulation of the area would need to be dealt with
Writer is Vancouver Lofts broker, creator of BC Home Renovation Series
picture by JAGwired
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