Besides giving your home more family room transforming your basement adds remarkable value to your home. Remodeling a basement is not easy especially for people who do not take time to prepare beforehand. This article enumerates pointers you should consider when remodeling your basement. The first thing is to find out about your legal obligations. Before starting any project make sure you know what is required of you legally to avoid any penalties later.
In certain areas people have to get a permit before commencing certain projects, and there may be codes as well that your project must follow. When a person knows these requirements, they avoid making mistakes that will cost them money in the future.
Before commencing any renovation work, it is necessary to address any moisture problems. Most basements are prone to flooding, condensation and leaks. Address moisture problems before you do anything else in the basement as all the efforts of remodeling will be in vain. A way of testing for the moisture is taping two-foot plastic sheeting squares on both the floors and walls.
Leave them for two weeks and look for condensation. If you find traces of moisture in the test that means the basement is not sealed and you should do something about it. If you find that there is condensation on top of the plastic then that means the basement is dehumidified.
Another tip is inspecting and repairing other critical areas. The floor joists have to be carefully checked before starting the renovation in your basement. You have to make sure the joists are not sagging. To make sure remodeling is a success check for any rot and eliminate it to avoid spreading to other parts of the basement. Look for areas in the basement that are more likely to be affected by rot and address them before going on with the remodeling.
The other thing to do is get an expert to check any fuel burning equipment and the ventilation in your home to confirm there is no carbon monoxide build-up. When remodeling your basement, you can decide to divide it in different rooms that can be used for different things. If you put an extra bedroom and bathroom in the space it can be used as a living area by guests or a family member.
For the sake of entertainment, a homeowner can choose to include a kitchen in the basement. When in the process of designing the new basement it is a good idea to look at the existing staircase and see if any modifications are required. It is essential to make sure that the staircase is functional.