Basement Design Tips To Create The Perfect Man Cave
This is a guest post courtesy of Matt Doyle, the Vice President and Co-founder of Excel Builders.
You have every reason to be excited if you’ve saved up the money to finish your basement. Basement renovations have the power to effectively double the space in your home. The opportunities are endless, from building out the rooms that you’ve always wanted to have in your home to create suites that you can rent out for money.
Before you begin, there are some things that you’re going to want to take into account. Projects as ambitious and — let’s be honest — expensive as finishing a basement can run into a lot of problems. If you want to avoid those problems, you should consider these five tips developed by home renovation pros. Once you’ve gone through these steps, you’ll know what you need to do to make your project possible, and how to make it the best renovation you’ve ever done.
Order a Full Inspection First
This is such an important step!
Basements can require a lot of work before they’re ready to be lived in, and you don’t want to be caught in the middle of the project if the estimate doubles. A professional inspection is likely to catch all of the major issues that might prevent you from completing everything on time and under budget.
What kind of issues might stall the project?
Foundation issues are going to be one of the biggest problems. Cracks in the foundation will often start in the basement, and create additional issues from there. Cracks that reach to the soil can let off Xeon gas, which can make the entire room unsuitable as living space.
Foundation problems can also cause serious moisture issues. Mold and mildew, among other things, can take advantage of moisture seeping through the cracks to develop and expand to all your new finished rooms. Make sure that you inspect for all structural issues, and make sure repairs are made before you continue with the rest of the project.
Take Advantage of Open Spaces
Before you finalize your plan for your basement, make sure you consider how much potential is wrapped up in that space. The basement is often the largest open room in a home before being finished, and that means it’s worth planning a layout that can take advantage of that. Plan a renovation that allows you to carve out big, luxurious rooms.
All of that open space can be perfect for a roomy home gym, a roughhouse-ready game room or an extravagant new master bedroom. If your basement has backdoor access to the yard, you have even more options.
You can cover an entire wall with windows to make a sun-drenched sitting room, or use that same sunlight for an indoor planting room. You have so many options!
Consider Air Flow
Before you start the hard work of separating out rooms and setting up walls, make sure you consider the air flow. Unlike the upper story of your home, the basement is unlikely to have windows on all sides. If certain doors or windows are walled off, it may diminish the air quality inside the rest of the basement.
There are some ways that this can be resolved without creating uncomfortable rooms. First, run an HVAC system through your basement. Vents and forced air will ensure that there is healthy airflow throughout every room that’s connected. However, an HVAC system may be out of your finishing budget, and it that’s the case, you still have options.
Consider designing the basement so that each room is connected to the wall that has the windows or doors. For example, if you have a long rectangular basement, you would want to have shorter rooms that follow the long wall. The hallway that leads to each room can be placed against the side that has no windows. That hallway itself may have bad airflow, but at least none of the rooms will.
Choose Moisture-Resistant Materials
Before you start buying the most affordable building materials, consider that the stresses building materials experience can be a lot different in the basement. Unless you are investing big in a system that will dry and vent the air, you can expect these materials to be struggling with a lot of moisture.
Make sure you buy materials that are moisture-resistant. Avoid drywall in favor of coated wood or products that are certified for damp environments. Don’t forget about the fabrics, either — the furniture that you purchase for the downstairs may need to use a more moisture-resistant material than you use upstairs. Treated leather furniture and vinyl furniture would have no problems in a situation like that.
Build Out Rooms that Benefit from Being Out of the Way
If you haven’t finalized what rooms you are going to have in your newly finished basement, here’s some food for thought: the basement is the perfect place to tuck away the rooms that would be disruptive anywhere else. When properly insulated, the basement may be the perfect place to put rooms that wouldn’t be allowed upstairs.
For example, game rooms for the kids with stereo sound, and music rooms for electric guitars, drums, and bass would be perfectly located downstairs. Poker rooms and home bars will provide exciting options for entertaining, without filling the rest of the home with any of the noise or cigar smells that might come with it.
Some families may find that bristling teenagers can benefit from having a part of the home that feels more independent and doesn’t have others around to interrupt loud music with complaints.
As Long as You Consider the Limits, You’ll do Great
Refinishing a basement is a great way to double the utility of your home. With so much more living space, you’ll have more ways to enjoy the comfort of having your family around the home.
It can be a little intimidating to begin a big home improvement project like this one, but if you followed our tips, you won’t have to worry about buyer’s remorse. As long as you have everything inspected, think ahead and take advantage of all that space, and choose the right materials, you’re going to have a renovation that will make you proud.
About the Author:
Matt Doyle is the Vice-President and Co-Founder of Excel Builders, a custom home building company serving Delaware and Maryland. The company specializes in ICF and custom-built, energy-efficient homes. Matt grew up in the construction industry and he has a Bachelor of Science degree in Entrepreneurship from the University of Alabama. He also has an extensive background in internet marketing and has worked with some well-known international companies such as Best Western, McGraw Hill Construction, Sharp, and Canon.
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