Move in day has nearly arrived for your family! I hope you have followed along this far in our little series on basement remodeling . If you have, you know that we have come from a bare bones basement with water issues, to what is your little piece of remodeling heaven. Next up on the list is hardware and lighting pieces. You finally get to add the decorative pieces to bring in what will be your own touch on a room. As I am sure we all know this is the make or break phase of your remodel. When I begin to design a room I find a piece or object that will be my centerpiece of the design and work from it. This can be a light, piece of art work, perhaps even a chair or ottoman. Whatever the focus of the room your intent now is to know it and design from it. All color choices and hardware need to be decided in perspective with your piece. Take a picture of whatever you have chosen and bring it with you to model with paint samples to begin with. Generally in a basement room, cool and calming colors are desired over darker warmer coloring. These cooler colors will give you the feeling of more space and light in your room. This will help to eliminate the cave or dungeon feel that can easily be had in any basement. Darker and warmer colors need to be used in moderation perhaps as accents or trim colors to bring a room together. After you have decided on your colors now is the time to shop for your lighting. I am sure you have your layout and style of lighting in mind as you have had the wiring installed to this point. So at this point in time you are going to be searching for your specific styles of lighting with your centerpiece and room colors in mind. Lighting can be very dramatic so choose how powerful of a statement you wish to make cautiously but have fun here! Last on the list before you can begin moving in is flooring choice. I prefer to wait until now so I have a good idea of the dramatic impact of the room and the lighting. Choose from carpeting,laminate flooring, ceramic tile, really the sky is the limit in this department! Congratulations on your new basement and welcome home!
Archive for December, 2009
Framing Your Basement for a Remodel
Friday, December 18th, 2009
If you have made it this far in our series on remodeling your basement you are well on your way to a new addition to your home! Hopefully you have laid out your rooms and had your plumbing and wiring installed and now have a subfloor if applicable to your situation. If you are this far now is the time to start framing your walls. As with all modern building projects you will most likely be subject to codes and regulations. During your electrical and plumbing work the local inspectors should have been by several times by now and started to get to know you. This can be good or bad but always be mindful that they are there for your safety and the safety of others. Also like it or not they have the power to stop all of your hopes and dreams so play nice!
As with the theme of most of our project here I am going to recommend you have a qualified installer do your framing work. In the long run they will save you lots of time and aggravation and be more then worth the added costs. I have found that in many projects of this scope they actually pay for themselves in speed and accuracy. Once framed bring your electrician and plumber back in to install the rest of their fixtures and hardware. Now is the time to decide on lighting choices as you will have a pretty good idea of your lighting needs now that you have some form of structure. Your lighting options need to be wide and varied in a basement to eliminate the “cave” tendency. Drop lighting, wall sconces and spot lights all should be used if possible to create the warmest feeling that you can. Home lighting can make or break the feeling of comfort in any room but it is most important in your basement makeover! Once you have your lighting and other hardware installed call in your inspector and get his stamp of approval before moving on to drywall. Don’t worry your almost in your new room already! Once and only once you have had their approval begin your drywall installation. A good crew should be able to install your drywall in a relatively short period of time. Have your drop ceiling installed and its almost time to move in! See you next post.
Planning your Basement Plumbing and Wiring
Thursday, December 17th, 2009
Now that you have your basement nice and dry its time to plan your layout. Take the time now to decide wall placements if you are planning multiple rooms.Where any kitchen or bathroom plumbing will go and how you are going to supply power are all critical factors that must be taken into consideration. Also leave room for a drop ceiling as these are almost always used to allow access to the plumbing and electrical systems in your home. The minimum drop on most installations is two to three inches from the bottom of the joist but this can vary if you need room for drop in lighting or have any existing plumbing or such that is below the joist. This added with the possible subfloor (we will discuss later) may take anywhere from four to six inches or more of height from your basement. So plan accordingly! If you have decided to plumb for a bathroom and or kitchen you now need to decide how you will remove your waste water and bring in supply water. Many basements will need a pump installed to bring there wastewater out to the sewage system. Some systems are below your basement floor level and may be added into as you would a normal plumbing installation. A certified plumber is recommended for advisement and installation of these systems as local and state codes can be extremely strict concerning sewage systems and you may cause problems for yourself down the line if all is not inspected. If you have chosen to run your wiring through the floor to cabinets or walls now is the time to lay out and install proposed wiring. Again this is best left to a certified and insured electrician to eliminate problems with your local governing body and possibly insurance company. Now that you have laid out all of your plumbing and wiring its time to install a subfloor. A subfloor is generally installed in a basement remodeling to help with warmth and general comfort in the floor. Many homeowners decide to go with a polystyrene base covered with plywood and secured with concrete screws. Be careful when installing this not to damage any of your new plumbing or electrical installation! A polystyrene (styrofoam) base is recommended for its insulation and resistance to mold and mildew. Polystyrene also will not rot making it a ideal material for basement floor installation. Some homeowners will choose to forgo this option and install their flooring directly to their basement floor. This is always an option but it should be noted that unless you have installed a radiant floor heating system(very high cost) your floor will be uncomfortable at times and carpeting may wear prematurely. In our next post we will move on to wall planning and construction of your new Basement Remodel!