Whether you live in a rural area or a city, you can easily run out of room in your home. Especially when you've lived in your home for a long time, belongings add up quickly and can soon take up a lot of space. So what can you do when you have little space left but you don't want to move to a larger house?
Added value
Remodeling your basement is a great option and it costs much less than adding an addition on to your home. It gives you additional space in your home, without the great cost and mess that come with a home addition.
Think about it - your home sits on top of a foundation with a lot of unfinished space in between the two. Since that space already exists, walls, ceilings and floors don't have to be constructed from scratch, like they would on an addition. That seems a bit easier and cost-effective than starting over on an addition, doesn't it?
What will buyers say?
Plus, when you go to sell your home, buyers like seeing a remodeled basement because they know they won't have to take on that expense and work of finishing the basement. It's space they can use as living area instead of just unfinished storage. This means more usability and function in the home. With a remodeled basement, home buyers get a complete package instead of an unfinished home.
Reputable basement finishing companies also feature a transferable warranty with their basement finishing system. This means that when you do sell your home, the warranty gets transferred to the next owner. Potential homeowners also benefit from you getting your basement remodeled by a contractor with lasting value. This translates into dollars and cents when you sell your home and depending on the real estate market, could possibly earn you some money, too.
Another thing you want to look for in a basement finishing contractor is their use of waterproof materials to finish basements. Since basements are below-ground spaces, they are naturally moist and humid places. This means that water can permeate basements and with traditional drywall, can create mold and mildew problems.
Do I need a dehumidifier in my finished basement?
A finished basement is still a basement - meaning it's still underground and has moisture pressing on it from all sides, including the floor. Because of this, the humidity is naturally high and a dehumidifier is advisable. But most people don't want an ugly dehumidifier in the middle of their beautiful finished basement. Instead, you can have the contractors install the dehumidifier in an unfinished portion of your basement and have it ducted into the finished part of the basement. This way, you get the benefits of the dehumidifier throughout the space, but without the eyesore and noise the machine presents in the beautiful space.
These tips will help you get the finished basement you've dreamed of without the hassle of having to do it again due to mold and bad information.