Renovating an old house’s basement is one way of getting more value out of it. But how do you do that? Which steps must you follow to get a dream basement out of an aging one? Our post discusses the steps to follow to get the most out of that old house’s basement. Read on to learn how our basement renovation services can help you renovate yours.
1. Determine Your Renovation’s Purpose
You must determine your remodeling project’s purpose before doing anything else. Take time to establish what you want to do with the renovated space. Defining your goal affects every other factor connected to it.
Your renovation’s purpose affects its final budget, timelines, and design. For example, renovating your old house’s basement to increase your home’s value requires you to have a more open design. This way, your home’s future owners can use it for their customized purposes. But if you intend to stay in your home longer, customize its design to suit your personal needs.
You may remodel your old house’s basement to meet any of these goals.
- Create a game room.
- Additional bedrooms.
- Create a home theater.
- Have dedicated laundry space.
- Add a second living or recreational room.
- Create a home gym.
- Have a children’s playroom.
2. Draw a Budget
Draft a budget to guide you in your renovation expenditures. A budget helps you project how much you will spend and keeps you within reasonable boundaries. Additionally, your budget informs other decisions like material quality and your desired finishes.
Averagely, you need between $25 and $50 per square foot to finish your basement. The exact amount depends on other variables like space or material quality. Here are essential factors to consider when creating your budget.
- The kind of renovations you wish to make
If you plan to add a complete bathroom or kitchen, factor in plumbing costs. Adding a home gym will significantly increase your budget because you’ll need to buy workout equipment.
- Possible DIY
Using your DIY skills affects your budget. However, you still need to work with professionals to do sensitive jobs like electrical and plumbing.
- Your primary focus
Choosing a simple, functional space or a fancy focal point affects your budget. For instance, if you want an attractive focal point, you definitely will use more fancy and expensive materials.
3. Check the Foundation
Next, you should assess your house’s foundation before proceeding with any basement renovation. It’s common to have leaking and basements with cracked walls. All such symptoms call for a thorough and urgent basement repair before remodeling your basement.
Your old house’s basement walls can crack due to stress or settling. These cracks weaken its concrete, causing grave foundation challenges unless you repair them promptly. Delaying to fix foundation issues can jeopardize your home’s overall safety and complicate your remodeling project. Common foundation challenges and symptoms include:
- Soft concrete
- Cracked, bulging, or curved outside walls
- Horizontal crevices
- Doors that don’t latch correctly
- Stuck windows
- Cracked house floors
- Cracked basement flooring
- Bowing or slanting floors
4. Declutter Your Old Home’s Basement
After assessing and dealing with foundation challenges, declutter your basement before renovating it. Remove all the cluttered stuff in your old basement.
Most likely, your predecessor used this basement for storage for many years. Perhaps they left some of their junk stuff in the basement. You should clear all this stuff before renovations commence.
5. Test the Moisture
You should test your basement’s moisture levels before remodeling it. Using your basement for storage doesn’t raise dampness issues. But moisture becomes a serious concern when you want to renovate it for other uses.
High moisture levels can cause mold and mildew growth. Don’t forget it could warp your renovated basement’s floor. Thus, test its moisture levels before searching for its solution.
Conduct a humidity test to establish its relative humidity levels. As much as possible, humidity levels should remain at or below 50%. Anything at 80% exposes your basement to mold and mildew growth.
Additionally, you must hire a professional to test your basement’s humidity levels. Afterward, conduct a full home inspection before renovating your basement. This inspection ensures there are no cracks that could bring in more moisture in the future. If the inspection exposes any cracks, repair them before proceeding with renovations.
6. Familiarize Yourself With Your Local Codes and Regulations
Before proceeding, you must familiarize yourself with your local renovation codes and renovations. Take some time to research these regulations and requirements by calling your locality’s planning department.
Don’t forget to apply for the necessary building permits. Consider these two basic basement remodeling requirements and abide by them.
- The number of exits
Do you plan to add a bedroom to your old home’s basement? Then an exit is essential. Some cities require you to have at least two exits for spaces you use regularly.
- Ceiling height
Some instances may have ceiling requirements that determine how you use your basement. Therefore, check out with your local authorities to familiarize yourself with them before proceeding. Otherwise, you could ignorantly breach regulatory requirements and incur unnecessary fines.
Additionally, familiarizing yourself with these regulations will tell you if your old basement or its contractor violated some codes. This way, you will be better placed to correct those violations to avoid future legal problems.
7. Choose a Suitable Basement Renovator
Now, you have everything in place. However, nothing will move until you hire the right basement renovator to undertake your project. Choose this partner cautiously. Otherwise, the wrong choice could bungle your entire project. Your chosen contractor must meet all the necessary professional and legal requirements to give you value for your money.
Let’s Renovate Your Old House’s Basement Today
They say that old is gold. But you can’t mine that gold from your old basement without the right mining partner. Revival Construction is your preferred “miner” that helps you bring the gold out of your old house’s basement. Don’t hesitate to contact us today for a free quotation and consultation.
