If you are one of the lucky thousands of homeowners that have a basement, have you ever done any remodeling? Have you ever gone and done any building in this room? Did you make it into a family game room or put in some more rooms for visitors that might come and stay for a while? If not, then maybe you might put in a bar with a big screen television for the guys to watch their favorite teams on. This room may be for nothing else but to get away from a person that you had a fight with upstairs and needed to get away from.
Some people will make their basement look like a small home, and they will rent this place out to a single person to make some extra money. If you do this try to have a way for them to go in and out instead of them having to use your same door. Some parents will do this for one of their own children so that they will know what it would be like to have their own place.
Most of the time when you fix up your basement, you will have to start by putting out walls even against the cement walls. If you are going to put in carpet you will want to do this first. If you put in one color just lay it down, but if you are going to put in different rooms, then you might just have to set all your walls first. Your cement floors might be uneven, so you will have to put in another wood floor on top.
When you get all this building done, you will have a place that you will love to spend time in. You might spend quite a lot of money fixing up your basement, but in the long run it will be worth the trouble. You can make this one big play area or a nice soft looking room. Either way you will have a lot of good times with your family and friends, and you might be the envy of all your neighbors.
Doing this to your basement will also increase the value of your home, but when you are first doing this you never think that you will have to sell your home. When people look at homes that they might want to buy, the home with the basement that has been remodeled will have a much better chance of getting your asking price.
Moisture problems are prevalent all over North America. They are viewed as one of the single largest factors limiting the useful service life of a building. Wet basements are the most frequent complaint of homeowners. Over 60 percent of basements have moisture leakage and 38 percent experience mold and fungus growth due to an elevated level of moisture.
When your basement leaks in storms, or has cracks from stresses of your foundation, you may find that it is risky to store any valuables in this area. Much less make a livable space from it.
All your home should be livable, comfortable, enjoyable. Not just the upstairs.
Take these simple steps to reclaim and finish your basement. You have to start with the floor first, as floor moisture will promote mold and decay of any wall work or furniture over time.
1) Check for moisture. The common method discussed is to take a plastic trash bag or a piece of plastic drop cloth and spread it over a dry section of the basement floor (at least 1-foot by 1-foot). Using duct or masking tape, tape all four sides to the concrete, so no air can escape from under the plastic. Let it sit for 24 hours. If it's wet on top, this is probably from condensation. But pull the bag up, and inspect the concrete underneath. If the concrete is damp, you have a moisture seepage problem and the concrete cannot be sealed.
If it's dry, then you can simply chip the cracks and fill with a concrete patch. Hairline cracks should be chiseled out 3/4" deep and wide and filled with a concrete patching material. Any cracks in the floor should also be chiseled out and repaired with standard concrete and a bonding agent. Trowel smooth, let dry per instructions, and then paint with an expoxy-based paint - most hardware stores carry it as a garage floor paint.
2) If you have moisture coming from the floor, you have to take additional steps. What will work depends on whether the moisture problem is something that has always been a problem or a recent thing caused by a particular year's excessive rainfall. Often, cleaning gutters and routing downspouts away from the house can resolve the problem. If the excess rain caused it, wait until the moisture dries up and keep a dehumidifier in the room.
3) While you are outside looking after your gutters, also look to see if any of the ground around your house is sloping toward it. In these cases, water will run toward your basement walls and collect there, infiltrating into the house. In good weather, bring in additional fill dirt into these areas so that the water flows away from the house. Keep this below the actual siding to avoid other problems later. You may also want to get a professional to inspect your grounds, as drainage tile may be suggested. The point is to ensure water is draining away from the house, not toward it.
4) If you have a sump pump, make sure it's working properly.
5) If you find condensation, or sweating, on cool surfaces in the basement such as walls, floors, and water pipes, you should insulate the water pipes.
6) Another culprit of indoor humidity is solved by using ventilation fans in kitchens and baths to control moisture. Make sure the fans are venting directly outside. Make sure your clothes dryer is being vented outside - also, check the vent duct and make sure it's attached securely to the dryer.
If you've completed the above steps, repeat the test before you attempt to paint or finish the floor. Hopefully, you've solved the problem and can proceed with your renovation steps. Seal the floor, work out what flooring you want and the wall treatments, as well as overhead and lighting. You're on your way, now!
But - if you still have more moisture coming in, it's probably time to call in a professional to check your basement and foundation for other problems. They can advise you on the best and least expensive way to resolve your moisture problem.
Either way, confronting this early will give you a "hand up" in finally reclaiming that space and making it livable.
Both Aydan Corkern & Robert C. Worstell are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Aydan Corkern has sinced written about articles on various topics from Motorola Cell Phone, Finances and Keyboard Synthesizer. Aydan Corkern is a writer of many topics, visit some of her sites, like and. Aydan Corkern's top article generates over 246000 views. to your Favourites.
Robert C. Worstell has sinced written about articles on various topics from Home Improvement, 401K and Atkins. Dr. Robert C. Worstell lives on a working farm in Missouri and writes books and articles on home living and personal improvement. For more information, visit