Ok so im getting ready to start finishing my basement very soon. Was just wondering if you all had any tips, suggestions, ideas to making a great finsihed basement Things that you've done or wish you would have done when finishing yours.. As always any pics of what of you did would be greatly appreciated.. Thanks
Good Idea Catch Im starting mine to. Just gutted and cleaned.Now sealing walls and floor. Next new windows and then framing. Going with a drop ceiling so I have access.
Build a movie theater down there, I built one in mine and it was the best investment ever, we use it all the time for movies, sports events, and just watching tv. Projectors are very reasonable now...IM me if you want more info on what I went with. Projector, screen, and speakers ran about $1600 including 35' HDMI cable and universal remote from an online retailer. I have a 106" screen set about 15' from my recliners.
I also built a gameroom and bought some full size arcade games off of craigslist for pretty reasonable...just sucks carrying them down the stairs!!!
When I finish my basement, I plan on decorating it with an old hunting/fishing lodge type decor. I'm going to have bar, pool table, and big t.v. or projector.
If you have the room, you may want to add a bedroom to increase the value of your house as well.
+1 on the projector. I now have a 50" LED tv that doesn't get used. I bought a refurb projector and made my own screen out of mat white wilson art laminate. The picture is clearer than my Sony LEDDefinatley the best investment i made to my home yet. The wood burning stove was a nice addition as well. IM me if you want any info
Team AnglerHub
First and Foremost, Make sure it stays dry. Make sure all of your gutter drains are piped away from the house. Make sure you have proper grade or drainage sloping away from the exterior walls. Other than that, its your canvas to paint as you wish.
Another preventative measure is, if you put down any carpet or floating floor products, Use a trowel on Vapor barrier product first. Bostiks Best makes a good one and it is easy to install. This will prevent moisture from wicking up into your floorings and causing mold and mildew.
If you have block walls, I would also paint them with a product like UGL before covering them up.
+1 on making sure its dry. After i bought my house i noticed the sump pump would come on very often. This drove me nuts. I started investigating and i had sidewalk on the north end of the house that had settled and fell towards the house. I use a self levell caulking "SL1" and the pump has not came on since. That was over a year ago. When i was remodeling the room inside that wall i noticed that the concrete had been taken up and relaid next to the wall. They had installed a pan in the floor to channel that water to a new pump and installed FRP panel on the wall. I found a company name on the pump and called them and they had info on my house and the install came with a lifetime warranty and the people before me had paid them $5800 to do this work. Dumb asses didn't realize that a $15 tube of caulking would cure the problem.I spend more time in my basement then anywhere in my house. In the winter it is warmer and the summer it is cooler. I realy wish i would have remodeled it to put our master bed and bath down here. Also when i bought my house the basement was not finished. I spent around $9000 on the remodel and had my house appraised again and it added a little over $30,000 to my house.
Team AnglerHub
What is this basement you speak of?You can't dig 3 feet without hitting water here.
Seal everything good, insulate,put in alternate heat source and if you can swing the cost add a outside entrance to the basement.
spend the money and install an insulated subfloor.
Prolly should get this...
http://www.spencersonline.com/product/love-swing/
"The most dangerous risk of all -the risk of spending your life not doing what you want on the bet you can buy yourself the freedom to do it later." -random Facebook pic that came up on my wall
8'6" Longboard
6'6" Shortboard
just a bump for the thread. keep the ideas coming guys..
First thing I done was put 1' styrofoam on the walls all around the basement. I used the blue colored stuff because it had a higher (R) rating. Then what ever your heart desires for finishing the rest of it. We have 12" floor joists in the ceiling and I filled them full of sound proofing insulation as well. After all my framing was done I also wired my basement with surround sound since I had already bought the TV and Stereo. Make sure you put plenty of electrical outlets and phone jacks. Also the lighting in your ceiling is important. Get it the way you want the first time. All of my lights are on dimmers. Some with 2 lights some with 4. Try and lay out where your furniture is going and your bar and wire your basement accordingly. Ours has a fireplace in it just like the upstairs does. If you remember a few years back when the ice storm hit and how cold it was that is how we heated our house and it stayed very warm. Our power was off maybe 2 to 3 days tops. When the tornadoes went through a few years before that we didn't have any power for about a week. Do not get in any hurry and think about everything the way you and your wife want it and do it right the first time. I done mine almost 20 years ago and I spent a bundle. I paid someone to do all the trim and he even built me several cabinets next to the fireplace. I can't imagine what it would cost me now and I spent plenty back then. One thing I had going for me is I knew people in every trade that I needed something done in. Beer,chips and a few bucks can go along way when you need something done you don't want to do yourself. Shop around on the net for the best prices or call them for prices before you buy anything. You have a Lowes and Home Depot close by as well as 84 lumber off of 31 over in your neck of the woods. Take your time and do it right the first time!
Good luck to ya.
If you live where houses sink, settle ( takes a long time for a house to settle) make sure to free float the walls. A friend of mine did his basement in Denver Co. He didn't want to go through the extra to free float the walls and you would not beleave how the walls buckeled-all of them.
Walk out basement, 1st pic. is the garage.
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