Basement Remodeling
Oregon City Oregon
Time To Remodel?
If you are starting to outgrow your Oregon City home now might be the right time to think about finishing your basement. For many homeowners a basement is just an extra-large place to hide junk. Being creative with your basement space will allow you to make use of the extra square footage, and increase the value of your home. With that being said, you must understand why basement remodeling is not always a simple project.
Although there are many different ways to turn the basement into one of the more welcoming rooms in your home, you first need to ensure the space is livable. Remodeling your basement is completely different from remodeling other rooms in your home. There are many unique challenges that need to be taken into consideration. Therefore, it is important that you understand these challenges if you want to be reasonable about the changes you want to make.
What will be the purpose of the new space?
Once you have determined that your basement can be finished, the next step is to decide what you want to use the room for. There are many things you can do with your basement, including turning it into a family room, children’s playroom, additional bedroom, game room, home office, music or art studio, home gym or anything else that may tickle your fancy, as long as it’s practical.
The possibilities are limited only by your budget and imagination. The best part is that if you have the room you can incorporate multiple ideas. Unfortunately there are various limits to what you can use your basement for, so you need to check that your ideas will be in compliance with the local building codes. Case in point, if you choose to convert the space into a bedroom, you will need multiple means of egress, so you would need windows that are big enough to crawl through in case of a house fire.
Do I have to have a Yard Sale?
Generally, an unfinished basement becomes the storage area for all the junk you acquire over the years. Which means that all this junk needs to be moved elsewhere when you renovate your basement. Taking this into consideration you will probably still need to allocate some of the square footage to storage. The good news is that during the remolding process you can design better ways to organize your storage area so that it takes up less space. From something as simple as installing closets or adding extra shelving under the basement stairs, to more complex storage and cabinetry ideas; it is an opportunity to get innovative and make optimum use of every square foot.
What flooring options are available?
Because basements are below ground level the types of flooring choices can be limited. Carpet is obviously a standard for upper level rooms, but in a basement environment it can be a magnet for mold and mildew. Perpetually soggy carpet is annoying, but the mold that it could result in can resulted in health issues for your family as well as costly remediation bills to eliminate it. If there is any kind of moisture problems in your basement then you should consider waterproofing prior to considering your flooring choices. That said, dry basements do actually exists. If you happen to be fortunate enough to have a dry basement then carpet is a perfectly reasonable choice.
Fortunately, even with a basement floor that is sure to get wet, there are suitable flooring alternatives to choose from. You could go with a sub-floor designed specifically for use in basements. These are manufactured to form a shield against any moisture that might permeate the concrete slab below. Believe it or not, all-in-one options do exist. They consist of plastic sub-floor tiles fused to a finished floor surface. Concrete floors can be finished to resemble tile, slate, or marble, and you can even include stain or color options. One of concrete’s main benefits is that there’s no need to worry about mold, but with concrete it is worth looking into adding in-floor radiant heat to protect against moisture and assist with climate control.
Oregon City Basement Finishing
There are many additional considerations you need to make for your basement remodeling, including your ceiling options, window and lighting options as well as all the building codes you need to adhere to. This is where working with a general contractor who recognizes the many unique situations that go along with finishing a basement can make the job much less stressful. Our expert team of remodeling contractors know all the intricacies of basement remodeling as well the building code unique to Clackamas County, Oregon.
For all of your basement finishing needs in Oregon City Call (503) 342-8234 today for a free estimate.
CCB# 185266