Basement Remodeling
Troutdale Oregon
Time To Remodel?
If you are starting to outgrow your Troutdale home now might be the right time to consider finishing your basement. For many homeowners a basement is just an large junk room. A few creative basement ideas should help you make use of all that extra square footage and add a beautiful addition to your home. Even so, you must understand why basement remodeling is not always a simple project.
Although there can be a number of ways to transform your basement into one of the more inviting rooms in your home, you first need to ensure that the space is actually livable. There is a huge difference between the other rooms in your home and your basement, and they each present a unique set of challenges. Therefore, it is important to understand these issues if you want to be reasonable about the changes you want to make.
There are a several things you want to think about: whether the basement has moisture problems; whether it has provisions for heating and cooling; whether it has ducts and pipes below the ceiling joists that may need relocation; whether it is radon-free, and whether you have sufficient ceiling height.
What will you use your basement for?
Once you have determined that it is feasible to finish your basement, the next step is to decide what you want to use the room for. There are several 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.
The number of possibilities is almost limitless, and you can even incorporate two or more ideas if you have the space. Unfortunately there are some limits to what you can use your basement for, so you need to make sure that your ideas will be in compliance with the local building codes. For example, if you decide to turn the area into a bedroom, you may need multiple means of egress, so you would need windows that are large enough to fit 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. Obviously if you convert your basement into livable space you suddenly have to find a new spot to store your stuff. You may need to reserve some of the basement room for storage reasons rather than using it all up as finished space. 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. For instance, you could build shelving or small closets under the stairwell, have shelves along the walls enclosed behind small doors, or use stock cabinetry as storage chests and bench seats.
What flooring options are available?
Considering basements are below ground level the flooring choices can be limited. While carpeting may be your original preference for floor covering in your basement, you do not want to have to deal with mold and mildew. Constantly soggy carpet is irritating, but the mold that it could result in can resulted in health issues for your family as well as costly remediation expenses to remove it. If this is the situation, you should ask us about basement waterproofing solutions to solve that problem. Having said that, dry basements actually do exist. If you happen to be fortunate enough to have a dry basement then carpet is a perfectly practical choice. If you basement doesn’t have moisture issues, theres no reason why you shouldn’t use carpet if you want.
Everybody knows that moisture is frequently an problem with basements and this can impact your choice of flooring. Thankfully there are sub-floors that are designed specifically for basements. A sub-floor works by establishing a barrier to block any moisture the concrete slab beneath it might generate. Believe it or not, all-in-one options do exist. They consist of plastic sub-floor tiles fused to a finished floor surface. Finishing the concrete floor is also an option, 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 heat element to protect against possible moisture build up and assist with climate control.
Troutdale Basement Finishing
It is well worth mentioning again, when it comes to basement remodeling the building code is the most important aspect. Making sure your basement is up to code has to trump all other decisions. As a result, it is always advisable to work with professionals who understand all the unique challenges that come with finishing a basement. Steve’s Home Improvement is a team of remodeling professionals that are specialists in basement renovation and service all of Multnomah County, Oregon.
For all of your basement finishing needs in Troutdale Call (503) 342-8234 today for a free quote.
CCB# 185266