Fixing up your basement has many benefits. You can convert your newly renovated area into a fitness room, home office, or guest bedroom. In places like Michigan, where the weather drops extremely low in the winter, having a basement can stabilize the home’s structure, prevent the cold air from seeping in and stop cracks from lining your house. The same holds true for the city of Grand Rapids, where the weather falls below 41F, and you can expect snow in the winter. So if you live here, why not renovate your basement and make it more habitable?
Additionally, a remodeled basement can increase your home’s resale value. According to Remodeling magazine’s cost vs. value report, a finished basement can help you sell your home for 70% of its original cost. To help you out, here are some tips to make your basement look better:
1. Prepare Your Basement
Before you can start shuffling through your basement and renovating it, you need to ensure it is in a proper condition to get remodeled. In cities like Grand Rapids, Michigan, you need to follow specific building codes that instruct how your basement should be built to be considered a legitimate space; for instance, you can’t have any loose wires, a leaking ceiling, or poor ventilation in your basement. When your underground space is in great shape, you can look into remodeling it.
You can tackle this project independently or hire experts who have worked in multiple houses and are familiar with the building codes; by looking up experts who can handle a Grand Rapids basement remodel, you can take expert advice and help. A simple consultation session with them can guide these professionals on what you want to do with your space. Suppose you want a guest bedroom. To make that happen, these professionals will design the room’s layout, highlight where every object will go, and find a suitable way to carve out a window that doesn’t compromise the building code.
2. Fix The Flooring
Basement floors are known to be bare. You may have solid concrete as the base or a plain wooden floor. Both are not appealing options, and the trouble with having concrete floors is that they’re dangerous. If you have little children, there’s a high chance they can trip and fall in the basement, which can injure them. Therefore look into upgrading the flooring and making it better. Consider installing foam mats.
Not only are these cost-effective, but they’re also incredibly soft and can make walking in your basement much easier. Foam mats are designed to interlock with each other, so there’s no chance of them sliding away, leaving gaps once you lay them down. If you intend to use the basement as a playroom for your children, you should look into nontoxic, safe, and soft options for children. For an extra layer of protection, you can also line these mats with a carpet or a rug to add a pop of color to the room.
3. Convert it into a Storage Space
Basements can make an ideal storage unit. Their size and capacity allow you to stash away much of your belongings which can ensure your house, ground up, is clean. However, while making a storage space, you need to carefully plan what you want to add to your basement so that it can hold items without getting messy. Don’t clutter your basement; instead, organize it, which allows everything to have a proper space.
You must remember that basements have cables, wires, and connections to the ventilated systems. If you clutter your basement and leave no room for ventilation, you risk a short circuit which can cause the primary circuit to blow up. Therefore, measure your basement, ensure you factor in where your electrical wires are located, and then begin adding shelves, drawers, and closets that can help with storage. Try to build the shelves into the walls; this way, the shelving units will take up less space and make the room feel less crowded. You can install drawers to put away items like blankets and clothing you don’t need.
Furthermore, ample closet space can help store towels and household products like cleaning supplies you are not using. You can also convert a small corner of your room into a cozy space. Consider adding a sofa bed with a side table in your basement that acts like storage. You can use this cozy corner to read, sort through your things in the basement, or act as a bed for guests if you have an unexpected visitor.
4. Have Better Lighting
Dimly lit spaces are terrible for your eyes. They can also make spaces around your house look extremely dark. You also can’t get any work done without enough light. Basements don’t have as much natural light as other floors. This is because basements are designed to be under your house, and apart from a small window, there’s no other way of getting light. You can easily remedy this problem by investing in proper lighting and making the room more illuminated. A small lamp won’t do the trick.
What you need are light fixtures. If your space is vast, you can install fixed ceiling lights that are connected with one switch and come with a dimmer. A chandelier and pendant light also look great in your basement. You can add sconces if you have a pool table or make a small dining room down there. On the other hand, LEDs help you save costs while lighting up your space.
Final Thoughts
Basements are a valuable feature of your house if you know how to utilize them properly, so don’t let this great space get neglected and convert it into a usable room. Most basements have connections to wires and pipes that lead into your house. While minding those structures, you can transform your basement into a great space. Start by ensuring your basement is in good shape and doesn’t need immediate repair work.
Once you’re sure your basement is in optimal condition, add attractive lighting, install floor mats to make it more comfortable, and change the space into a giant storage unit. You can also set your basement into a multipurpose room and make space for your guests or introduce a table downstairs for dining. The possibilities are endless. It all boils down to how you want to renovate your basement.
