Tips for Finishing Your Basement

Do you have an unfinished basement? Many homes have tons of extra square footage just waiting to be converted into additional living space. Even if your basement is a cold, dark, storage space with cement floors and exposed foundation walls, a finished basement isn’t too far off. With a little quality design and some help from one of these TrustDALE certified basement finishers, you could add one or more rooms to your home. And it will cost much less than building out or adding an extension.

The Right Design Won’t Feel Like a Basement

Just because you’re underground, you don’t have to feel cramped. When it comes to designing your basement, there are some tricks that will make your underground lair feel as light and airy as any other room in your home.

Open Concept Layout

While it may be tempting to squeeze as many rooms as possible out of your basement space, less is more. Adding too many dividing walls in a basement can make the area feel closed off. You might even feel like you are trying to navigate around some kind of animal burrow or dungeon. That is definitely not the feeling you are going for. Instead, try to create a wide-open space. Use furniture to set off separate parts of the room. If you need to divide a space, consider half-walls.

In most basements, there will be some support posts that you can’t remove. Use them as design elements. Build your dividing walls between posts.

Make the Room Look Bigger

There are a few tricks to make your underground space look larger than it is. First, make sure that you are using light colors, especially on the flooring. Dark colors and dark floors can make a space feel cozy, but they can also make it feel closed off. Using light colors will make a room look larger than it is.

In addition to colors, the placement of your lights can affect how large your room appears. Placing lighting around the perimeter of your room can give the impression of pushing the walls outward.

How you choose to finish the foundation walls will also affect your final square footage. Ask your contractor about options for thinner walls. You may only save a few inches in each direction, but it can make a big difference in the final look of your room.

Avoid large game tables, like a pool table or ping-pong table, unless you will really use it. Game tables take up a lot of room, and you’ll need lots of open space around them for proper gameplay. Instead, consider a smaller table where you can play all different games.

Mind the Temperature

No matter how attractively you finish your basement, if it’s cold, no one will want to spend time there. Take care to ensure a constant temperature, not too warm and not too cold. One excellent tip is to give the basement its own thermostat. Also, put heat registers in the floor whenever possible and not overhead. Remember, heat rises.

When choosing flooring for your basement, think about how it will affect the perception of temperature. Tile floors will feel cold even when the room is cozy. On the other hand, wall to wall carpeting can keep your feet warm even when it’s a little cool in the room. If you really want tile or stone floors, consider installing radiant heat underneath the flooring.

Work with Experienced Professionals

The most crucial tip for finishing your basement is to get the help of well-trained and experienced professionals. Some may see their basements as a DIY opportunity. But basement finishing requires many skills that most homeowners don’t have and that you can’t learn quickly. If you plan to make the investment in finishing your basement, go the extra mile, and hire professionals. You’ll be glad you did. Just having the experience of hundreds of basement finishing projects can make all the difference. You may be new to this project, but whatever happens, an experienced remodeling contractor has probably seen it before.

If you’re looking for the best contractors to finish or remodel your basement, you’re in the right place. Try these TrustDALE certified basement finishing contractors.