Buying a new home and moving house involves a multitude of costs. The amount of money involved in moving home can make it an unaffordable option for many families. However, as your kids start to grow and your family gets bigger, you may find that you desperately need some added space. When moving is out of the question, the best option is to return your thoughts to your existing home and look for ways to expand your space.
If you are lucky enough to have a basement, this provides the perfect opportunity to increase the size of your home without moving to a larger, more expensive property. But before you start improving your basement, you need to carefully plan the project to ensure it runs smoothly.
Failing to carefully plan the work on your basement can lead to spending more money than you anticipated without getting the finished results you were hoping to achieve. Take a look at these tips to help ensure that your basement conversion provides all the benefits that you are looking for without breaking the bank:
Assess Viability
Before you do anything else, it is essential to assess the viability of your basement project. Determining your basement’s suitability for conversion is essential, as this will impact how straightforward the project will be. If your basement is not high enough, you may find that you need to have excavation work completed before your project can proceed. If extensive excavation work is required, this may put an end to your basement project as the feasibility of the project may be jeopardised. The cost of this extra work may mean that your basement conversion becomes more expensive than you anticipated. To avoid spending money unnecessarily, it is always advisable to assess the viability of your basement conversion.
Decide on the End Use
Once you have assessed the viability, it is time to consider how you will use your new basement space. Deciding on the end use for your basement before you do anything else will enable you to plan your project more effectively and maximise its benefits. There is a whole host of ways that you could use your basement and increase the amount of useable space in your home. From using the basement as an extra bedroom, an office for working from home, or even an additional reception room or playroom, the possibilities are endless.
After deciding on the end use for your basement space, you will be ready to fine-tune the design to ensure that you can make the best use of this new area of your home. Fine-tuning the design will involve planning how to incorporate storage space into the area along with where to position access to the rest of your property.
Plan the Work
Converting a basement requires a lot more than simply decorating the space and moving in some furniture. To ensure that your basement project adds value to your property and delivers the benefits that you are looking for, it needs to be designed to last. Being aware of the main issues that basements often face will help you to avoid any problems in the future.
One of the main problems experienced by basements is leaks. Spending time and money making your basement look perfect and then finding that it leaks following heavy rainfall will ruin all your hard work and create a host of additional problems. Dampness, mould, and even structural damage to your foundations can occur if your basement is not properly waterproofed. With this in mind, it is essential to find a basement waterproofing specialist that can help you to avoid the common issue of a leaking basement.
Plan the Logistics
After finding the right contractors to complete your conversion, you will need to dive deeper into planning the logistics of the project. Thinking about the timescales of the work is a crucial consideration, and this will be impacted by the availability of the contractors that you use, as well as the materials required. Once you have a clear idea of these practicalities, you will also need to think about other logistical issues, such as how deliveries of materials will be made to your property and how contractors will access your home.
With all of your logistics sorted out and your project carefully planned, it will be so much easier for you to achieve the perfect basement conversion. Once your project is completed, you will be able to enjoy all the benefits of increased space in your family home.