These days, homeowners are doing the best to expand the value of their current home instead of buying a new home. One of the ways to accomplish this goal is to create new living space by finishing a basement area.

Expanded Living Space

Moving to a new home is an exciting experience. But creating an entirely new living space according to your own wants is even more exciting. For families who want to create new living areas, finishing a basement is the answer.

A basement area can be like a clean slate. It is a space where you can create any kind of living space you can imagine. Some homeowners who have older children choose to create expanded living space by putting in new bedrooms, bathrooms and a family room that the kids can use for their own entertainment time. One of the advantages of using basement space this way is that noise can be reduced and children can feel autonomous while staying at home where the parents can supervise their activities.

Another idea for new living space is to create an apartment space in the basement area that can be rented, creating income for the homeowner. An apartment space can include a private entrance, ground-level windows to allow in light, bedrooms, bathrooms, a kitchen, living room and even a laundry room. An apartment space can also be used by either older children who need to move back in with their parents for multi-generational living.

Basements are also great areas that can be adapted for specialized uses, like a sound-proofed sound studio or a home office area.

Design

Once you know how you want to use your basement space, it is a good idea to call upon the services of an architect or interior designer to help you come up with a design. One of the greatest benefits to using an architect or interior designer is that they will help you get the most use out of the space available and they can help with concerns such as plumbing and electrical access. Also, they can help you with rough estimates on basement refinishing costs and provide you with a list of reputable contractors to contact for estimates.

Depending on your ultimate goal, the cost of refinishing a basement can vary from fairly inexpensive – simply putting in a cement floor and wallboard – to extremely expensive – installing multiple rooms, custom cabinetry, extensive plumbing, electrical and computer networking.

Make sure you discuss your budget constraints with your design professional, so that they can give you accurate information when they work on your basement finishing project. Drawing out a rough diagram and showing photos of designs you like or think might work is also helpful.

Interested in remodeling your basement? Get your project started by submitting a free BuyerZone request for basement remodeling price quotes.