Basement Finishing How to
Your basement can provide you with all kinds of extra living space and contrary to what other homeowners think, you can finish the project at a relatively expensive price. How so? Well because you do not need to have another room to be constructed, the basement already has walls, floor and ceiling. If you are planning to hire a contractor, you’re looking at $20 or $25 and this can be more depending on your design, preferences and other features that you want to incorporate. If you do the work yourself, you will save a lot of money. The first step in basement finishing is planning. Decide what you want to use your basement for. Different functions will affect not only the design but also the materials that you will use. An office space will have different needs than a home theatre. Yes you can make minor changes but it’s better if your plan is ironed out before you start your basement finishing project.
Measure your basement and determine which parts you want to finish and which ones are better off being handled by a professional. Make sure you measure the height of your ceilings accurately and this will include the distance from the floor to the bottom of the floor joists and from the floor to the bottom of any ductworks or supports. The next step will be doing your layout. Figure out where all the walls, switches, lights and other mechanicals will be situated before you start building. Include space for all utilities and built in fixtures, you also have to make sure you plan ahead for door openings. With regard to wall studs, remember that they cannot be placed anywhere. Layout your walls carefully for you to avoid floating joints and wasting materials.
The third step in basement finishing is framing the walls. This is basically not a very difficult task to do. If your basement floor and ceiling are nearly level, you can preassemble a stud wall on the floor and then raise it into position. However, if the floor and ceiling are uneven, it’s better to build the wall in place, custom-cut each stud to fit and toenail it to the top and bottom plates. Next steps will be plumbing and taking care of the electrical section. Plumbing will include the installation of water heaters. Working with electricity can be very dangerous. Make sure you have undergone proper training before you pull off a DIY. Don’t fail to follow safety procedures. You can however hire a professional to get the job done for you.
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