How
to Finish the Basement Series
Developing the Plan
Finishing your basement is a very inexpensive and rewarding task in which time
and patience pay off handsomely. This tutorial is part of the
finishing your basement series that provides you with step by step instructions
for finishing your basement. Now as you can imagine, there
are infinite possibilities when it comes to refinishing your basement.
Now I can' t promise that I' ll cover every possible combination but
I can promise that I' ll attempt to address all the important issues
that have arisen during our basement refinishing project. As always,
if you have any questions, please feel free to drop us a line at admin@houseprojectsonline.com.
Now, I' m going to be honest here, there are a few things that you're
going to want to consider before continuing.
The most important is determining whether or not you have any water
issues in your basement. Water issues can make or break your project.
There are three kinds of water issues that will rain on your parade
Checking
for the first two is extremely easy. All you need to do is go for a
quick walk around your basement and look. If you see any moisture, you
should definitely address the issue before proceed. If you smell
mold or mildew, proceeding without resolving the issue is not a good
idea. We' re not going to address resolving serious water issue
in this tutorial; however, if we generate enough interest we may devote
another series to the issue.
The third
issue that we' ve mentions is moisture gathering on you basement floor.
Now while it' s not the end of the world, moisture on the floor will
certainly dictate your flooring options. Checking to see whether
or not you have moisture problem is very simple.
1) Cut out a sheet of aluminum
foil
2) Place the foil on your
basement floor and secure it with duct tape
3) Let the foil sit for
2 days.
4) Remove the foil.
If there
is moisture on the foil, it' s okay to proceed but you may not want
to install any flooring that requires adhesives.
Now that
we' ve got the less than subtle disclaimer out of the way, let' s continue.
Now the first and most important thing that you can possible do is establish
a good plan. Although the plan can generally be written on the
back of a napkin, it' s a good idea to get out some graph paper and
draw up a clear plan. Below you find a generic layout
that we' ve put together in one of our drawing programs. Our framing
layout covers all of the bases such as framing around windows and obstructions.
We' ve also added a closet to house our circuit breakers.
Here are a few tips to use
when you' re drawing your general plan.
1)First
measure the basement and make sure you include the distances from the
wall to any obstructions.
2)Measure
the maximum ceiling height and the minimum clearances levels due to
obstructions such as piping.
3)Use
graph paper and draw a scaled version of your basement.
4)
Make a few copies of your basement skeleton so that you can try a variety
of layouts
5)When
drawing out your plan try to incorporate the obstructions into your
design. For example, a column is a wonderful divider.
6)Finally,
it' s always a good idea to consult with your location building codes
and get a permit. They can help ensure your final project is completed
safely and securely. The unfortunate thing is that you may also
receive a slight increase in your property taxes
Now that you have your skeleton
plan constructed, you' re going to need to add quite a few details.
So it' s time to move on to part II of the plan.
