How to Prepare to Finish a Basement

If you need to know how to prepare to finish a basement, it means you’re serious about making it into livable square footage. That’s great news because it’s a huge resale feature and even if you’re staying put, it is a wonderful way to boost your home equity position for a small amount of money. Like a bedroom to home office conversion, this will allow you to get a lot more from your home without having to pay for an expensive room addition. What's more, you can change it at any time to be used for a different function.

How to Prepare to Finish a Basement

If you have ever reclaimed and organized your garage for more storage, preparing to finish a basement will be much the same when you start. Basically, basements serve as any easy-to-use storage area where most homeowners banish unused items and store seasonal decorations. Some double as a laundry, complete with clothes washers, driers, and deep sinks. After all, it's already damp, so it's the perfect place for clothing, towel, and bedding washing and drying.

Even if it's currently cold concrete and crammed with boxes of off-season duds, the lowest floor of your home probably has loads of potential. Treat it just as you would any of the rooms above ground, and it might just become the most popular spot in the house—for a lot less cash than adding on. --This Old House.com

The biggest challenge will be something most homeowners don't even stop to consider: insurance. That's right -- homeowners insurance might not cover a finished basement. So, be sure to speak with your insurance company before you put all that work into it. Another thing to consider is resale. While finish basement is a big plus, you might not be able to call a basement a bedroom in the listing description. This is why so many homeowners transform their basements into bonus rooms, play rooms, media rooms, and the like. If it's okay to move forward, here's what you need to know for how to prepare to finish a basement:

• Move everything out of the basement. The basement should be entirely empty, down to the last box, furniture piece, decor, and more. This is an excellent opportunity to sort it all out into things you need to purge and stuff you want to keep.
• Measure and plan accordingly. Measure the space at least two times and write down the dimensions or make a note on your smart phone. You need to know just how much space you have to work with so you can plan accordingly for furniture.
• Decide if the walls need to be treated. If the walls are constantly damp, there's a reason and it must be dealt with or any finishing work will be damaged and eventually ruined. If you are unsure, call in a professional to evaluate the situation and make recommendations.
• Price materials and create an alternate plan. When you decide on what you want the basement space to function as and have all the measurements, you can then price the materials you need. It's a good idea to create an alternate plan for unexpected circumstances. For instance, having to do less because more plumbing or electrical work is necessary.

When you are ready to start, just phone 800-737-5923 or visit Pro Junk Dispatch and we’ll come out to haul away junk and help you get organized to go ahead with your basement finish.