Why Hiring A Basement Remodeling Contractor Is Important

Renovating a basement is more than just clearing out old boxes, furniture and clothes. This room is basically a part of the home’s foundation. What you’ll need to do before anything else is to look thoroughly for cracks and leaks. This can’t be stated enough because basements are prone to flooding. For example; if you remodeled this area without checking for water damage, all of your hard earned money will go down the drain. Materials such as dry wall, sheet rock and insulation will be totally destroyed. Of course, there will be costs for cleaning up the mess and for repairing the leak.

This is why basement contractors are so important. These professionals will inspect the home’s basement for any water leaks as well as cracks in the foundation, which is a total deal breaker. Basement contractors are highly trained to inspect, repair and prevent damage from occurring. These professionals are trained in dealing with proper plumbing, venting, carbon monoxide poisoning, molds and combustion air. Water weakens the home’s structure, and it causes dangerous molds to grow, which can be deadly if inhaled.

What Are The Specific Benefits of Hiring Basement Contractors

A good basement contractor is a lifesaver, literally. Remember, the basement is just another room in your home, and that room will require the essentials such as plumbing, electricity and gas. This is no easy feat for (do-it-yourself) types of people. Licensed basement contractors will repair any foundation damage, which will keep the structure from collapsing on itself.

These professionals will incorporate high quality water-resistant, mold-resistant and fire-retardant products before construction begins.

There are three types of basements and this includes:

Standard Basement, which has no windows
English Basement, which has windows
Walk-out Basement, which has windows and an exit 

Transforming Your Basement Into A Livable Space

Creating a Livable Space is the goal and the basement has more than enough potential to do so. Most people tend to think of basement renovations as a place to store electronic equipment, tools, hardware and other random objects. For savvy individuals, the basement can be transformed into a number of practical yet beneficial rooms such as a home gym, a family room, a living space, a children’s play room, a home theater room, a man-cave, an office or a study.

The options are nearly endless here. Walk-out basements give you more room to play around with, and they’re usually turned into an extra bedroom with its own separate bath.

Most home theater remodels are located in basements. Why? The answer is rather simple, quality of quantity. Basements and home theater rooms go hand-to-hand because the room’s structure provides great sound acoustics. The sound from the satellite speakers bounce around continuously, which is great for “surround sound.”

The sub-woofer’s bass hits much deeper thanks to the room’s depth and closed environment. Most home theater rooms/media rooms have wet bars or small kitchens added for convenience. If you posses enough total square footage, pool tables and jacuzzi/hot-tubs are great luxury additions.

Finishing Design and Ideas

Basic Design and Ideas can be drawn up by the basement contractor. Though they’re not officially considered to be architects, these professionals have a firm understanding of blueprints since they’re dealing with the process of renovation. Depending on the home’s original blueprint, the contractors will generally design the basement into the direction of the home’s natural flow.

For those who are looking for a bit of flamboyance, contractors can definitely add columns, pillars or even change the angle of interior walls to meet your needs.

Interior Basement Walls can make a world of difference. Walls can transform a cold storage space into a cozy living quarter. Walls also cover up empty expansions of unintended space. There are numerous options to choose from such as stucco, drywall, beadboard panels or the innovative wall (fiberglass) finishing systems.

Laminate Flooring: This material looks great, it’s easy to apply, and it comes in numerous patterns and colors.  Laminate is basically treated with resin or plastic and is bonded to (MDF) Medium- Density Fiberboard.

Just about any decorative image can be found with this product. One of its best features is that it’s resistant to moisture and stains. Laminate can also be installed over plywood sub-floor or concrete.

Carpet Flooring: This material is fairly common and popular. Just like the other rooms in your house, carpet adheres to the same principle. Carpet isn’t good for rooms with moisture and dampness, which can lead to mildew, mold and a bad odor.

Vinyl Floor Tiles: This material is inexpensive, easy to clean and comes in numerous colors/patterns. You can really get creative with the self-stick tiles more so than other types of flooring. This material is usually installed over concrete floors

Engineered Wood: This material looks just like real wood, and it acts like real wood by shrinking and stretching. Not to be confused with laminate flooring, engineered wood has a veneer top layer and softwood lower layer.

Paint: Paint is the least expensive product, and it’s designed for concrete basement flooring. There really isn’t too much more to say about it.

For basement home offices or study rooms, try using ceiling tiles that posses noise reduction. This special material has great sound blocking properties as well as light reflectance.

Suspended ceilings are great for playrooms and home gyms. These  panels are light in weight and consist of a simple grid design. They also are great for covering up beams, wiring and duct work of the ceiling. You can choose between black, white or 3D.

Coffered ceilings are great for media rooms and home theater rooms of the basement. The coffered material replicates the look of an actual movie cinema. It’s also good for absorbing at least 50 percent of the sound. Black panels are great for a more contemporary appearance.

For wet bars or jaccuzi basements, try using coffered tiles that are all white. This helps to reflect the already limited amount of lighting, which helps to open up the room.

INTERVIEWING BASEMENT REMODELING CONTRACTORS

Basement remodeling contractors are highly sought after professionals because they can do the entire job rather than one job task at a time. Therefore if you take your time to interview local experienced remodeling companies it will pay off. Basements offer a great return on investment and are very attractive for potential home buyers should you ever decide to sell your home.

EXPERIENCE

Ideally you want to work with a basement contractor who has the experience necessary to complete your project on time and on budget. Professional contractors also expect things from you the homeowner. Be up front with any questions or concerns you have. They will appreciate the opportunity to address your concerns.

How long have you been in business?

Do you have a contracting license?

Do you work with a dedicated team?

What if I decide to add additional rooms in my basement can you accommodate this as well?

PERMITS

When finishing a basement you may need permits. This includes all proper building inspections during the process and after the project is completed. Additionally, each specialty trade, such as electrical or plumbing, has its own permit.

Will you include the cost of all required permits into my contract?

Do you have experience in my local municipality pulling permits?

CONTRACTS

Basement Remodeling Contracts are important. Negotiate the items you want included.

How do you provide a description of the work?

How are you paid?

Can you add “start and end dates” into my contract?

How do you address changes to your contract if I need to change something?

How do your Grace periods to rescind work?

Can you add language into my contract that removes any liens?

JOB SPECIFICS

Get an understanding with how the basement finishing contractor will run your project. Are they responsive, what does a typical day look like? How Responsible are they?

What is your working day like?

What are the approximate start and end times during construction days?
What items do I need to remove around the construction site?
How much noise can I expect?
Do I need to be at home during construction?

How do you cleanup at the end of the day?

How will you protect my property?

How and where will you store tools?