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Given current Twin Cities real estate market, many homeowners are staying put. Instead of trying to sell and taking the possible hit, many homeowners have instead been looking into how to put usable value back into their home while they whether the storm. Of late this has most commonly been in the form of finishing basement space. For many homes this space is either unfinished or underutilized. Finishing this space can mean added bedrooms and bathrooms to up future resale or that man cave that your husbands been bugging you about. Lake Country Builders has some quick tips to make your basement remodel a success:
1) Insulate Your Energy Walls Right –
Install 3″ of closed cell spray Urethane foam at energy walls in lieu of foil faced and taped insulation board. This will give you greater R-value of finished wall cavity as well as a moisture/vapor barrier right at exterior wall. Also each time the total difference in cost is checked, consistently it appears to be close to a wash.
INFO on Insulation: http://www.specjm.com/residential/insulation/closedcell.asp
2) Subsidize Your Mechanical Runs –
This being a perfect opportunity to re-organize all dropped pipes and vents. Thereby minimizing need for dropped soffits, promote clean ceiling lines and maximize head room.
3) It is a Basement so plan for the worst –
Implement moisture/mold resistant products like “mold and moisture tough” gypsum board instead of sheetrock and a dropped ceiling instead of a sheetrock ceiling. This will give you similar finished product, but will make repairs easier if an event were to happen on floors above.
INFO on “mold and moisture tough”: http://www.usg.com/sheetrock-mold-tough-gypsum-panels.html
4) Work Egress Into Your Plan –
Many cities and municipalities are now requiring an egress window when finishing a basement even if there is no “bedroom” on the plan. Other benefits include general safety, greater sunlight and higher re-sale value. (Legal Bedroom)