If you finish your basement, it will increase the value of your home. Before converting your basement into a fantastic recreation room, family room, or even an additional bedroom, make sure you start with a clean, dry area.

Enclose the Rim Joists

Rim joists that lack insulation are major energy wasters. The moment has come to seal and insulate them.

Thankfully, insulating your rim joists yourself—it’s a reasonably simple DIY responsibility. One approach is to use stiff insulation that has been custom-fit to seal the rim joists. Extruded polystyrene should be at least 2 inches thick, but check your local codes to verify what is necessary. Use your table saw to cut strips with the same depth as your joists if you have one. The strips can then be cut to length using a fine-tooth handsaw, utility knife, or miter saw. Caulk can be used to seal tiny gaps; cans of expanding spray foam can be used to fill bigger ones.

Place Drainage Mats on the Floor for a Warmer, Drier Surface For Your Bathroom

Plastic drainage mats, sometimes known as “dimple mats,” let air flow beneath basement flooring and act as a moisture barrier. The risk of moisture damage from condensation or water vapor leaking through the concrete is also decreased since they offer an insulating air barrier between the floor and the cold concrete.

Change Up Your Lighting Options

Include different lighting types in your layout for the room to be the most intriguing. For situations where a highly lighted room is desired, start with good general illumination. Consider installing a dimmer switch to regulate the lighting. General lighting includes things like recessed can lights, ceiling fixtures, and fluorescent “pillow” lights. Recess can lights should not be used if you are concerned about noise reverberating upstairs.

Cold Floors Can Be Warmed Up With Heating Cables

Installing electric heating cables or mats on your basement floor will warm things up. Although the room doesn’t get too warm with this form of heat, the flooring get a lot cozier. The drawback of heating cables is their high installation and operating costs. You can get mats with the cable already attached or a loose cable system. Although installing loose wires requires more work, mats are more expensive. The cost per square foot decreases the more area you cover with wires or matting. You can find out how much it will cost to waterproof your basement here from Nachman Construction Company.

Hire a Professional to Design Your HVAC System

You should avoid making the amateur DIY error of trying to heat your basement by removing your main trunk line and installing a heat register. This won’t deliver heat where you need it and will just lead to an imbalance throughout your entire heating system. A wise investment is money invested on proper design. To design your ducting, work with a qualified heating contractor. You can contact our experienced staff at Nachman Construction Company to walk you through the process. If you want to handle the work yourself, look for a heating contractor who will supply the plan and perhaps even the materials.

Using OSB as a Soffit Frame

The ductwork or piping positioned below the joists in the majority of basements needs to be enclosed. Construction of a wooden frame that can be coated in drywall all around them is the most typical technique. Observe this expert advice when constructing these soffits. Just cut strips of plywood or OSB (oriented strand board) for the sides rather than using 2x2s or other material to frame the sides.

Cork is a fantastic material for basement flooring

It can be difficult to decide on a floor covering for a basement. Although cozy and plush, carpet can become damaged by moisture. Tile is appropriate for regions that might get wet but is cold and unpleasant to walk on. Cork flooring for your basement is one option that strikes a decent balance. Cork flooring is warm underfoot, relatively simple to install, and it’s sourced sustainably.

Give luxury vinyl tile flooring a thought

Luxury vinyl planks or tiles are still a wonderful option for basement flooring. Waterproof and nearly indestructible luxury vinyl. It also looks excellent and is simple to install. It comes in both squares that resemble tile and planks that resemble wood. Self-adhesive tabs or interlocking edges hold floating luxury vinyl floors together.

Wrap wires and pipes in sealant

Use special “red” high-temperature silicone caulk to fill minor cracks around pipelines and wires. Expanding foam that is resistant to fire should be used to plug bigger gaps. Fill up gaps around chimney flues or other significant openings by nailing sheet metal over them and caulking the edges. It will be possible to stop a fire from spreading from the basement to the upstairs by caulking the gap between them.

Additionally, it will conserve energy and stop noise from the basement from being heard upstairs.

Get a laser level to frame faster

If you intend to stick-frame the walls, which is to construct them vertically as opposed to horizontally on the floor. This is so that you may transfer the placement of the bottom wall plate to the ceiling when using stick-framing. A straightedge and a standard level will work for this. However a laser moves much more quickly!

Start by drawing a chalk line on the floor where the wall positions will be. The laser beam will then indicate where the top plate is located on the joists if you merely align it with the chalk line. A laser that projects a vertical line is required. For better precision and quicker setup, we choose the self-leveling type.

You can seek expert advice from the experts at Nachman Construction Company about which basement solution might be the greatest fit for your needs and future plans. If you have any inquiries about basement problems or renovations, please don’t hesitate to get in contact with the construction experts at Nachman Construction Company by phone or email.

Get a Free Estimate