Basement Finishing Dos and Don'ts #2: Planning and Getting Help

Don’t start without a plan

Start with writing down some ideas. What do you want your new basement to be? Roughly measure the area. Draw your basement in a piece of paper or use a free online tool like the floorplan.com and play around with ways of dividing it and even placing furniture. Do you need an egress window? Will people sleep in it? How will it be lit? How many appliances or electronics will you run in the basement? Where will you locate the power outlets? The clearer is the picture you have, the easier the next steps will be.

Why?

Any builder or contractor knows this: the bulk of the problems in any remodeling project come from inadequate planning. Although you need to leave some “wiggle room” for unforeseen circumstances, which are likely to come up in a big project – especially one involving the basement – the more detailed the plans, the better will be the results.

Get professional design consultation

Unless you are someone who is specially savvy and skilled – like a professional in the remodeling or building industry for example – get professional help. Show them your drafts and ideas, and let them professionally design a plan for you. A professional design will make getting permits for the project, much easier and will include details that you might not know are important. They will make sure, among other things, that your finished basement will be 100% up to code.
Many reputable basement remodeling contractors offer Free, No-Obligation design consultation and a written estimate, so you will know how much it will cost. And some will even help you get financing for the project.

Don’t DIY.

Again, unless you are in the contracting or building business, don’t think of basement finishing as an easy DIY project.

Why?

There is a whole lot more to basement finishing than simply lining the walls with pretty finishes. Every basement that is entirely or even partially below grade suffers from chronic moisture problems. These problems tend to get worse in the rainy seasons.
The wrong choice of materials and failure to provide adequate moisture control can turn your newly finished basement into a moldy nightmare.

Get a professional basement remodeling company

There is a reason why professionals specialize in basement remodeling and an industry such as basement finishing exists: basements are unlike any other area of the house. What works so well upstairs can be disastrous in a basement. If it makes sense for you to go see a specialist rather than your primary care physician when you have a very specific condition, it makes sense to call a basement specialist instead of a general contractor to remodel your basement.

-- "All truth goes through 3 stages: First it is ridiculed. Then it is violently opposed. Then it is accepeted as self evident." - Schoppenhauer