With the long-running New York housing crunch, moving out or taking on a home addition can pose a lot of inconveniences and difficulties. Taking advantage of one of the most underutilized areas in your New York home could be just the perfect solution you have been longing for, to answer to the family’s growing needs. Maximizing the use of space through basement refinishing is ideal whether you are in Manhattan, Long Island, Staten Island, Brooklyn or Queens.
The number of ideas on basement remodeling finish you could come up with is limited only to how creative you can get. In the planning stage, the total square footage of the area must be measured first. With this, you can opt to use the entire area for a specific purpose or have separating walls to create rooms for different functions. The measurement will also be used by your hired local contractor to estimate the materials and cost.
When brainstorming on which basement remodeling finish is best, you have to consider:
• Will the planned finish be well accommodated given the measurements?
• Is this the best way to take advantage of the privacy and isolation the space offers?
• Would this give you and your family the greatest increase in quality of living?
• And, is the return on the investment well worth it?
Basement refinishing is truly your most space-efficient and cost-effective option which can not only heighten the quality of living for the family but can also give a good boost to home value. And being in an out-of-the-way location, the remodeling works will pose fewer disturbances to the household, letting them continue on to their daily routine. But before anything else, you have to understand the challenges and what it takes for the project to be a success.
Basement Refinishing Challenges
This type of home improvement is not your average remodeling job. The typical characteristics and features of a basement make up for more challenges and this includes:
. Support columns,
. Visible ductworks,
. HVAC system(s),
. Inadequate lighting,
. Inefficient heating and air-conditioning,
. And insufficient ventilation.
These should all be addressed in your basement refinishing project. Discuss with your hired qualified contractor what your options are and which can best serve as the solution without breaking the bank. For visible ductworks and support columns, demolition and relocation is possible but can very expensive. By creatively integrating those into the design, unnecessary costs and hassles are avoided.
Waterproofing
Being prone to water and moisture problems, proper and enough waterproofing should be ensured to turn the basement refinishing result into a comfortable and dry room, ideal for whatever activity it is set for. The measures and systems to be used will greatly depend on the extent of water problems ranging from molds and mildew, condensation, damaged drywall, plumbing leaks, structural cracks and flooding.
Though the initial cost can be hefty, consider providing permanent waterproofing solutions. Doing so would not only make the finish last for the family to lavish at for the longest possible time; but would also increase home value; save you from maintenance hassles and costs in the long run, as well as promote healthier living.
Basement Remodeling Contractor
A qualified contractor to handle your basement refinishing is one of the keys to its successful, timely and cost-efficient completion. As was said, this type of project is not an average remodeling job, and experience and expertise are a must to transform that musty and damp basement into a functional extension of your living space. A qualified contractor who has already had some fruitful years in the industry will be already well-versed with the building codes on insulation, barriers and other items needed to avoid future construction problems. Working on basement refinishing will also require subcontractors working on specialized areas. With your contractor’s established connections with other professionals, every detail of the project is given efficient attention.
Eugene Makeev uses his skills and expertise to help home owners in Brooklyn, Long Island, Queens, Manhattan, and Staten Island avoid pitfalls by matching their needs with prescreened
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