From creepy, dark, and horror-movie style to a finished, jaw-dropping home bar, basements come in every shape and size. Every home has one, but not all homeowners are happy with the basement they have. This is especially true for homeowners with unfinished basements. Fortunately, there are many different ways to finish or renovate a basement. Whether they want something as simple as better flooring and less drab walls or something as complex as an in-home bar or gym, there is a lot to consider before getting started.
What are the Benefits of Having a Finished Basement — and Do you Need One?
While it may not be necessary for all homes to have a finished basement, it’s definitely an upgrade. There are many benefits and, while the price can be high, it’s almost always worth it. No matter how well-decorated and designed the rest of your house is, an unfinished basement can make your home feel incomplete.
Increased Property Value
Property value is a big deal for homeowners, but finding ways to increase it can be difficult. One of the most popular ways of doing so is buying a house with a full sized, unfinished basement. From there, they can either look at what’s trending and base their build off that or, if they don’t plan to sell it right away, they can add whatever extra rooms or space they need. That leads us into our next point.
Extra Space and More Rooms
Some homeowners, especially those with big families, struggle to find a home big enough to fit their needs. For families with more than two or three children, it’s common to settle for a home with fewer rooms than family members and have the children share. Yet in their teen years, children start needing space to themselves.
Big families aren’t the only people who need extra space. Artists, writers, and people who work remotely may not be able to work from their living room or at the dining table. Homeowners who have friends and family over often might be uncomfortable letting people in certain areas of the house, leaving them with little space to entertain their guests.
Renovating or finishing the basement could be the solution to all of these problems. Most basements span the same area as the house, meaning there’s plenty of space to incorporate your needs, whatever they may be. Big families, if needed, can probably fit at least one or two more bedrooms, as well as a washroom, in the basement.
Remote workers and artists can design an entire home office or studio. As for entertainers, the possibilities are nearly endless, provided you have the money. People have used their basements for a variety of things, including an in-home movie theater, gym/workout center, bar, mancave, yoga/meditation area, and more.
Save Money
Finished basements have the same care and quality put into making them as the rest of the house. Unfinished basements, on the other hand, do not. Unfinished basements tend to have poorer insulation, sealing, drainage, and more. This leads to higher climate control prices, leaks that cost money to be fixed, mold, mildew, and many more environmental issues, and sometimes even flooding.
Things to Know before Renovating your Basement
There are many things you need to factor into your basement’s design. The most important ones are your budget, insulation, its purpose, and your environment. People in dry, arid climates need different things for their basement than people in chilly environments or with frequent floods.
If your area is prone to droughts, then you wouldn’t need to put nearly as much money into flood control as people in wetter areas. Take into account what the purpose of your finished basement will be, and that way you can figure out how to use your budget on things at the top of your priority list.
How We Can Help
Whether you want to finish your basement well enough to protect it from the environment, or you want to go all-out on a swanky new wetbar, Winthorpe Design and Build has the experience to deliver your dream. We’ve seen and resolved dozens of construction problems and have successfully pulled off some pretty ridiculous builds. However, even if we haven’t done a project like yours before, we’ll sit down with you and work out the details until we have a plan that works.
To learn more about our expertise and how we can help, visit our website for more information.
To learn more or schedule a consultation, please visit our website, or call us at the numbers below.
Office: 301-854-2092
Metro: 202-600-2515
