Sunday, April 4, 2010
Okay, so, you want to finish off your basement. Look before you leap, my friend! One of the most expensive tickets in your whole basement remodel are the utilities.
If your basement has rough (unfinished) walls and flooring, check for water and sewer pipes, and any heating and/or cooling ducts, and electrical conduits or wires. Depending on what you want to do with your basement, you may need to extend or even completely upgrade all of these features.
Installing a full bathroom in a basement involves connecting the new sewer line to the existing waste line. It usually means cutting into a cement floor to run the drain line. That, my friend, can really jack up the cost of a remodelling job!
On the other hand, putting in a full laundry room, laundry sink, or just a wash basin can be much easier. You just tie into the water lines and then hook up a drain line. In the case of a washing machine, its pump is usually strong enough to get the water up to ground level. With a sink, the small amount of water that drains from it can just go into a floor drain.
You can either drive the drain pipe into the ground – through the concrete floor – or cut out an area of the concrete, put some gravel down, and put a drain over it. Be aware, guys, your local codes my prohibit this last bit. A friendly call to the zoning office will put your mind at ease... and, could save you a bundle of money in fines!
Then there’s heating and cooling. If it's non-existent in your basement, you'll need to run ducting work throughout the room. If you can see ducting, you may be able to add to it. Check with a home heating company to see if your furnace and/or AC unit has enough BTUs or power to heat and/or cool the additional living space. If not, you may need to upgrade the system.
In the case of electrical connections, check out the gauge of the wires running through the basement. An electrician can tell you if the wires are adequate to handle additional outlets in a finished basement. If you just want to create a room for general use, then basic wiring may be just fine.
On the other hand, if you’re looking to install a home theater or some other large equipment, you may need heavier wires and an upgrade to your home’s electrical service. Again, check with an electrician. Of course, these days, "electrical" can mean so much more than just electricity. You can put in cable TV, cable internet service, a central sound/music system, WiFi, and so on.
Here's a thought... maybe you could even convert the basement into your very own man cave!... Ok, ok, or a gal's getaway.
Bottom line? Adding the necessary utilities to your basement won't be cheap, but it will absolutely add to the value of your home.
.
Ads By CbproAds
(Disclaimer: The above is an affiliate link that will provide compensation to me if a purchase is made.)
.
If your basement has rough (unfinished) walls and flooring, check for water and sewer pipes, and any heating and/or cooling ducts, and electrical conduits or wires. Depending on what you want to do with your basement, you may need to extend or even completely upgrade all of these features.
Installing a full bathroom in a basement involves connecting the new sewer line to the existing waste line. It usually means cutting into a cement floor to run the drain line. That, my friend, can really jack up the cost of a remodelling job!
On the other hand, putting in a full laundry room, laundry sink, or just a wash basin can be much easier. You just tie into the water lines and then hook up a drain line. In the case of a washing machine, its pump is usually strong enough to get the water up to ground level. With a sink, the small amount of water that drains from it can just go into a floor drain.
You can either drive the drain pipe into the ground – through the concrete floor – or cut out an area of the concrete, put some gravel down, and put a drain over it. Be aware, guys, your local codes my prohibit this last bit. A friendly call to the zoning office will put your mind at ease... and, could save you a bundle of money in fines!
Then there’s heating and cooling. If it's non-existent in your basement, you'll need to run ducting work throughout the room. If you can see ducting, you may be able to add to it. Check with a home heating company to see if your furnace and/or AC unit has enough BTUs or power to heat and/or cool the additional living space. If not, you may need to upgrade the system.
In the case of electrical connections, check out the gauge of the wires running through the basement. An electrician can tell you if the wires are adequate to handle additional outlets in a finished basement. If you just want to create a room for general use, then basic wiring may be just fine.
On the other hand, if you’re looking to install a home theater or some other large equipment, you may need heavier wires and an upgrade to your home’s electrical service. Again, check with an electrician. Of course, these days, "electrical" can mean so much more than just electricity. You can put in cable TV, cable internet service, a central sound/music system, WiFi, and so on.
Here's a thought... maybe you could even convert the basement into your very own man cave!... Ok, ok, or a gal's getaway.
Bottom line? Adding the necessary utilities to your basement won't be cheap, but it will absolutely add to the value of your home.
.
Ads By CbproAds
(Disclaimer: The above is an affiliate link that will provide compensation to me if a purchase is made.)
.
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