Basement Remodeling Ideas For A Romantic Getaway

Are you planning to remodel your basement but lack basement remodeling ideas? We all know that basements are dark, unused part of the house, but it also has lots of potential for open space to work with. Instead of viewing the basement as something negative, make use of its available features and turn the space into something you and your partner can enjoy for years.

The basement is a place where no one thinks of congregating in so why not transform it into a romantic getaway? A good old lock for your door and curtains for your windows can easily make your basement into a more private and romantic space for you and your partner. Of course, you need to take extra measures as well, particularly in the case of an emergency. You can easily install a fire alarm and doorbell on the basement door so that others can reach you in case something happens.

Let us begin with an overview of the possibilities. Lets talk about decorating the basement to create a romantic space. There are several basement remodeling ideas that cater towards making a space more inviting, relaxing and dramatic. These are key words to keep in mind when trying to recreate a romantic getaway. You do not have to travel the world to experience that romantic flare in your home.

Start by keeping away the distractions. Thus, you should clean out your basement first and foremost. Make sure it is impeccably clean and that there is no clutter lying around. Basements are well known for being storage hubs, where useless things accumulate in there for no particular reason. Make sure you get rid of all those useless items. Its your choice to install a TV in your refinished basement, however, if you really want the space to be a romantic getaway, have a small TV in the corner or consider reserving it only for the living room upstairs.

Add the romantic, cozy accessories. Include thick, plush rugs to induce a relaxing and romantic feel. Since the basement could experience dampness or leakage, it may not be a good idea to get a wall-to-wall carpet. An alternative is to install a subfloor and use area rugs. You may also want to install heating systems for your floor to keep your basement warm and dry all year round.

Why not add a mini bar in your basement? Its quite romantic to have good wine around, so you may want to build yourself a mini bar in one corner. You do not really need a huge cellar in your basement"keep a few good bottles of wine and that will be sufficient.

Next, you can prep up your electric system for your sound system. Having music around would be great for a romantic get away. So if you are considering a hi-tech sound system for your basement, make sure your electrical system will accommodate this.

For the final touch, set the mood with appropriate lighting. You would not want the space to appear like a storage room with fluorescent lights. A traditional or portable fireplace can generate a romantic ambience in the basement. You may merge this with low wattage and colored lamps, directional lights and surface mounted spotlights to create the ultimate romantic setting. These are just some basement remodeling ideas to create a romantic getaway.

Planning a basement remodeling project? Check out the newest styles in basement remodels

Framing Basement Walls Can Provide Warmth and Comfort

If you have any experience at carpentry working with framing basement walls can be fun and save you a lot of money. If you have no or very little experience with carpentry you can still learn with the right desire.

So you have an unfinished basement in your home and would like to create another room like a recreation room or laundry room or basement study you can do it. The first thing you need to do is know there are two areas that you will be framing, the outside walls of your basement and the inside walls to create the rooms within.

The outside walls or perimeter walls are the walls that you can either construct to provide warmth and added comfort or just construct as walls to provide added pleasantness to the basement. Framing Basement Walls to provide warmth and comfort is the best way to go if you plan to use the rooms in the basement as part of your living area.

If you want the basement room to be warm and comfortable, you will need to use 2 X 4 wooded studs for your framing around the perimeter. This will let you use insulation between the studs to provide the warmth required between the outside foundation and the inside wall.

The interior walls will also be constructed of wooden 2 X 4 studs, but normally don't require insulation between the studs. If you want added noise protection adding insulation to the inner walls can help deaden sound.

When you spend time framing basement walls correctly you will have a more functional basement area to add value and comfort to your home.

Looking for ways to have an artful and creative basement wall? Discover practical basement remodeling ideasonline and turn cheap basement ideas into dream basements at a budget. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Casey_Torren

Consider Basement Renovation to Increase Value to Your Home

You can increase the value of your home with a good basement renovation. When you consider renovating your basement you need to determine why you want to renovate it. Maybe you want to make a basement room into a work out center, convert it to a television room, and make it into a kid's playroom or any of a number of other things.

Your project may be as simple as a new coat of paint on the dull walls or as extensive as a complete makeover into a new room. In any case there are some basic things you will need to consider and think about before you begin.

You will need to decide if the renovation to your basement will be easy enough for you to do yourself or if it will require the services of a professional basement contractor. Either way, you will have to prepare a budget.

One aspect in basement renovation that is extremely important is evaluating the quality of the air flow in the existing basement area you want to renovate. If your basement is moist, it will be prone to mildew. You will need to focus on getting the basement dry so it will be a place that you to go instead of a smelly place you avoid.

If your primary goal is to make your home a more comfortable place with the addition of quality space or improving the existing space, you need to consider basement renovation to accomplish this goal and add value to your home.

Considering basement renovation? Discover practicalbasement remodeling ideas online and turn cheap basement ideas into dream basements at a budget. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Casey_Torren

A Basement Ceiling Home Makeover

When I helped by buddy redo his basement, he wasn't sure what the best type of ceiling to use would be. Some of the choices available were traditional drywall, tongue and groove boards, acoustic ceiling tiles, and a drop-type ceiling. We didn't know which to choose, so we looked at each type a little closer.

A drywall ceiling would be a lot of work. Almost all of the pipes and ductwork would have to be rerouted to fit into joint cavities or out to the edges of the room. If there were still things hanging below the bottom of the ceiling joists, we'd have to build boxes around them. Wherever we needed extra strength, we'd have to nail up furring strips.

In using a drywall ceiling it's important to use the furring and framed boxes to make a strong backing to hold the finishing materials. Although drywall was a low-cost option, we knew there was still a lot of work after the sheet rock was hung, and we weren't real excited about it.

Acoustic ceiling tiles are another great option. They are small enough to be easy to handle and cut. Ceiling tiles are installed by stapling them onto furring strips. In order to do that, once again, we'd need to move everything in order to have a flat surface to staple them to.

The next option we considered was T1-11 tongue and groove boards. This project would once again entail moving pipes and ducts, and it was also the most expensive option we looked at. My friend decided that this just wasn't the look he wanted for his ceiling, so we moved on.

Last on our list was a standard drop ceiling. This is one of the easiest ways to cover ceiling joists, but you still have to cut and hang rails for the ceiling framework, and my friend didn't like the fact that this type of ceiling looked like it belonged in an old office building, not his newly-decorated basement. Besides, drop ceilings were one of the more expensive options we'd looked at.

We'd worked our way completely through our list, and we still hadn't come up with a solution. Then, while shopping one day, he noticed the ceiling of the store he were in. It looked just like his basement ceiling, but a whole lot better. He had to ask the owner what they had done to achieve the look. The owner said all they'd done is clean the pipes and ductwork thoroughly, gave them a coat of primer, and used a sprayer to paint the whole works the same color. It looked amazing, and my friend knew he had found his ceiling.

Once we got started our one concern was whether or not we could paint electrical and gas lines. We solved the problem by calling a professional electrician to ask for his opinion. You know, this ceiling was easier to do than any of the other options, and it cost far less, but it looked super. Before trying this option in your own home, make sure to call a professional electrician like we did, just to make sure it's safe. So I guess the moral of the story is, if you don't like standard ways of doing things, start thinking outside the box.

Before you start your basement projects, learn more about waterproofing basement products and basement sealing paints. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Christopher_W_Smith

Small Basement Remodeling Ideas and Tips

Space is a common housing issue especially in big city living. As the song popularized by Frank Sinatra goes, I want to be a part of it... New York, New York. Most everybody still wants to experience and live through the action of the never-sleeping city. So if you do live in New York, there is still another option to consider other than just learning to live with how things are. The answer to your space crunch lies through looking into the possibilities unused areas has to offer. This makes small basement remodeling one of the best home improvement projects to undertake.

Why small basement remodeling?

- When thinking of adding square footage to your home's living area, this is a more cost-effective alternative than having a home addition where you would need to extend. This would cost you only a fraction of what you will be spending on the later with most or all of the same features. One of the reasons for the great savings is that the structural necessities are already there like the ceiling, flooring, and walls.

- Another benefit for undertaking a small basement remodeling is the ideal location of the area that promotes fewer hassles posed by home improvement works to the family's daily living.

- Since the nature of the space is underground; it is typically warm during colder months and cooler on summer. This factor helps you enjoy the small basement remodeling project results with less energy costs.

There are many ways that you could come up with a finish your small basement remodeling and this depends on your personal needs and preferences. The isolation and originally compact masonry of the place makes it ideal to be turned into a home office, playroom for the younger children, game or recreational room, home theatre or an exercise area. Because plumbing is readily available and easily accessible, the area can also excellently make up for a sauna, additional bathroom, or large custom shower. Other popular small basement remodeling ideas include: a wet bar, kitchenette, and additional room for guests.

When we think about our small basements, the most natural thing to come into out minds is their dungeon-like features. To bring out the most in our remodeling project, you can play with certain elements to make the space as inviting, comfortable and more spacious to look at.

- This area would naturally require heavy lighting compared to most areas in the house. You can provide fixtures promoting intense light as well as maximize the use of windows to let in more natural light.

- Carpets have been a popular choice but are you aware that tiles could do better as flooring? Aside from the durability that it offers, it is also low maintenance. As your small basement is prone to moisture and water problems, this would serve as the better alternative. To make up for the hardness and help with the over-all room design, you can also put beautiful area rugs.

- Light paint colors, horizontal designs and diagonal patterns are great in making the small basement remodeling finish seem much wider.

Eugene Makeev has been in the home improvement industry for a while. His skills and expertise, which have been polished through time, are now used to help New York home owners avoid the common pitfalls in home improvements by matching their needs with the right, prescreened Basement Contractor New York. For more, visit New York Contractors Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Eugene_Makeev

Retrofit a Basement in Dublin, Ireland - Case Study 3 of 3

Location: Upper Lesson street - Dublin 2

Type of House: A Mid Terrace Georgian residential building. This three story over basement was being completely refurbished by The Basement Specialists, to restore it to its former glory after many years as student accommodation.

In this house the existing basement only spanned under the front part of the house and was more accurately described as a cellar as it could be not be used as habitable space. Briefly put it was a 33 m2 damp store room with a history of flooding. Our job was to convert this cellar into useable rooms and to extend the basement underneath the remainder of the building which amounted to an additional 22 m2 of living space.

The construction phase lasted 9 weeks and required 19 12 cubic yard skips and 16 meters of underpining to the existing foundations down to a depth of 1.5 metres. Because there had been problems previously with other basement projects in this terrace, a full dilapidation survey was completed and updated throughout the project. A dilapidation survey maps the exact status of a building before during and after construction to see exactly what changes occur if any during construction.

To combat the flooding problem we constructed a filtration layer, underneath the concrete floor slab, which drains to a sump with duel pumps. In this way any flood water will be quickly pumped from the site before penetrating the living spaces.

At the conclusion of this project, the householder had four floors where there were three and a cellar. The client then went on to use part of the basement to install a high specification ventilation system and heating system. In the remaining larger part of the basements which had good light we built a self contained flat, which was going to be used for an Au pair but could in time be a "granny flat" or a standalone apartment as a source of rental income.

If we could show you a way to get more space in your home, without the hassle of moving would you be interested? The specialists for retrofitting basements under existing buildings in Dublin. Contact us for a free consultation....http://www.TheBasementSpecialists.ie Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Spratt

Retrofit a Basement in Dublin, Ireland - Case Study 2 of 3

Location: Grand Canal Street

A period 3 bed roomed two story terraced home in poor repair, on one of the busiest roads in Dublin. The owners wanted to double the amount of habitable space available to them. As part of this the Basement Specialists constructed a 90 sq meter basement, underneath the return and garden.

These houses did not have any basement when they were constructed so there was a large amount of spoil to be removed. Site access was only from the front as the site was bounded by homes and a garage on the other three sides. There was no space on site to store the spoil and only one small skip could be on site at any one time. Also the water table was only 1.5 meters below the surface.

Construction of the concrete basement box took 16 weeks with fit out happening later. Excavating the 90 sq meter space took 70 12 cubic yard skips and 20 meters of underpinning down to a depth of 3.5 Meters. Also involved was diversion of the existing collector sewer and construction of a temporary roof. To control the water table a six meter deep dewatering well was dug.

The final space is used both as living space and as a plant room. One section of the basement is access from the main house and brightly lit via light wells. This section is used as living space in the heart of the house. The remainder is used as plant and storage space with separate access from the restored rear garden.

If we could show you a way to get more space in your home, without the hassle of moving would you be interested? The specialists for retrofitting basements under existing buildings in Dublin. Contact us for a free consultation....http://www.TheBasementSpecialists.ie Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Spratt