Finishing your basement is a great way to increase your home’s value while also giving you and your family additional space to use. When planning a basement renovation, most people tend to skip to the end product, but it’s important to also consider the steps it will take to get there.
To prepare for some substantial changes in your basement, we want to offer some essential steps that you won’t want to overlook.
Here are our recommendations for preparing your basement for a remodel:
1. Install a Drainage System
The last thing you want, if you’ve finished your basement, is for it to flood, and unfortunately, flooding basements are common in the Midwest. Flooding can damage drywall, insulation, wall finishing, carpet, and more.
The best choice is to install a drainage system before the basement is finished. That way, you won’t have to worry about your investment becoming damaged in the future.
2. Consider Adding a Sump Pump
Installing a sump pump system ensures that you can discharge large volumes of water from your home in the case of heavy rains. If you’ve installed a drainage system, you should definitely install a sump pump system as well.
Quality sump pumps are ready for anything—including power outages and sump pump failure. Our Dual Pump Pack® sump pump system keeps working when other systems fail.
3. Waterproof Your Basement Walls
Concrete basement walls are porous, allowing moisture to seep through your walls from the earth outside. This moisture can then build up behind walls, leading to mold, mildew, and moisture issues.
Consider adding our DryShield® or WallShield® panels for basement waterproofing. They are made from post-consumer plastic and are joined by connectors. The panels direct water into our No Water System®, keeping your basement clean, dry, and livable.
4. Upgrade Basement Windows
If water seeps in through your basement windows and stains the walls and floor, you need Dry Basement’s WindowDrain® system.
WindowDrain® can be used on its own or with DryShied® or WallShield® panels. Dry Basement® Foundation Repair can also replace the window and well if needed.
While waterproofing your basement, we suggest that you take a look at our Basement Magic remodeling systems to see how it can transform your basement.
5. Identify Spots for additional Outlets
Most basements don’t have many outlets beyond those needed for a washer and dryer because they weren’t originally designed to be spaces people were hanging out in. Depending on how you plan to use your new space, you’ll likely need to install additional outlets. Before you start the actual renovation, determine where you want those outlets positioned.
6. Recognize You May Need a Drop Ceiling
The ceiling in a basement is often a convenient place for your home’s utility lines, but it doesn’t give a very finished look to a remodeled basement. Therefore, to finish your ceiling you will probably need to install a drop ceiling, which will cover electrical lines, ductwork, and more, but will also reduce the overall height of your basement. It’s important to consider the new height of your ceiling after a drop ceiling is installed when designing your space.
7. Install a Dehumidifier
Another key to making your basement a new, fresh living space is quality air. Using a dehumidifier in your basement will keep mold, mildew, and rot under control, and can even lower heating and cooling costs.
Dry Basement® offers the SantaFe® Filtration System. This is a high-efficiency air filtration and dehumidifying system. For basements, we recommend the Santa Fe® – Classic. This model:
- Dries the air in basements up to 2,600 square feet, finished or unfinished.
- Removes up to 400% more moisture than an average dehumidifier, without using any more energy.
- Automatically empties collected water into the sub-floor drainage system or down an existing drain. If a gravity drain isn’t available, a condensate pump can be installed to remove the water. Either way, there’s no pan for you to empty.
- It can be installed in an unfinished area and ducted to a finished area.
- Uses a two-stage filter: a rinse-clean filter for removing large particles, and an easily replaceable filter that removes mold and dust particles down to 2 microns.
- Makes your heater and air conditioner work more efficiently since drier air is easier and less expensive to heat and cool.