Why finish your basement?

When you first bought your house, you promised yourself that you would finish the basement as soon as you could afford it. Well, you should know that you don't need to spend a fortune to substantially increase the value of your house.

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Finishing the basement
A second bathroom
The home office
The playroom
Why not a home-theatre?
Don't forget to plan
Preparing ceilings, walls and floors

Finishing the basement

Finishing a basement can be done in many ways. That's why it's very important to determine both your current and future needs before you get started. The popularity of home offices, for example, has turned many a basement into thriving small businesses. In other cases, families grow in leaps and bounds and the basement provides the extra bedroom and bathroom so badly needed to relieve space problems.

Of all the projects undertaken in home basements, four stand out as more responsive to family needs.

A second bathroom

Adding a second bathroom is always a first-rate investment. Especially so if your children are nearing adolescence. At the same time, it's the toughest room to build. Not all do-it-yourselfers are prepared to tackle plumbing, new lavatories, toilets, etc. And electrical work has to be sub-contracted to a qualified electrician (check with your local building department).

If your proposed second bathroom used to be your laundry room, take advantage of this situation and provide for extra storage space. It's easy for any do-it-yourselfer to build cabinets over a washer and dryer. You can also drop-in to your home renovation centre for ready-built, standard-size cabinets that you can easily install in your new bathroom. And, because your new bathroom is going to be located in the basement where it's colder and more humid, why not have an electrician install electric baseboard heaters?
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