By sunny 
There is no underfloor heating installed in the basement, so it is very cool all year round. In the past, it has been used as a storage room, but I’ve always found that to be a bit of a waste of space. Recently, I moved back some items from my old house that I had intended to get rid of, and as a result the basement was cluttered with piles. So, I decided to simply finish the basement and plan to hit a few cabinets to make the most of the space.
Specific Practices on Ways to Save Money on Basement Finishing
The basement has been tiled and the power supply has been modified. This renovation project consisted of hitting the cabinets, hanging the shed, painting the walls, laying the floor tiles, and modifying the power supply and lights. In order to save money, and upholding the principles of environmental protection, practicality and affordability, I decided to act as the project manager myself, personally selecting and co-ordinating the masters of various trades.
Carpenter construction: customised cabinets and ceiling
By getting a carpenter to build the cabinets and ceiling, I saved a lot of money. Instead of opting for a whole-house customisation, I hired a master carpenter to create the cabinets. In the end, we built the walk-in closet, display cabinets, TV cabinet and storage cabinets.
Although there may be some flaws in the details of these cabinets compared to full house customisation, such as nail eyes and cut marks on the boards, overall, a good carpenter makes more regular cabinets. I designed the cabinets in advance and asked the carpenter to make them according to my ideas, and I am still satisfied with the final result, and the defects are within my acceptable range.
For the ceiling, I designed the moulding and the location of the lights in advance. The main thing needed in the basement is bright lighting, so I chose a simple design with no main light design, including downlights, spotlights, line lights and track lights, and reserved a place for a pendant light in the chess area.
Wall Treatment: Scraping & Painting Latex Paint
For the wall treatment, I hired a person to scrape and level the walls and paint the latex paint. Since the basement is small, this person can do both jobs at the same time. Except for the shed roof which needs to be painted, I actually prefer the texture of the wallcovering, but considering that the wallcovering needs to be scheduled and installed, I decided to leave it for now and wait for a later opportunity.
Electricity construction: power and light remodelling
For the electricity construction, it mainly involves part of the electricity remodelling, changing switches and installing lights. Before the renovation, I designed in advance how the switch will control the lights, and the electrician is responsible for carrying out the alignment modification.
Originally, I thought that the electrician’s workload was not too big, but in fact, during the renovation process, the electrician needs to enter the site in two times. The first time is before the carpenter work, electricians and carpenters need to make sure that the light wire in the carpenter ceiling and cabinets can be reserved. The second time was to change the switches, connect the power and fit the lights, this time the electrician worked all afternoon on the first day and all night on the second day.
As you can see, there’s a lot of electrician work even in a small space. Moreover, the atmosphere of the space depends largely on the design of the lights.
Skirting installation: practicality orientated
Finally, I installed the skirting. This installation was also practical-oriented, without choosing overly fancy styles.
Basement Renovation Money Saving Methods and Experience Sharing
Although my basement renovation was relatively simple and cost-saving, I did accumulate some experience during the renovation process. I hope that sharing these experiences will help others who are renovating their basements.
Basement Finishing Considerations
During the basement finishing process, there are a few considerations that need special attention:
1, Timing of Basement Finishing in Newly Built Homes
For the basement of a newly built home, it is recommended to finish it after 2-3 years. Because new houses have a new home warranty period, during the initial year, you need to observe whether the basement leaks on rainy days and other problems. If you find small water seepage problems only after the renovation is done, it will be difficult to deal with. In addition, it takes time for the foundation of a new home to become solid.
2, Plan for basement egress
When it comes to housing safety, especially for basements with bedrooms, regulations are stricter. Basement windows must be large enough for people to be able to climb out of in order to comply with government safety requirements.
3, Keep the construction site dry
If there is a localised leak or seepage during the basement renovation process, it is important to stop work in that area, identify the cause of the leak or seepage and fix it promptly. Forced construction will only lead to rework and redo, then you will need to spend more time and money to solve the problem, not worth it.
4, Ensure the height of the basement
The height of the basement also has certain requirements. After renovation, the height of the basement should not be less than 2.5 metres, otherwise it will be depressing.
5, Prevent Basement Sewer Backflow
If the basement remodelling team is licensed, then the homeowner usually does not have to worry too much about the issue regarding sewer backflow. The plumbers who are usually responsible for remodelling basement sewers will help design the course of the waterways to avoid the problem of sewer backflow. In addition, these pipes will also be encased into the wall after the basement is fully renovated and will not affect the aesthetics.
6, Checking air pollution
The renovation process inevitably produces some toxic gases, especially in the basement where ventilation is poor. Within 2-3 months after renovation, people should try not to stay inside for too long. At the same time, you should put more green formaldehyde-absorbing plants or buy formaldehyde-removing air purifiers, so that the toxic gases in the basement can be discharged as soon as possible. If necessary, you can also hire a professional testing and construction team to help you remove the pollution from the basement renovation.
7, Pay attention to waterproofing and moisture
Waterproofing and moisture-proofing is a crucial part of basement renovation, and it is important to make sure that the renovation materials and processes are effective in resisting humidity.
8, Pay attention to drainage and sewage
Especially in areas where the basement is designed to use water, such as bathrooms, bars, etc., special attention should be paid to the design and construction of drainage and sewage systems.
9, Pay attention to ventilation and lighting
Basements are usually poorly ventilated and lighted, so it is necessary to increase the number of light wells, ventilation wells or install equipment such as fresh air systems and dehumidifiers to improve the environment.
10, Careful selection of decoration materials
During the decoration process, materials that are susceptible to moisture, such as ordinary wallpaper, should be used sparingly or not. Basement is generally not recommended to lay solid wood flooring, you can choose to moisture-proof and waterproof performance is relatively excellent composite flooring or plastic flooring (Vinyl).
11, soundproofing treatment
The basement ceiling soundproofing is very important. Because the upstairs has to walk often, and the downstairs activities are noisy. Therefore, it is best to use sound-absorbing materials for the basement ceiling, such as the ceiling boards touch (CEILING TILES).DRYWALL roof has the advantage of being able to make a variety of decorative patterns.
Regardless of the type of roof, it is best to put a layer of insulation foam on the top side of the roof panels. Here the insulation wool is both soundproof and fire and moisture resistant. If the mechanical room in the basement is too noisy, the part of the wall that separates the furnace and water furnace can be made double DRYWALL boards inside and outside (i.e., 4 layers of boards), with insulation foam in the middle, and the wall should be all the way to the top, so as to achieve the best acoustic insulation effect.
12, Use of licensed plumbers
When plumbing and electrical works are involved, it is important to use licensed professionals and it is advisable to carry out PRIMIT application and acceptance. In this way, the relevant government departments will help to carry out quality control to ensure that the quality of the renovation is guaranteed.
Summing up
There are various ways to save money on basement renovation, the key lies in reasonable planning, careful budgeting and strict adherence to basement renovation precautions. I hope my experience sharing can help those who are or will be doing basement renovation.