Basement Finishing Considerations

There are many factors to consider when finishing your basement. 

1.  The first step, and probably the most challenging, is to determine your needs and desires for the space.  Be honest with yourself – how will you really use your finished basement on a daily basis?  There are many interesting and sexy ideas for finishing a basement, including mini-bars, home theatre systems, and more, but are these really the items that you will use on a daily basis?  Make a list of the ways that you will be using your finished basement space on a daily basis, and begin to form a vision for how the basement space should be configured.

2.  The second step is to determine your budget for basement finishing.  In other articles we have provided you with some ballpark figures of average costs for basement finishing. What is important in this step is to determine what you can realistically spend on your basement. 

3.  Finally, take a look around your unfinished basement and note any existing considerations for the space.  How high are the ceilings?  How are the water pipes positioned?  Where is the existing plumbing and furnace?  How does the duct work run, and how does this impact the ceiling height?  Where are the windows and what is currently included in the window wells?  What other items protrude from the walls or ceiling?  Is there any existing framing?

The answers to these questions will help to dictate what may or may not be possible for the configuration of your finished basement.  For example, building code requires that all basement bedrooms include a window that allows occupants to easily escape in the case of a fire.  Therefore, if you are including a bedroom in your finished basement, it is more cost-effective to design the bedroom around an existing window well.

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