As I remodel a basement, I find that there are many little things I hadn’t thought about at first. The biggest concern for me was lighting because the windows were so small. One of the basement remodeling ideas I have incorporated is to use mirrors directly across from windows, adding small built-in halogen lights around the perimeter of walls and not just one central fixture, and the use of glass doors for the entrance.
Basement Waterproofing
The other main concern I had was basement waterproofing and that has been solved by three main things: Having the basement walls inspected to know where there are cracks or low areas that allow seepage or moisture to enter and repairing them from the outside, then having a sealant applied to walls and floors, and finally, raising the floor with a small wood platform (and placing heating mats or coils for warmth) and thereby making any design features more easy to install.
Open Basement Design
For my basement bar I decided not to section it off from the rest of the basement but I left it open and had a small kidney-shaped island built on an angle to incorporate a pillar that was in a strange place. I added a wall wine rack to the pillar and placed halogen lighting above it so it all looks planned. The bedroom is also open with only a large fabric screen to separate it from the rest of the space. Basement remodeling can be a lot simpler than you might think if you don’t go into it with the idea that you must cover up every every pipe and box in every room.
Basement Bathroom and Glass
The bathroom is divided with glass blocks instead of a solid wood or stucco wall. Basement bathroom remodeling was tricky because the drainage and sewer pipes were not where I would have liked, but to compensate, I built a small raised area out of wood and added a 4 foot wall around the toilet area to give privacy and then left the shower area open more like a wet room. (Use teak wood if you want it to last.) Basement finishing that is primarily designed to add a bathroom or spa area can be made much larger than the bathrooms in the main part of the house, and the layout can incorporate much open space…walk in showers, a wet room a hot tub….in fact the entire basement could be a mini spa.
