Improve Don’t Move By Fixing Up the Basement

1. Improve Don’t Move By Fixing Up the Basement

2. Introduction Canadians seem to just love home renovation and transforming their basement into additional living space is second only to bathroom refits. This improve don’t move trend had sparked a massive surge in home improvements and what they call the ‘reno’ market. Astonishingly more money is spent on home renovations around $67 billion per year than is spend on building new residential homes. One of the reasons for this spending is that renovation of basement areas adds a lot to the value of the property. What’s more it instantly adds more living space for a man cave, a recreational area, a gym or a play area for the children. Indeed the use that a basement renovation can be put to is only limited by the space available and the owner’s imagination. Just take a browse on the internet it is awash with examples of stunning basement renovations that were transformed into gourmet kitchens, living rooms, home offices, even a cinema and a bowling alley. But before we get too carried away there are a few things you rush into planning to renovate that dark cold basement.

3. Table of Contents • Why Do Canadians Have Basements? • What Conditions Must A Basement Meet Before It Can Be Renovated? • Basement Humidity. • Water Stains And Leaks. • Tell You Insurance Provider. • Check The Contractor Undertaking The Work Has Appropriate Licenses. • Check All Contractors Have Sufficient Liability Insurance.

4. What Liability Insurance Should They Hold? • Your Insurance Premiums Will Go Up. • Understand The Cost? • What Do You Get For A Turn-key Solution? • Some Tips For A Basement Renovation.

5. Why do Canadians have basements? Canadians are lucky to have basements as part of their home. In many countries basements simply do not exist as they are not needed as a part of the structural foundation and in wet climatesthey are prone to flooding so more problem that they are worth. However in continental climates such as in canada having a basement in the home is essential.A basement provides a concrete foundation based below the frost line which supports the home against movement during the freeze-thaw cycle. Typically,if the area where you live is more susceptible to these extreme hot summers and freezing cold winters then you are more likely to have a large basement. These deep lying basements are part of the concrete foundation but also serve a secondary purpose as ideal space for storage for things like bicycles, skisas well as locating out of site functional utilities such as electrical circuit boxes, water heaters and telephone, television and internet termination boxes. However if certain conditions are right they can be transformed into luxurious additional living space.

6. What conditions must a basement meet before it can be renovated? As we have seen a basement serves a structural purpose and is buried below the frost line to provide primarily stability to the property. Because of this they are often highly susceptible to humidity and even water penetration. Therefore before you attempt to renovate you must diligently check the humidity levels and look for any sign of damp. This isn’t something you should shirk as high levels of damp and humidity will destroy any renovation work that you attempt.

7. Basement Humidity All basements will have higher humidity that the rest of the house, so don’t worry that is perfectly natural. The easiest and best way to find out if your home is too humid is to invest in an affordable humidistat to measure your indoor humidity level. Ideally, the humidity of the basement should be between 45 to 55%RH and should always be maintained between 40 to 60%RH. The problems that will need addressing are when the humidity levels are above 70%RH. At this high level there will be problems with a renovation as these conditions are known to be optimum for dust mites, mildew and mould to grow. You may also do a visual check of the walls, corners, ceiling and look for little back spots as these are mold spots and evidence of an existing problem.

8. Another clear sign of existing mould and mildew is if you can detect a musty smell when you first enter the basement. Mould produce gasses called microbial volatile organic compounds (MVOC) and if you can smell the tell-tale musky scent then you are probably already inhaling the mould spores. Whatever you do don’t try to cover up the smell with air fresher that will just disguise the smell and these toxic pores will still be in the air.Mould spores can bring on migraines, breathing conditions and other ailments so the presence of mould has to be removed before you proceed with any renovation work.

9. Water Stains and Leaks Another important thing to look out for is water stains and any evidence of leaks or damp. Detecting and correcting water leaks can be difficult and hard to correct. But they must be eliminated before you proceed with the renovation work.

10. Tell you insurance provider You must let your insurance company know before you start renovation work this is to make sure that the insurance will cover you in the event something goes horribly wrong. Depending on the scale of the renovations they will let you know whether your existing policy will cover you or whether you may have to take out a property under renovation policy or even a builder risk policy. This is especially important in the circumstances where you are underpinning the basement, drilling though the concrete slab foundation or will not be residing in the property at the time. Another important factor that needs to be checked with the insurance company is whether you have cover for any work that you may wish to do yourself. For example many insurance companies are very concerned about DIY plumbing and electrical work. So if you are intending fitting a bathroom you will need to let them know and almost certainly get the work done by licensed professionals who can provide certification for the work done. Any electrical work will also require permits and inspection along with a certification report but that might not be enough if your home insurance policy forbids DIY electrical work so make sure you check with them first.

11. Check the contractor undertaking the work has appropriate licenses Many smaller companies specialize in bathroom and basement renovations as one-stop-shops that will provide a turn-key basement renovation. They can do this in areas where the houses are largely the same i.E. They have the same foundations and basement layout. Because the layout is identical they can design and build a vast array of different scenarios and uses. They will have turn-key designs for a self-contained bed-sitting room apartment complete with kitchen and bathroom ready for renting out to a tenant. But these require a multitude of skills so you must run past the insurance company what are the requirements they need to cover for electrical and plumbing work being carried out by these companies. Almost certainly they will need to be licensed in the appropriate discipline. After all these are just common-sense precautions but you don’t want to steam ahead with a basement renovation until you know you are covered by insurance. It’s best to find out now rather than when your home subsides, floods or burns down.

12. Check all contractors have sufficient liability insurance This is something that many homeowners overlook especially when contracting unlicensed or freelance tradesmen to undertake work on the cheap. However should someone be unfortunate enough to be injured or even killed during the renovation the homeowner could be held legallyliable. The homeowners insurance will almost certainly not cover third party injury under such conditions so the contractor must have their own. You must check this or you could end up paying the injured parties health bills and lost wages out of your own pocket.

13. What liability insurance should they hold? The canadian home builders association recommends you check the contractors undertaking work on the renovation for proof of liability insurance to ensure it includes: • General liability insurance • A liability coverage of $1 million minimum • Includes adequate insurance that covers damage to your home or your neighbours’ properties as a result of any renovation activity • Includes third partycoverage for bodily injury • That the policy is still valid by checking the expiry date

14. Your insurance premiums will go up During the renovation it is likely that the insurance premiums will rise to cover the additional risk associated with the ongoing work. However after the renovation work is complete the premiums may well be adjusted to cover the addition value of the property. After all, the insurance company will now have to fund the replacement of a more valuable and larger property. Therefore you can expect the premiums to rise depending on the extra value that has been added to the property.

15. Understand the cost? Basement renovations are so popular in canada because utilizing that largeunderused part of the house is by far the cheapest way to add additional casual living space. Renovating a basement is cheaper than building an extension to the home as you are taking advantage of the original walls and floor. Consequently, basement renovations are relatively cheap at around $35 to $70 per square foot.

16. What do you get for a turn-key solution? Many specialist basement renovators have portfolios of basement designs but in typical turn-key solution they would be offering a basic general purpose design. The turn-key solution will typically include stripping down the existing basement then putting up and insulating new walls and a gypsum ceiling then painting everything. This is likely to cost $20,000 to $24,000. If you want to add a bathroom then you will be looking from anywhere between $8,000 and $15,000. It will be cheaper if you already have the water pipes fitted as a large part of the cost will be breaking through the concrete foundation to run the pipes to the basement.

17. Some tips for a basement renovation • The basement is the coldest and most humid part of the house an easy remedy for this is to get a fireplace or heating installed. It is best to heat your basement 3 seasons a year in order to dry out the air in your space and as heat rises it will not be wasted as it will heat the lower floors of the house lowering the overall hearing bills. • When renovating your basement and installing a gypsum ceiling it may be an idea to consider soundproofing or insulation if the basement is to be self-contained and rented out space. • Adding a bathroom in the basement is expensive but essential if you intend renting out the extra living area. If not it always adds convenience and significant value so recouping the costs and getting a return on the investment is highly likely.

18. Typically even in Canadian basements the available height might be constraints to design so make sure to install architectural lighting or pot lighting rather than hanging lights as they will give the impression of a larger more spacious room. • For the same reason plan for compact and hidden storage as the less clutter like cupboard the better as it increases visible and available floor space. So now that you know what to look for and the type of changes that you can make to the living space and value of your house, what are you waiting for? The only thing now is to pick a local reliable, honest and professional renovation contractor. How to choose a suitable basement renovator Probably the first thing that you want to do is find a few basement renovators in your local area and view their portfolios and references. Once your happy and have selected three renovators you have confidence in then select 3 if possible and ask for quotations for the design that you have discussed.

19. As an example of a professional basement renovator that covers all types of home renovation such as kitchens, bathrooms and of course basements and has location across all of Canada we can look to the Basement Finishing Company. They have a mission to apply their own personalized and tailored approach to each job to ensure the best possible result while at the same time remaining true to the customer’s budget, plan and schedule. To manage all the specialist contractors involved in a basement renovation the basement finishing company has experienced project managers that oversee all the multi-disciplined work going on within the renovation to ensure flawless adherence to the customer’s goals and the highest possible quality of construction. Visit - https://basementfinishingcompany.com/