When it comes to doing home renovations, the list is basically never-ending regarding what you can fix-up. Though most people have a few main focuses and refuse to waver from those popular fixes. For instance, people will fix up their kitchens with fancy new appliances, open concepts and good marble flooring. People will also upgrade their bathrooms and make them larger, brighter, and more inviting. Homeowners are even fixing up their garages, presenting them as man caves, she-sheds, game rooms and more. When it comes to renovation options, people seem to touch on everything except for their basements, when that basement can offer you so much more than any other room in the home.
You might not initially think so, but your basement can be the most popular and valuable room in your entire house if the renovations are done correctly. So, to help you get this point, here is your guide to basement development so that you might understand how much you can benefit from it.
What You Need to Know About Finishing Your Basement
It Doesn’t Cost That Much
The first thing you need to know in your guide to developing your basement is that it doesn’t cost as much as you might think. When you’re renovating a kitchen or a bathroom, you can be looking at many thousands of dollars. This is because you are, generally speaking, having to reroute a variety of electrical components, gas lines, water lines, sewer pipes, and so much more. Though when you’re renovating out a basement, the vast majority of them aren’t going to have kitchen appliances or extra bathrooms, besides what may already be roughed-in, so the renovations will cost exponentially less than renovating other rooms in your home. You’re talking about pennies on the dollar in comparison to other areas of the house.
It Doesn’t Take That Long
Something else you should know is that it’s not going to take long to refinish your basement and make it into any room you want. If you think about it, everything’s already there. It already has the electrical run, the walls are in place, the floors are in place, etc. All that’s left with most basements is that drywall needs hanging, and some finishing paint and other last touches. Sure, some basements are a bit more complex than that. Still, generally speaking, there isn’t a lot that contractors have to do to finish a basement, which means that it can be done quickly, especially compared to other areas of your house.
A Basement Solves Many Issues
Another thing you might want to know in your guide to basement development is that a finished basement can solve a ton of problems in your home. It all depends on what you’re after in your home, but a finished basement can pretty much take care of anything you need. Do you need a man cave, a place where a man can watch his movies and sports and play his games? A finished basement is an ideal space. Perhaps your kids need a playroom. This is another instance where having a nice finished basement can really pay off. Even for something like an in-law suite, you would be hard-pressed to find a better area than a finished basement to pull it off, especially if your basement has a bathroom. You can make your basement work for any type of space you need in your home, and you can pull this off for a fraction of the price of renovations elsewhere.
Adds More Value Than you Realize
Another important thing you have to realize about a finished basement is that it will provide a lot more value than you realize, especially when you juxtapose it against what you have to spend to have your basement developed. It’s all about that added finished square footage. So, for instance, think about getting your home appraised. The appraiser isn’t necessarily concerned about what you’re using the basement for; they’re more concerned about what that space adds. So a few thousand dollars invested in a basement can pay off more than twofold with appraisal, which gives you a lot more equity.
To that end, you can also translate this into the resale value of your home. When your home appraises for much more, it’s going to sell for that price, give or take. A small investment in your basement can really pay off hugely on the open market. All buyers will see that you have an entire extra room, extra square footage, and their imaginations can run wild in terms of what they would want to do with that. It’s a great way to drive your resell value up in a big way.
It’s Easy to Get the Job Done
Lastly, let’s speak about how easy it is to get the job done. When you find the right contractor to handle this issue for you, they can get in and get out in a hurry. Of course, this will depend on what you want and what you need. For instance, if you already have a bathroom rough-in, for example, and just want your basement turned into an extra bedroom, it’s as simple as the contractor throwing some walls and doors up, by and large. If you want a man-cave space, it’s even simpler. The point is that the basement is already built. All you’re looking for is someone to finish it. This means that the professionals get in and out in a hurry, and it’s not going to cost you nearly as much as other areas of the home. This is a huge advantage for anyone looking to get a lot more bang for their proverbial buck.
This guide’s main point is that a finished basement you can be proud of is within reach. It doesn’t cost a ton; it doesn’t take a long time, yet you still get to have a newly finished and renovated area of your home that can add value and a lot of square footage. This is why so many are looking to finish their basements today.
