Black & Decker The Complete Guide to Finishing Basements: Step-by-step Projects for Adding Living Space without Adding On

2009·42.99 MB·English

by  Editors of Creative Publishing

FINISHING BASEMENTS

Step-by-step Projects for Adding
Living Space Without Adding On

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA
www.creativepub.com
Contents
The Complete Guide to Finishing Basements
Introduction

REMODELING BASICS

Evaluating & Planning
Basement Possibilities
Evaluating Your Basement
Remodeling Codes & Practices
Planning Your Project
Improving Basement Environments
Controlling Moisture
Controlling Pests
Insulating Basements
Improving Heating & Cooling
Upgrading Ventilation
Adding Electrical Circuits
Floors
Preparing Basement Floors
Creating Decorative Concrete Finishes
Installing Radiant Floors
Laying Tile Floors
Installing Laminate Plank Floors
Laying Resilient Tile Floors
Installing Rubber Roll Floors
Laying Carpet
Walls & Ceilings
Wall & Ceiling Options
Framing Furred-Out Walls
Building Partition Walls
Framing Walls with Steel Studs
Framing Soffits
Installing Drywall
Finishing Drywall
Installing Paneling
Installing a Suspended Ceiling
Installing an Acoustic Tile Ceiling
Windows, Doors & Trim
Installing an Egress Window
Replacing Basement Windows
Trimming Basement Windows
Installing Prehung Interior Doors
Installing Pocket Doors
Installing Bifold Doors
Installing Walkout Patio Doors
Installing Molding
BASEMENT ROOMS
Basement Room Projects
Bathroom
Guest Bedroom
Family Room
Laundry Center
Wine Cellar
Gym
Home Office
Built-in Bar
Conversion Charts
Resources & Photo Credits
Index

Introduction
The modern basement is a far cry from the musty,
low-ceilinged root cellars and cisterns carved out beneath
our homes around the turn of the last century. Our
seemingly unquenchable thirst for more space in our
homes has caused home designers, builders, and owners
to squeeze every possible square foot of living space
from our houses. And this effort to maximize space has
focused attention squarely on the basement. No longer
the exclusive habitat of utility rooms, workshops, and the
occasional bar and party room, today’s basements have
opened up to the full gamut of space usage. Family
rooms, bedrooms, wine cellars, home gyms, home
theaters, offices . . . if there is a dedicated room for doing
it, you can easily find it in the basement.
During the last years of the 1990s and the first years of
this century, new home construction boomed. Contractors
developed new efficiencies that enabled them to erect
houses with unprecedented speed so they could keep up
with demand. One of these strategies was to forego time-
consuming finishing where they could, and in particular
in the basement. As a result, hundreds of thousands of
homes were built with an unfinished basement. This was
a benefit for the homebuyers as well because it shaved
several thousand dollars off the construction price in a
market where costs were soaring. And, being by nature
ambitious, new homeowners everywhere vowed to take
on the challenge of finishing their basements themselves.
If you are among the new homeowners whose
basement is an empty space with a few plumbing stub-
outs and little else but potential, this book is for you. In it
you’ll find answers to all of the questions you have
undoubtedly formed as you’ve dreamt about the many
options that await you below the grade. If you own an
older house with a basement that has been finished a few
decades ago but is badly in need of an update, you will
also find the information you need in the pages of The
Complete Guide to Finishing Basements. From design to
planning and execution, we show you in vivid detail the
steps you’ll need to take to expand your living space in
beautiful new ways.
When you’re remodeling a house, just about
everything changes once you get below ground. Most of
the unique challenges found in basement building are
related to water and moisture issues. But other factors
come into play as well: access, ventilation, clearances,
and egress are just a few of them. All of the information
in this book is reported with the specific demands of
basement remodeling in mind so you can be confident
when using it for guidance. Creating comfortable new
living space in your basement is a very rewarding way to
expand the horizons of your house while adding value by
increasing the assessable square footage.