Once you decide to turn your basement into a cozy livable space, the hard part is figuring out how to plan for, prepare, and start the actual basement refinishing and renovation process.
Basements of most homes are dark spaces with awkward layouts, water seepage problems, lack of ventilation, electricity, plumbing, metal beams and many other obstacles that make the idea of finishing a basement seem like a daunting task.
The reality is that with careful planning and a little bit of creativity, you can turn your basement into a comfortable space that will meet your family’s needs.
Our basement waterproofing guide will help you get started and walk you through the important things you need to consider and do to successfully finish your basement.
Waterproof Your Space
Water leaks and moisture are serious problems that affect all basements.
There are many causes of potential leaks such as the basement’s proximity to the ground, poor landscaping, drainage issues, porous concrete walls that constantly absorb moisture, plumbing leaks, etc. This means that before you start investing your time and money into finishing the basement, you must fix any existing water seepage issues.
The water-proofing system needs to cover the basement’s entire perimeter, including the exterior. Skipping this critical step can lead down the road to disaster where your beautifully finished basement could simply be damaged by moisture, rot, mold, and mildew. Needless to say, you will want to take any reasonable, precautionary measures to avoid this.
Crown molding is one of the trickiest moldings to cut and install. One of the basics rules is that you measure the wall normally from end to end, but you cut the piece up side down, which brings for some a lot of confusion and eventually some wasted pricey material 🙂
Preparations
1. Take the measurements, and then add 10 percent to the figures for when you make mistakes.
2. Choose the style and finish that you want. Many sizes and shapes are available for you to choose from. Make sure that they match with your personal preferences, the decorations in the room, and the overall color scheme. The finish that you choose should be applied first before you begin cutting and fitting the crown molding.
3. Buy the size that will need the least amount of splices. Splices may be unavoidable in some cases, but the fewer splices there are, the more appealing the end results will be.
Cutting The Corners
1. The first and most difficult part in learning how to install crown molding is cutting the corners. The easiest way to trim the corners is by using a coping saw, since a mitered joint is less tight than a coped joint. If there is any gap in a coped cut, this can be concealed with some caulk.
2. Another tool that you can choose to cut the corners is a power miter saw. Not only is it accurate, it also provides a cleaner cut.
Measuring and Marking the Wall
Take the measurements of the wall for the length of the very first piece of molding. You have to mark the wall so that it shows the bottom edge of the molding.
We’ve seen those remodeling shows where homeowners take sledgehammers to walls, and cabinets crash to the floor.
Here are some tips from the other end of the spectrum, small remodeling ideas that are a big help to sellers. They are simple, creative, DIY… but wait! Before you shake your head: you can have someone do them for you, and you don’t have to be a Creative Type.
Small Ideas: Big Difference
These projects are worth doing, but you decide how much you actually do. If you’re a DIY fan, great. If not, you can still choose the right materials. The trick is to know your house well, and you’re the expert there.
Imaginative Goals
One goal in small remodeling is to give the house a fresh, clean look that shows off its best features. Another is to spark the imaginations of potential buyers. You don’t want them to see the house as your home, but to imagine it as their home. 😉
This means following some tried-and-true rules, but also using your own knowledge of the house to its benefit.
The following simple ideas are inexpensive, and top agents agree they have proven appeal to potential buyers.
Helpful (and Maybe Even Fun) Small Remodels
1. Paint Indoors
Neutral colors are the best choice because they let good features show and present a “blank canvas” to the buyers’ imaginations. You know your warm and cool rooms, those with lots of or little sun, so you can choose warm or cool neutrals to balance those spaces.
Paint is especially helpful in updating kitchens and bathrooms, where “new” walls will take the focus off not-so-new interiors that require big remodels.
Cost: Plan to spend a few hundred dollars on quality paint and supplies if you are tackling this job DIY styles. If you plan to hire a handyman, your cost will be anywhere from $500.00 to a couple of thousand dollars depending on the extent of the work — the number of rooms being painted, and whether or not the removal of old wallpaper is required.
ROI: With the right paint colors for the interior walls and a job well-done, your ROI could be well over 100%. A nice facelift for you house and a more attractive, clean and modern look is what you get. If selling your house is the goal, then this is surely an important part of getting your home ready for sale. 😉
2. Paint Outdoors
A freshly painted front door says “Welcome!” with personality. Painting window trim freshens the first impression, but also lets you accent the windows on your home, or not. Having outdoor accent paint complement a flowering tree or your main garden color can be a charming touch.
Cost: To hire a handyman to repaint the exterior trim can cost anywhere from $500.00 to $2,000 depending on the extent of the work.
ROI: Getting your front door and window trim painted and exterior powerwashed not only welcomes buyers, it gets you money back when you sell your house.
3. Rearrange Furniture for better staging
Its placement likely reflects how you live, so rearrange furniture to minimize your presence and let the house’s qualities “speak up.” If you have a fireplace, arrange suggest a cozy evening. Aim seating towards a gorgeous view out a picture window when things are in bloom. Ask buyers to imagine a quiet reading area, or a sunny kitchen spot as a place for breakfast.
Buyers need to be able to picture the use for every single room, and you can create that use in the way you lay out your furniture. If you don’t lay out the furniture in a cohesive way, buyers could think that your floor plan has a bad flow or that it has too much unusable space.
Cost: Free if you do it yourself, or a couple hundred dollars to get a professional advice from an experienced interior designer or home staging company.
ROI: With the right house and proper furniture and lighting arrangement, you can make the whole home sale process easier, shorter, and more enjoyable.
4. Pay Attention to Small Details in the Kitchen
Speaking of kitchens (and bathrooms), buyers focus there, so details count. Choose new cabinet handles and drawer pulls, to give a uniform “look.” Hardware can be “country,” or “industrial,” etc., and can give a new feel to an older room. These small details cost pennies to fix (only $2.00-$5.00 per drawer pull), yet they give your space an instant facelift. Old hardware makes a space look dated, where new hardware makes buyers think it’s newer, and thus worth more, than it actually is.
You can make small scale changes in the kitchen that have a big impact, too. According to Consumer Reports, a kitchen renovation for as low as $300 could make you 3% more on your home sale. Spending that cash on drawer pulls and getting your cabinets/walls repainted will make the biggest impact.
Water leaks and moisture are serious problems that affect all basements. 
