With property prices fluctuating and space becoming more and more expensive, it has become imperative that all property owners look to maximize their space utilization. As part of this utilization, many areas which were earlier used for ancillary services like garage and basement are being looked to be converted to more livable spaces, spaces which give you more value for your precious space. We shall look into options that are available for conversion of a basement into a livable space.
Lots of home owners have basements as part of their storing space, a space which comes in handy to store old discarded items and sometimes this is also used a wine cellar. Due to such uses, most basements end up being dimly lit or very less ventilated.
This makes the entire conversion process slightly complicated as you need to not only ensure more lighting and air movement, but also to make sure that the space is safe enough for use, as constant use as store has made the room very damp and claustrophobic. Some very common conversions that basements are effected to are kitchens, study area or children’s play room, living room or even office area.
When you decide on the conversion that you would want your basement to become, one important aspect that you need to take into consideration is that the access has to be clear and uncluttered; especially in case you intend to convert it to a living room or a children’s room.
This is from a safety as well as an aesthetic point of view. Also, another important aspect is the fact of water proofing. All these years of darkness and humidity would have made the basement into a damp place. Hence, before you effect any conversion, a thorough water proofing job has to be done.
If you intend to make the room a kitchen, safety becomes a very important aspect as you have cooking gas, microwave ovens and fire related systems in use and hence ventilation and other safety features have to be in perfect condition. Also, the chimney and exhaust systems have to be installed in the correct positions.
In case you intend to convert it into study area or children’s room, the access has to be perfect and very safe. The entrance has to be well lit and even the room needs to be installed with good effective lighting systems. In case it is being converted to an office area, apart from lighting, the communication systems have to be installed.
Also, a separate entrance should be planned from the outside, so that official visitors do not have to disturb inmates while visiting the office. In any case, a thorough study of the features that are available and rectifications that need to be done should be taken up, before any conversion plan is finalized.
