4 Tips to Renovate Your Basement Like a Pro

Kevin Gardner

If you've thought about creating a place to retreat or need the extra room in your home, look no further than your basement. Don't be intimidated by such a cold, dark and large space. You can bring it new life and make it the hang-out spot. Renovating your basement is easier than you think. Consider the tips below to create your perfect basement renovation project.


Basements can have several issues going on. It's a place you typically see pests, have insulation issues, wiring problems, HVAC duct issues, a buildup of lint or dust, moisture and mold problems, water damage and cracks. The first thing you want to do is reduce the moisture in your basement. You can do this by opening it up. Be sure that you don't have any leaks before you make any changes to your walls. You might not know you have a leak during the winter. It's only in the spring when things start thawing that people discover their leak issues from frozen pipes. If you have water damage, it will turn into mold damage quickly. You will need to replace surfaces that have water damage immediately. It's a good idea to increase your insulation. You can use a moisture barrier on the exterior of the house to reduce water from entering into your home. Repair any cracks you may have in your foundation or walls. Cracks can be minor or they can mean that there is a structural issue within your home. It would be wise to have your basement inspected.


When you're sure you don't have pipe leaks, you don't have any major cracks in your walls and you don't have any mold or water damage, you can decide what you want to do with your walls. Don't worry about adding walls within your basement, unless you have the idea of creating a little storage room. Potential home buyers like basements with storage rooms. If you don't need one and you're not selling your home anytime soon, it's not necessary to build one. An open renovated basement provides numerous uses for the room.

Painting your walls is probably the easiest change to make to your walls. You can refinish your walls with the texture you like. You can hang traditional wallpaper, but you can also use temporary peel and stick wallpaper too. There are several colors, patterns and textures to choose from. Since basements tend to be dim, you may want to use bright colors. However, if lighting isn't an issue, dark colors help occupants to feel calm and relaxed.


Basements aren't usually a good place to install hardwood flooring because it tends to expand and retract with fluctuations in moisture. This can be caused by pipes leaking, water leaking into the basement from outside and water coming from washer machines. Concrete continually releases moisture too. However, you can use subflooring that can provide a moisture barrier to help protect your flooring. Your basement can have bigger problems if it's prone to flooding. You'll need to use a sump pump, repair cracks and use other methods to prevent flooding.

If you use a moisture barrier subflooring, you can put down any type of carpet and other types of flooring that you like. Without any flooring, your concrete could release moisture and damage your floor. In the past, many people opted for either laminate, hardwood flooring or tile to reduce the amount of allergens in the home. Typically, dust, debris, pet dander and allergens get caught in carpet fibers. This can be an issue for those who have allergies. Now, there are a variety of carpets that are allergen, spill and stain-resistant to a great extent. Carpet can help provide comfort, and it helps to insulate your basement year round.

Multifunction Room

If you make the basement into a bedroom, you will need a way to egress because you need two ways to egress in total. This isn't an issue if you have a large window. You might also need to get a permit, so it's better to check into that before you proceed with your basement. A multifunction room is probably your best bet with renovating your basement. Instead of focusing on one use, you can design a room to meet an array of needs. You can make it a family fun night room, a place to relax after a long day, a room to watch sports and anything else you imagine. The key is to have a screen for viewing, comfortable couches and adequate storage for everything you need. If you want your basement to be something specific, you should know everything you need to about the type of room you want before you make any changes to the wall or otherwise. It doesn't make much sense to paint your walls and then discover that you have to change the direction of pipes in your walls to accommodate a sink.


Natural lighting is always best for any room in the home, which means you need some sort of window, or several, in your basement. Natural light helps to keep your electricity costs low, ad you'll be helping the environment. There are several basement window options to choose from. Window wells are one option. You can always use artificial lighting too. Solar lighting can be used, but you will need to set up wiring between your lights and solar panels to accomplish this. Indirect lighting or warm light is best for creating a cozy atmosphere. You can use LED lights, miniature lights, light ropes, recessed lighting or anything else you can imagine.

Once you complete your basement, you just need to add some personal touches here and there. The good news is that a lot of the information you learned here carries over into the rest of the home. The best news is that doing the rest of your home could be less intensive than your basement, and the basement isn't as hard as you thought it would be.