Unfinished basement ideas

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rayson
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Unfinished basement ideas

Post by rayson »

Bogleheads,

I'm looking for some creative ideas for budget friendly basement improvements.

We have a 2300 sqft, 9 ft tall unfinished basement that is literally empty and unused. I'm interested in making this space clean and usable for kids play area, personal gym, etc without breaking the bank. I'm not building a bar or a bathroom (no rough-in plumbing available anyway) so I don't expect any plumbing or electrical work. Since I live in one of the highest property taxed counties in the nation, I'm not looking to pull a permit and have my already high property tax raised. Also, I'm not handy, so I will be looking to hire contractors for the work. Below are a few ideas being considered at the moment:

1. Spray paint ceiling with a dark color
2. Spray paint concrete floor
3. Not sure if painting concrete side walls is a good idea??

Any other ideas, resources or recommendations are greatly appreciated.

Reference: http://www.fatwallet.com/blog/budget-fr ... ent-ideas/
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Toons
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Re: Unfinished basement ideas

Post by Toons »

I am pretty sure Hgtv.com has some basement remodeling ideas. :happy
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Bfwolf
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Re: Unfinished basement ideas

Post by Bfwolf »

Two words: Laser Tag
Mingus
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Re: Unfinished basement ideas

Post by Mingus »

A blank slate dream basement!

I'd put an epoxy floor in over the concrete and call it good. Hire it out.

No paint on the walls. No paint on the ceiling. Maybe add some better lighting.

Keep it a basement. Add some work benches. Storage shelving.

There's no existing plumbing in the basement? A utility sink would be nice too.
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dbCooperAir
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Re: Unfinished basement ideas

Post by dbCooperAir »

Be a little careful, if you are planning on hiring a legit contractor they may want to pull a permit, that will defeat the tax man go around.

You noted you are not planning on any electrical work, if you "finish" the space by code you are suppose to have so many outlets etc. Again if you don't have it inspected I guess you would not have to worry about it.

I'm neither pro/con of pulling a permit, understand completely not wanting the tax man to come out but........If you go to sell at some point many people know days will look up what permits were pulled and if nothing shows up for the basement they will ding you for it. Around here the assessor comes by about 5 years and they will see what you done anyway and you get to pay.

If you are going to keep it on the down low do it cheaply so you can just tear it out and call it unfinished. I don't recall the numbers but typically basement finishes you get something like 50% on the dollar out of it.
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JDCarpenter
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Re: Unfinished basement ideas

Post by JDCarpenter »

Man, our whole househunt in middle tennessee was wrapped up in our desire for a basement (wine/movies/workout/woodshop)--and you've got it just sitting there!

You don't have to be that handy to frame a room in, build a platform for tiered couch seating, prewire everything, paint a rectangle on wall and set up a home theater projector with excellent surround sound. (Although you might need a permit even for this--I live in the sticks...)

Easiest thing is your idea of work out room. Just get the equipment off of craigslist cheap and start using it. Or maybe improve the space to the level suggested by Mingus.
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YttriumNitrate
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Re: Unfinished basement ideas

Post by YttriumNitrate »

deleted.
Last edited by YttriumNitrate on Sat Mar 12, 2016 11:11 am, edited 1 time in total.
Topic Author
rayson
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Re: Unfinished basement ideas

Post by rayson »

Thanks for chiming in. Great input so far. Thanks!

Correct. No plumbing in the basement, besides sump pump.
There's no existing plumbing in the basement?

Thanks for the caution. I called the village, and they said any cosmetic changes that don't involve plumbing and electrical typically doesn't require a permit in our county. But, I understand potential risks at the time of selling in the future.
Be a little careful, if you are planning on hiring a legit contractor they may want to pull a permit, that will defeat the tax man go around.
Basement is fairly dry, but gets humid in summer. So, I run a dehumidifier in summers.
My number one question would be: How dry is your basement?
Last edited by rayson on Mon Feb 22, 2016 2:18 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Jack FFR1846
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Re: Unfinished basement ideas

Post by Jack FFR1846 »

Humid in the winter? Do you mean in the summer?

Friends of ours painted the walls of their basement a bright cheery color, put down an inexpensive rug and hung a bunch of cheap fluorescent tube lights. Their kids were little at the time (maybe 5 and 6) and this allowed them to play as much as they wanted and leave a relative mess without having the living area an explosion of kids toys.

Consider before painting anything a dark color. Dark makes everything more dingy and harder to light. Ever wonder why tiny houses all have white everything? They look almost full size.
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Dutch
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Re: Unfinished basement ideas

Post by Dutch »

That is one humongous basement!
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rayson
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Re: Unfinished basement ideas

Post by rayson »

Jack FFR1846 wrote:Humid in the winter? Do you mean in the summer?
Sorry, I meant summers. I edited the post. Thanks for catching that.
Miguelito
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Re: Unfinished basement ideas

Post by Miguelito »

Number 1 issue to look at is moisture. Depending on where you live, how well insulated it is will also make a difference. In your case, a dark ceiling will mean a very dark basement unless you have an incredible amount of lighting.

Finally, beware of exposed electrical, HVAC, etc. If kids start playing, there is always a chance something could hit snag components meant to be covered. The same goes for exposed fiberglass insulation, asbestos, or any other hazard to health.

I'm about to finish my 1600sf basement with a bathroom (pre-plumbed into concrete). I plan on doing all of it except sheetrock & skim coat and the rough plumbing (MA - and my town more so- is very picky on who can do what).

I'm looking at $25-30k with my labor on most of the work. I figure I'm saving $15k+ by doing it myself.
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just frank
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Re: Unfinished basement ideas

Post by just frank »

A popular choice is to airseal the rim/sill plate area (can be hired out with spray foam outfit), which can make it much warmer and less drafty in the winter, and reduce humidity problems in the summer. Pays for itself over time in reduced energy bills. Also reduces insect and spider populations.

I would improve lighting, maybe in banks. Not hard to wire yourself DIY. I would go warm-white LED downlighting.

If not well conditioned or ventilated, I would add in branch ducts with main HVAC system in house. Your central AC is a better dehumidifier than a stand alone unit. Low humidity reduces musty smells, crickets, silverfish, etc.

If its still cold (walls uninsulated), there are 'systems' for covering walls with rigid board foam and a fire-safety layer like drywall. Goes up pretty fast. The result could make it a very nice and cozy space. Use blueboard and plastic molding if you ever 'might' get water down there.

For a nicer ceiling and acoustics, many folks like hung ceiling tiles. Also cheap and DIY-able (or cheap to have installed), while maintaining access to utility pipes, etc. Usual problem is ceiling height...starting with 9' you'd be good to go. If you like this, do the LED downlights in the hung ceiling.

Do the floor covering last if at all. If you insulate the walls and feed some HVAC, the floor will get warmer. If desired, I would think cheap area rugs that can be trashed if flooded.
renue74
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Re: Unfinished basement ideas

Post by renue74 »

We have a 700 sq/ft basement and did a reno to it 3 years ago. I think we dropped about $2500 into it.

The concrete walls already had insulation and drywall on them.

We

• Split the rectangular space in half and put up a wall (2x4 studded wall with drywall on each side) (about $150...drywall, studs, mud, tape, kilz, paint)

• added a drop ceiling with 2' x 2' acoustic tiles
• Added some can lights in the drop ceiling.
• Added laminate wood floors. (Super easy to install. Did the whole space in about 4 hours.)
• Bought a 1080 projector and ran the HDMI cables through the ceiling and down the "faux" wall....to make a 100" screen theater.
• Repainted all the walls.

All the above only took about 2 weeks of work during our Xmas time off.

We didn't pull a permit because the only thing that really was construction related was the wall. It's not load bearing.

Overall, we love the basement now and use it for movies and Xbox.
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JDCarpenter
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Re: Unfinished basement ideas

Post by JDCarpenter »

renue74 wrote:We have a 700 sq/ft basement and did a reno to it 3 years ago. I think we dropped about $2500 into it.

The concrete walls already had insulation and drywall on them.

We

• Split the rectangular space in half and put up a wall (2x4 studded wall with drywall on each side) (about $150...drywall, studs, mud, tape, kilz, paint)

• added a drop ceiling with 2' x 2' acoustic tiles
• Added some can lights in the drop ceiling.
• Added laminate wood floors. (Super easy to install. Did the whole space in about 4 hours.)
• Bought a 1080 projector and ran the HDMI cables through the ceiling and down the "faux" wall....to make a 100" screen theater.
• Repainted all the walls.

All the above only took about 2 weeks of work during our Xmas time off.

We didn't pull a permit because the only thing that really was construction related was the wall. It's not load bearing.

Overall, we love the basement now and use it for movies and Xbox.
This is very close to what I did with respect to the theater. We added in one platform for the rear couch, carpet instead of laminate, some more walls, and a dedicated electrical circuit for the AV equipment. (I didn't breakout the cost of theater from the wine cellar, but your price quote seems reasonable--excluding the AV gear. Kids loved it for gaming when they were home (and on their occasional visits now).
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WhyNotUs
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Re: Unfinished basement ideas

Post by WhyNotUs »

Phase One-
Check moisture
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-nsrquDpY4

Check for radon
Buy a test kit at Lowes, Home Depot or Ace etc.

Once that is in place, I would spend my money on some creative floor lighting, a toy storage container, a nice big rug for kids to play on, and roughing in a closet to keep the gym stuff safe from the kids.

Painting concrete is not worth doing, especially if you need a sump pump. Why paint the ceiling a dark color? Basements usually benefit from light instead of dark unless it is a media room. If you don't want to look at trusses, buying some bulk fabric (I like hemp) to staple on and tack some trim to create some form and cover seams.

All of the above, except closet, are easy to remove and/or relocate as kids grow older and you learn whether you will really use gym or not.
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renue74
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Re: Unfinished basement ideas

Post by renue74 »

JDCarpenter wrote:
renue74 wrote:We have a 700 sq/ft basement and did a reno to it 3 years ago. I think we dropped about $2500 into it.

The concrete walls already had insulation and drywall on them.

We

• Split the rectangular space in half and put up a wall (2x4 studded wall with drywall on each side) (about $150...drywall, studs, mud, tape, kilz, paint)

• added a drop ceiling with 2' x 2' acoustic tiles
• Added some can lights in the drop ceiling.
• Added laminate wood floors. (Super easy to install. Did the whole space in about 4 hours.)
• Bought a 1080 projector and ran the HDMI cables through the ceiling and down the "faux" wall....to make a 100" screen theater.
• Repainted all the walls.

All the above only took about 2 weeks of work during our Xmas time off.

We didn't pull a permit because the only thing that really was construction related was the wall. It's not load bearing.

Overall, we love the basement now and use it for movies and Xbox.
This is very close to what I did with respect to the theater. We added in one platform for the rear couch, carpet instead of laminate, some more walls, and a dedicated electrical circuit for the AV equipment. (I didn't breakout the cost of theater from the wine cellar, but your price quote seems reasonable--excluding the AV gear. Kids loved it for gaming when they were home (and on their occasional visits now).
Yep...you're correct. I think spent about $2500 on the renovation and another $1500 on the projector, projector ceiling mount, HDMI cabling, and soundbar. We bought a nice little IKEA low level TV cabinet to fit the Xbox/PS3, DirecTV, soundbar, subwoofer, etc. in. It was low enough to where the 100" screen was easily viewable.

If we ever sell our home, it will bring value to the sales price.
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cheese_breath
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Re: Unfinished basement ideas

Post by cheese_breath »

Make sure you use paint formulated for masonry and cement surfaces, or you might find it flaking after awhile. When I did my basement I used Behr Basement & Masonry Waterproofer on the walls and Behr Porch & Patio Floor Paint on the floor. Apply both with a roller.
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JDDS
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Re: Unfinished basement ideas

Post by JDDS »

This thread is now in the Personal Consumer Issues forum.
HoopDiddyDiddy
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Re: Unfinished basement ideas

Post by HoopDiddyDiddy »

My basement is technically unfinished although we spend 95% of our time in it- I joke that my upstairs "real house" is completely unused except for the kitchen.
First, we added a woodburning insert to the fireplace and this is what made all the difference. My basement is toasty warm and because the ceiling is unfinished the heat is conducted upstairs very easily. I also had a cold air return installed as close to the fire as code allowed. All my wood mess is confined to the basement and it is all open and so very easy to clean.

The floor and walls are painted. I have umpteen area rugs. While some are over a decade old I consider them semi disposable. Because they are no larger than 6x8 I can drag them outside and hang them on a fence to shampoo them if need be, but if I had a really horrific pet accident I could toss them without feeling bad about it.
I have comfy furniture and our largest TV/sound system down here- a sofa and a recliner. I have a spare bed that I keep made so if you fall asleep watching TV you can at least be comfortable about it. I have a desk with a desktop PC. I have a semi kitchen- a fridge, good counter space, and a microwave are essential. My laundry sink is nearby so that works. I have several heavy duty steel racks for storage, two waist high for laundry folding- I glued linoleum to the tops for a nicer surface.
All our workout equipment is here- a treadmill, free weights, a cage and cable system.
Husbands acoustic drum kit is here, as is my greenhouse/orchid growing enclosure where I bring all my potted tropical plants in for the winter. We truly spend all of our down time/hobby time here and my "real house" upstairs stays clutter free.

I love that the ceiling is not finished- the ready access to plumbing and electrical is a godsend and I truly would not change that. I have nails in nearly every joist for hanging ballcaps, lanterns, and 100 other useful items that I like handy but up out of the way- I cannot express how handy this is.
I have windows on one side and assorted floor lamps, but the major lighting is white LED "Christmas" fairy type lighting I stapled all over the ceiling. The ambiance it creates is really wonderful, and it provides good light without screwing up the TV viewing experience.

My own advice on this one is to ignore the concrete block walls, concrete floor, and unfinished ceiling and proceed as if you were furnishing a series of areas specific to your own uses. As long as it is dry, lay down rugs, keep blankets handy, and don't be afraid to implement whatever wacky feature that your own household seems to need. Of course I am always fine tuning, but this space would work for no other family but mine and that's the way it should be. Nothing is off limits- if you need something, rig it up. It's your space to use as you see fit and I do so without one iota of regard for how other people would view it.
Flashes1
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Re: Unfinished basement ideas

Post by Flashes1 »

I put this in my home gym---same stuff that Lifetime Fitness uses, and is virtually indestructible:

http://www.rubberflooringinc.com/rubber ... -roll.html
goodlifer
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Re: Unfinished basement ideas

Post by goodlifer »

I had a basement as big as yours in our last house. It was awesome. We left everything unfinished and just made a wall to separate the storage area from the play area. Most of the basement was play area because my daughter would roller skate or ride her bike down there in the winter. It saved our sanity. Winters seem to last forever here. Costco had foam flooring tiles that connected like puzzle pieces, which I used in the exercise area.
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hand
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Re: Unfinished basement ideas

Post by hand »

just frank wrote:A popular choice is to airseal the rim/sill plate area (can be hired out with spray foam outfit), which can make it much warmer and less drafty in the winter, and reduce humidity problems in the summer. Pays for itself over time in reduced energy bills. Also reduces insect and spider populations.

I would improve lighting, maybe in banks. Not hard to wire yourself DIY. I would go warm-white LED downlighting.

If not well conditioned or ventilated, I would add in branch ducts with main HVAC system in house. Your central AC is a better dehumidifier than a stand alone unit. Low humidity reduces musty smells, crickets, silverfish, etc.

If its still cold (walls uninsulated), there are 'systems' for covering walls with rigid board foam and a fire-safety layer like drywall. Goes up pretty fast. The result could make it a very nice and cozy space. Use blueboard and plastic molding if you ever 'might' get water down there.

For a nicer ceiling and acoustics, many folks like hung ceiling tiles. Also cheap and DIY-able (or cheap to have installed), while maintaining access to utility pipes, etc. Usual problem is ceiling height...starting with 9' you'd be good to go. If you like this, do the LED downlights in the hung ceiling.

Do the floor covering last if at all. If you insulate the walls and feed some HVAC, the floor will get warmer. If desired, I would think cheap area rugs that can be trashed if flooded.
I would second these recommendations, and have completed the rim joist sealing, warm white LED downlighting and insulation described above to good results.

Specifically, if you have humidity / temperature issues in the basement, and don't plan to finish the walls, I would highly recommend Dow White Face Thermax which has a white aluminium covering on one side which is fire rated and presents a bright industrial finished look after install and taping. In addition to reducing heat loss, it will minimize condensation and mold in the basement.
Topic Author
rayson
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Re: Unfinished basement ideas

Post by rayson »

OP here.

There are some fantastic ideas on this thread that we'll surely be considering. Our personal preference is to keep the basement area as empty, safe and clean as possible. We live in the midwest so we deal with fairly long winters around here. I love the idea of letting kids roller skate or practice dance, or just run around in the basement. Thanks for the great recommendation on rubber flooring. Moisture tests and radon tests were done when we bought the house 2 years ago. Radon mitigation equipment was installed before we moved in. I've also noted other great recommendations on lighting, wiring, home theater ideas for future consideration.

Any cool ideas on how to cover metal columns in the basement?
investingdad
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Re: Unfinished basement ideas

Post by investingdad »

We finished 750 square feet of basement into a family game room. About 25k for a high quality project.

Turned out beautiful. I did the design and layout and enjoyed the process.
Ellie
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Re: Unfinished basement ideas

Post by Ellie »

The definitive resource for renovation ideas in my house is http://www.houzz.com. We undertook a basement renovation around two years ago, and almost every idea came from an inspiration found there. Good luck!
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lthenderson
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Re: Unfinished basement ideas

Post by lthenderson »

When I was a kid, the neighbor has a similar basement. He painted lines on the floor, got a half dozen bigwheels and his kids and us used to spend hours down there racing each other around the track. Most fun I have ever had in a basement.

These days if I had a basement like that, I would turn it into a workshop to support my hobbies instead of the half garage stall I currently occupy. The other thing I would consider is to get some adult games like a pool table, etc. put down there and make a huge man cave out of it.
scooterdog
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Re: Unfinished basement ideas

Post by scooterdog »

rayson wrote:OP here.
...
Any cool ideas on how to cover metal columns in the basement?
Our basement (about 1100sf, of which 700sf was finished) was remodeled by the prior owner right before we bought the place. IMHO it added value to the purchase price, (in Maryland like in many places it doesn't add to the total living square footage in tax records) as our prior place had a tiny basement that was hardly usable.

Anyway there was a covered beam in front of an awkward wall, and last spring decided to add a hallway, bathroom, and several storage spaces to the remaining 400sf of unfinished space. Before the bathroom was finished (I've done major remodeling before acting as my own contractor to save $, but have moved past and hire people to handle all the headaches that involves), a friend suggested using that beam (about 4' off to the side and in front of an existing partition wall) to build another false wall for a home theatre, instead of using the existing partition wall to mount a TV on.

It was an awesome idea, and not expensive. Contractor built the false wall for something like $500, complete with cutouts for the left, right and center speakers and used an acoustically-transparent 110" projector screen to cover the works. (The L/R speakers were repurposed, 20y old ones, and bought a used center.) Yes a large flat area is one idea, another one is to partition things along those poles. This is where looking at other remodels (i.e. houzz) is useful.

After living in many un-modernized places for a long time (original 1942 pink tile anyone? avocado appliances?) we are now looking at a six-figure master bedroom remodel this year, and I'm encouraging DW to go for it - I'm looking at the 12 years we'll be here until our youngest enters college (and 12 years is the minimum) and it comes down to enjoying those 12 years every day. Should we sell in 2028 and recoup half of that is worth it to us.
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just frank
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Re: Unfinished basement ideas

Post by just frank »

rayson wrote:OP here.

There are some fantastic ideas on this thread that we'll surely be considering. Our personal preference is to keep the basement area as empty, safe and clean as possible. We live in the midwest so we deal with fairly long winters around here. I love the idea of letting kids roller skate or practice dance, or just run around in the basement. Thanks for the great recommendation on rubber flooring. Moisture tests and radon tests were done when we bought the house 2 years ago. Radon mitigation equipment was installed before we moved in. I've also noted other great recommendations on lighting, wiring, home theater ideas for future consideration.

Any cool ideas on how to cover metal columns in the basement?
Bottom line is little kids (under 7-8) will love to run around and ride trikes/bikes in the winter. Older kids will want air hockey tables, and a place to play video games/home theater. I predict you will start empty, and then in a few years you will reconfigure.
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cheese_breath
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Re: Unfinished basement ideas

Post by cheese_breath »

rayson wrote: Any cool ideas on how to cover metal columns in the basement?
I painted mine to match the floors, but you might consider padded post wraps if there's a chance kids running around might run into them.

https://www.google.com/search?q=padded+ ... MQ_AUIBygC

https://www.google.com/search?q=padded+ ... 8Q_AUIBygC
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rayson
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Re: Unfinished basement ideas

Post by rayson »

just frank wrote:
Bottom line is little kids (under 7-8) will love to run around and ride trikes/bikes in the winter. Older kids will want air hockey tables, and a place to play video games/home theater. I predict you will start empty, and then in a few years you will reconfigure.
Exactly my line of thinking at the moment. Although I have to say, I'm blown away by basement projects on Houzz. Amazing how some people spent six figures on basement projects.
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rayson
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Re: Unfinished basement ideas

Post by rayson »

cheese_breath wrote:
rayson wrote: Any cool ideas on how to cover metal columns in the basement?
I painted mine to match the floors, but you might consider padded post wraps if there's a chance kids running around might run into them.

https://www.google.com/search?q=padded+ ... MQ_AUIBygC

https://www.google.com/search?q=padded+ ... 8Q_AUIBygC
Thanks, I was not aware of padded post pads. Will look into these at a local store.
investingdad
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Re: Unfinished basement ideas

Post by investingdad »

rayson wrote:
just frank wrote:
Bottom line is little kids (under 7-8) will love to run around and ride trikes/bikes in the winter. Older kids will want air hockey tables, and a place to play video games/home theater. I predict you will start empty, and then in a few years you will reconfigure.
Exactly my line of thinking at the moment. Although I have to say, I'm blown away by basement projects on Houzz. Amazing how some people spent six figures on basement projects.
Deep six figures. Like I said, we spent 25k on a quality finish of 750 ft2. And I did the custom painting on bare drywall. To do some of what I see on Houzz is a LOT of money.
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Watty
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Re: Unfinished basement ideas

Post by Watty »

I didn't see anyone mention putting in acoustical ceiling tiles. These are not terribly expensive and they are easy to do yourself. They have a couple of advantages in that they will help deaden the sound of the kids playing and you can still access the pipes and ductwork if you need to.

We did that with our basement and did the work ourselves but had someone come in and wire the lighting.

You likely need to go ahead and have someone so the wiring since you will need power down there for the lighting and other things.
guitarguy
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Re: Unfinished basement ideas

Post by guitarguy »

This post could have come verbatim from me last fall, with the exception of the sqft. We ended up with an awesome family room down there for very reasonable $$. We did the following:

1. Spray painted ceiling black and installed some recessed lighting. Paint was an all out MESS...but looks amazing.
2. painted walls with Shercrete paint
3. Painted floor with Sherwin Williams porch & floor paint (DO NOT spray the floor, use a roller). Use the plastic/tape method to check dampness before you paint...google it if needed.

The rest is up to you. We also did some electrical work (added outlets), hung some black pipe and used some curtains to divide off our laundry room for very cheap, installed a big TV, built a closet, and drywalled in the area under our stairs and installed shelving, and installed a banister and re-treads on the stairs. Some of that cost a few bucks...but we really like it.
4strings
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Re: Unfinished basement ideas

Post by 4strings »

hand wrote: Tue Feb 23, 2016 10:14 am
just frank wrote:A popular choice is to airseal the rim/sill plate area (can be hired out with spray foam outfit), which can make it much warmer and less drafty in the winter, and reduce humidity problems in the summer. Pays for itself over time in reduced energy bills. Also reduces insect and spider populations.

I would improve lighting, maybe in banks. Not hard to wire yourself DIY. I would go warm-white LED downlighting.

If not well conditioned or ventilated, I would add in branch ducts with main HVAC system in house. Your central AC is a better dehumidifier than a stand alone unit. Low humidity reduces musty smells, crickets, silverfish, etc.

If its still cold (walls uninsulated), there are 'systems' for covering walls with rigid board foam and a fire-safety layer like drywall. Goes up pretty fast. The result could make it a very nice and cozy space. Use blueboard and plastic molding if you ever 'might' get water down there.

For a nicer ceiling and acoustics, many folks like hung ceiling tiles. Also cheap and DIY-able (or cheap to have installed), while maintaining access to utility pipes, etc. Usual problem is ceiling height...starting with 9' you'd be good to go. If you like this, do the LED downlights in the hung ceiling.

Do the floor covering last if at all. If you insulate the walls and feed some HVAC, the floor will get warmer. If desired, I would think cheap area rugs that can be trashed if flooded.
I would second these recommendations, and have completed the rim joist sealing, warm white LED downlighting and insulation described above to good results.

Specifically, if you have humidity / temperature issues in the basement, and don't plan to finish the walls, I would highly recommend Dow White Face Thermax which has a white aluminium covering on one side which is fire rated and presents a bright industrial finished look after install and taping. In addition to reducing heat loss, it will minimize condensation and mold in the basement.
what is the best way to learn about how to insulation the rim joist? I am currently in the middle of a DIY basement remodel and found this post to be super helpful.
arsenalfan
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Re: Unfinished basement ideas

Post by arsenalfan »

Astroturf recommendations anyone?
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hand
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Re: Unfinished basement ideas

Post by hand »

4strings wrote: Wed Feb 14, 2018 2:28 pm
what is the best way to learn about how to insulation the rim joist? I am currently in the middle of a DIY basement remodel and found this post to be super helpful.
Building Science Corporation has numerous resources which address the science and best practices of construction and insulation. Linked is one (of many) relevant examples: https://buildingscience.com/documents/i ... -rim-joist

Supplemental, and sometimes more practical information is available at DIY Foam provider websites (I used Foam it Green) which often have links to YouTube videos of the installation process.

Finally, I would be remiss not to mention your locally applicable code, since exposed spray foam is nasty when burned, so many locations require a fire block.

Do note that while spray foam appears to be the low labor, higher materials cost, best results solution for rim joists, there are other suitable solutions requiring more effort, but less cost including a cutting foam board to size then lightly covering with spray foam.
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Epsilon Delta
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Re: Unfinished basement ideas

Post by Epsilon Delta »

While I'd usually a minimalist for basements, if kids are going to be playing down there I'd seriously consider walling in the mechanicals (furnace and water heater). I'd probably make that enclosure a little bigger than needed so I had a safe space to store breakables like storm windows and flower pots.
WalterMitty
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Re: Unfinished basement ideas

Post by WalterMitty »

rayson wrote: Mon Feb 22, 2016 11:45 am Bogleheads,

I'm looking for some creative ideas for budget friendly basement improvements.

We have a 2300 sqft, 9 ft tall unfinished basement that is literally empty and unused. I'm interested in making this space clean and usable for kids play area, personal gym, etc without breaking the bank. I'm not building a bar or a bathroom (no rough-in plumbing available anyway) so I don't expect any plumbing or electrical work. Since I live in one of the highest property taxed counties in the nation, I'm not looking to pull a permit and have my already high property tax raised. Also, I'm not handy, so I will be looking to hire contractors for the work. Below are a few ideas being considered at the moment:

1. Spray paint ceiling with a dark color
2. Spray paint concrete floor
3. Not sure if painting concrete side walls is a good idea??

Any other ideas, resources or recommendations are greatly appreciated.

Reference: http://www.fatwallet.com/blog/budget-fr ... ent-ideas/
Before we finished our basement we did the following.....(all ourselves)

1) Painted all the walls white
2) Converted all the pull chain lights to a wireless system. mounted wirlesss switch on the wall, so kids could turn on. At the time, they couldn't even reach the pull chains they were so small.
3) My wife stapled "cheesy cloth" (or something like that...some light fabric) to the ceiling. It was cheap, and cleaned things up, so we weren't looking at beams, cords, and pipes
4) We went to menards and bought carpet off their rolls that already had a small padding attached..

It was amazing how much a difference this made. the white walls briighted up the space, and the carpet made it quieter. It was a great space for the kids for about 8 years until we finished it. They could play soccer, hockey, throw balls off the walls, etc. It was an awesome space for rainy or very cold days. Once finished the space, they were older and bit less rough on the space.
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czeckers
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Re: Unfinished basement ideas

Post by czeckers »

Another option for finishing the floor is an epoxy finish. It looks good, is durable, and ok to get wet.

I live in a cold climate, and having 3" of foam sprayed into the rim joist cavity all around the house made a pretty significant difference in comfort and energy costs. We paid $800 for a 1500 sq ft basement. In my area, the rim joist is the one area where fire blocking is not required by code. Go figure.
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alpenglow
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Re: Unfinished basement ideas

Post by alpenglow »

Sounds like a great space to race Big Wheels.

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