If you live in a neighborhood in which the homes were built in the post war years of the 1950′s, there’s a good chance that your home has a basement.  The typical finish on a basement built back then was a fresh coat of concrete paint and if you were lucky…some dark wood paneling.    However, modern day demands on families require a new look at an old problem.  Refinishing your basement is what we will consider today.   Having an unfinished basement in your home is like having wasted space.  You can turn that space around by finishing your basement, putting equity in your home, and most important, getting to enjoy that bonus space you have always wanted.

Any realtor will tell you that finishing your basement is like putting money in your pocket.  When you go to sell your home, that finished area will draw buyers in with the promise of game rooms, home theatres, or children’s play areas away from the rest of the living space.  And the real benefit is, you get to enjoy it in the mean time!

So many homeowners dream of adding on to their homes to get that den or home office they’ve always wanted.  Finishing the basement instead of building an addition is cheaper, and more effectively uses space.  Even the darkest basement can be transformed! As amazing as it sounds, I actually know a friend who started a project in his basement a few years ago whereby he was removing carpet all around and then installed a brick walkway and made the flooring look like the yellow brick road from the Wizard of Oz!  It sounds  a little strange…but it turned out very, very cool.

Basement finishing can be done on a variety of levels, often depending on what you have to work with from the beginning.  The project can be simple enough for a handy homeowner, or may require work by a qualified contractor.  No matter how big or small your project is, you will be so glad you went to the trouble to turn that dank, dark unused space into a living area of your dreams.  There are many great ideas online for finishing projects, from flooring to walls, ceilings and lighting.  A bit of research will turn up many specialty retailers that will give you great ideas to build on.