Which project will improve quality of life more for young family, backyard or finished basement?

[Anonymous]

It really depends on your kid. Will he be practicing throwing and catching baseballs or pitching to a net in the yard? Will he like to shoot hoops? Will he be kicking soccer balls? These are things you cannot do in a basement. These might be things that dad would like to do with him and maybe this is why your husband is in favor of the backyard fence. If this is the case, go with the yard project first. The park across the street may or may not accommodate these activities or maybe your husband prefers some privacy with your son or possibly you like to play with the dog in your own yard.

If you prefer to watch movies in the basement or play cards with friends, go for the basement. I honestly think the basement is more appealing for an older child who is less physical and more social.

[Anonymous]

My kids play knee hockey in the basement. Plenty of physical activity down there.

Basement. You have a playground across the street already.

[Anonymous]

How "unfinished" is the basement? Ours is unfinished but I like it that way - less to worry about. I gave the concrete floor/cinder block walls a coat of bright paint - put FLOR rug tiles down in big parts of it and it is perfect for the kids - roughhousing, craft projects (especially messy ones) or just playing. Plus, you don't have to worry about unexpected leaks, plumbing issues or flooding. And if anything is going to wrong in a house - it tends to be in the basement. I use it for growing seedlings too.

So - can you just spruce it up to make it usable.

As to mosquitoes - we use our yard Sep - June and not in July/August - too hot/muggy and mosquitoy. But, we get a surprising amount of use out of it in the winter and it is awesome in the spring and fall. When the mosquitoes are bad you tend not to want to be outside anyway...unless you are at the pool!

[Anonymous]

Fence for safety. Sounds like you have plenty of space without the basement.

[Anonymous]

If it's a busy road now noisy is it and how much time would you spend out there (with or without kid) like grilling etc? Would be a waste do to it and hen realize you don't want to be outside with the noise and mosquitoes etc.

[Anonymous]

Basement - you have the park across the street!

[Anonymous]

Here are things to consider:

What is your kids personality. We have an only who is incredibly social and always wants to go outside. For us, having the backyard was essential.

However, as he got older, because he was so social, the backyard became useless because he always wanted to go to the park to play with others. Not alone e in our yard.

Ours friends have an only who doesn't like the bugs or icky things outside. She loves being inside coloring, playing with dolls,etc. In her car, a basement was essential.

The bottom line is it really depends on your kid and her personality.

[Anonymous]

How are they both the same price? Fences are expensive, but not compared to finishing an entre basement.

[Anonymous]

Basement.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Basement.

Your kid will probably only use the swingset until around 1st-2nd grade tops, maybe less than that if there is a playground across the street. Your kid will only need the fence until around the same age. After that, kids love open yards or front yards where they can easily run between houses and through the neighborhood.

Honestly, if I were you I would only finish the rec room and bathroom in the basement. For the space you would use as a bedroom, I would leave completely unfinished and include on the permits that it is unfinished storage.

With the money you would have spent on the bedroom, I would put in a basic backyard fence (only because your property sides to a busy road).

Next year, when your tax return comes in, finish that extra bedroom.

Add little touches now and then such as potted plants, new chair cushions, stained concrete, etc, from time to time as your budget permits. Don't do the backyard all at once, and don't buy the swingset.

One more thing.

As one who has lived in the house during a basement renovation and also while improving the yard, it is MUCH easier on the family to live in a house during a yard renovation than itis during a basement renovation. Inside remodeling creates a ton of fine particulate dust that takes a while to go away. It is also noisy and takes longer than you would expect.

I am very sensitive to dust... we just had our basement done over the summer, and I found several ways to manage the dust... I definitely would NOT say this is a reason to go with the backyard. For one, ideally schedule things so that you can shut off your HVAC (either furnace or AC) when the major drywall work is being done. It also helps if you cover any major intake vents (in the construction area) with a furnace filter. I also ran freestanding HEPA filters every night in the basement which helped a ton, plus I had my cleaning service come once a week throughout the project to tackle any extra dust throughout the house, which was probably overkill (they normally come twice a month).

My vote is for the basement.

[Anonymous]

Backyard. And not just for your child. A nice backyard makes entertaining so much easier - especially impromptu dinners in the nicer months.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Basement.

Your kid will probably only use the swingset until around 1st-2nd grade tops, maybe less than that if there is a playground across the street. Your kid will only need the fence until around the same age. After that, kids love open yards or front yards where they can easily run between houses and through the neighborhood.

Honestly, if I were you I would only finish the rec room and bathroom in the basement. For the space you would use as a bedroom, I would leave completely unfinished and include on the permits that it is unfinished storage.

With the money you would have spent on the bedroom, I would put in a basic backyard fence (only because your property sides to a busy road).

Next year, when your tax return comes in, finish that extra bedroom.

Add little touches now and then such as potted plants, new chair cushions, stained concrete, etc, from time to time as your budget permits. Don't do the backyard all at once, and don't buy the swingset.

One more thing.

As one who has lived in the house during a basement renovation and also while improving the yard, it is MUCH easier on the family to live in a house during a yard renovation than itis during a basement renovation. Inside remodeling creates a ton of fine particulate dust that takes a while to go away. It is also noisy and takes longer than you would expect.

I am very sensitive to dust... we just had our basement done over the summer, and I found several ways to manage the dust... I definitely would NOT say this is a reason to go with the backyard. For one, ideally schedule things so that you can shut off your HVAC (either furnace or AC) when the major drywall work is being done. It also helps if you cover any major intake vents (in the construction area) with a furnace filter. I also ran freestanding HEPA filters every night in the basement which helped a ton, plus I had my cleaning service come once a week throughout the project to tackle any extra dust throughout the house, which was probably overkill (they normally come twice a month).

My vote is for the basement.

My dust post was a vote FOR the basement first.

Get it done now with all the other renovations before they move in, rather than down the road when they are living in the house and will have to deal with the construction dust.

[Anonymous]

Basement first. Your 3 or 4 year old isn't going to be playing outside by himself for a couple of years anyways.

[Anonymous]

I'll offer the compromise position: have your contractor rough out the basement with plumbing and walls, including finished (taped/sanded) drywall. Put a fence in the backyard. You then accomplish the really messy construction work now (though not necessarily the costliest), and make the yard safe for immediate use.

Next year: address the additional yard issues. Move to basement phase 2 - finish floors, walls, fixtures, trims.

Consider giving both projects a big enough start to get them over the major hurdle. You will start using your yard right away if fenced. You will probably start using your basement sooner than expected even if not fully finished. In a year, come back and bat clean up.

You have a LOT of above ground living space. If forced to choose, I'd focus on backyard. Park across the street requires very different supervision than kid in backyard while parent is grilling. You will get a lot of use out of the yard. Just keep some fun trees!

[Anonymous]

Basement