Almost done with our tiny basement redo.

We need more electrical outlets.

Ceiling/can lights on dimmer switch. Contractor coming back for these easy jobs.

Also, we added an additional closet and I love it! Double doors, wire shelving with room to hang clothes.

Below grade water will always be an issue. Be ready. No carpet. Floating floors. Good waterproofing.

If you have walkout and/or center stairs, think hard about traffic flow and where you place laundry room, bathrooms and walls. We did what seemed right, but after seeing how a neighbor with the same house and same finished elements arranged their rooms, we realized we had the spaces/traffic flow entirely wrong! I mean it’s not horrible, but it could be so much better.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One thing I would do is upgrade any plumbing or electrical while it is open. We got rid of our copper as we were starting to have pinhole leaks and replaced a lot of the old wiring.

Agree with this. Wish we had upgraded our electrical and put in a gas line for our future gas stove.

Also agree about not skimping in waterproofing!

We dry locked everything a few years before. It helped with the humidity then put in foam board and roxul. We also did 5/8 mold resistant drywall everywhere, including the ceiling to help with sound. Don't skimp on the mold resistant drywall or insulation that can take moisture.

Love the vinyl plank.

We also extended to windows down to make the larger. It really opened up the room in terms of light and not feeling like a basement.

Anonymous wrote:One thing I would do is upgrade any plumbing or electrical while it is open. We got rid of our copper as we were starting to have pinhole leaks and replaced a lot of the old wiring.

Agree with this. Wish we had upgraded our electrical and put in a gas line for our future gas stove.

Also agree about not skimping in waterproofing!

Recessed lighting, extra storage (closets with shelves), and agree with PPs to take a picture of what’s under the ceiling on the offchance you’ll need to get to it for a repair. I’ve had a drop ceiling and would never do it again. So ugly, if functional.

Do whatever you can afford to get high ceilings. Ours are under 7 feet and no matter how nice we make it, the basement will always feel like a basement.

No carpet! If you get water you'll water you'll regret it. Basements are great for kids to play and tile cleans up. Pay attention to lighting.
Make sure things are sealed well to keep insects and mice out if you are close to woods. Install a radon remediation pipe.

One thing I would do is upgrade any plumbing or electrical while it is open. We got rid of our copper as we were starting to have pinhole leaks and replaced a lot of the old wiring.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don't Sheetrock the ceiling given that so much plumbing and electrical runs above it. Make sure you have a good sump pump and back up.

We sketched out where our plumbing ran and added cut outs (framed with drywall panels) in the ceiling where our shut off valves were and where water lines entered the house. If we have to replace plumbing we can easily find it.

We took tons of pictures. Drywall is easy and cheap. Cheaper than ceiling tile and looks better.

We have a small basement so not much we can do differently. Maybe make the bathroom a drop bigger but we didn't have much space to work with. I wish we could have moved the stairs and other stuff but it was not possible.

Anonymous wrote:Don't Sheetrock the ceiling given that so much plumbing and electrical runs above it. Make sure you have a good sump pump and back up.

We sketched out where our plumbing ran and added cut outs (framed with drywall panels) in the ceiling where our shut off valves were and where water lines entered the house. If we have to replace plumbing we can easily find it.

Anonymous wrote:Don't Sheetrock the ceiling given that so much plumbing and electrical runs above it. Make sure you have a good sump pump and back up.

+1 We moved into a home with a basement already partially finished with a sheetrock ceiling. We've had to get into it so many times for various upgrades (like a new gas line) that now we're looking into taking it down and starting over with something else.

Don't Sheetrock the ceiling given that so much plumbing and electrical runs above it. Make sure you have a good sump pump and back up.

Don't skimp on waterproofing.

We are soon to finish our basement, and would welcome tips on things we would appreciate later if done now...

Thanks.