Home Remodeling & Construction Blog

In most homes, the Virginia basement is a dark area where we tend to store seasonal goods and other items that we don’t generally need. Likewise, many homes use the basement as a utilitarian center of the home to tackle laundry, work on random projects, etc. If you’re looking to enhance your living space, the basement offers the perfect opportunity for you to reclaim some underutilized space and change your home into something more. One of the first things you can do is creatively plan to use the space in a way that lends itself to the natural design of the basement. Read more…

The winter is probably the last time of year that you want a general contractor stomping through your home to create the latest masterpiece, but surely there is some kind of indoors project that industrious homeowners can tackle themselves? This is where many homeowners can get much needed mileage out of their Virginia basements, both for a project to undertake and floor space to earn. If you are lacking indoor square footage of living space, you can get some great results in the basement with a little work.

Heart and Hearth

Often the basement is one of the coldest places in the house, but this can be counteracted in a few ways. If you are unable to finish the walls, hanging tapestries and other warm decorations can help keep the heat in a room. Another great idea that can instantly create more warmth in any part of the house is by adding a fireplace. This decorative piece adds value to the home and direct heat to the room.

A Little Cosmetic

If your walls are finished, it never hurts to go over them with another coat of paint. This acts like a facelift for every room you paint, and can make old spaces seem new again. In the basement you can try color combinations that you would never think of using for upper floor areas for a few reasons, one the lighting in the basement will likely call for bold color choices, and two less people will see these spaces, so there is a little more freedom to be creative.

What Lies Beneath

Cold feet are a big mood killer, and concrete basement floors are typically the coldest in the house. You can alleviate this problem with insulated or even heated subflooring. The best part about subflooring is that it is invisible to the finished product because your flooring completely covers anything ugly. The fact is that living with the 3% of a home’s energy going down out of your house is simply wasteful, which is why you should have subflooring installed by a licensed general contractor.

Let the Light Shine In

Being underground, it can be virtually impossible to get high volumes of natural light into a basement. This gloom combined with the colder nature of the basement can make it a very foreboding space. If you are unable to bring in sufficient quantities of natural light, then it becomes practically impetrative to install large amounts of electric lighting. With the right combinations of lighting solutions, you can make sure that every corner of your basement is well lit.

What it boils down to is that if you haven’t taken the steps to make your Virginia basement a usable living space, and you are dying to take on some kind of project, there are lots of things that you can do in the basement, with or without the help of a general contractor.

The goal of almost any home owner that has an unfinished Virginia basement is to eventually finish it off. An unfinished basement is after all almost a whole extra floor underground, which can be turned into anything you or your family might need.

Basement finishing projects are far from cheap. There is no real comparison to any other single room in the house; there are challenges that only occur in a basement remodeling project. The basement is usually filled with utilities such as the plumbing, heating, and electrical junctions. Moisture and water buildups are commonplace.

Attempting to Finish a Wet or Flood Prone Basement

The way that many basements were constructed creates a very conducive condition for water seepage. The basement is likely either poured concrete or cinderblocks, both of which are fairly porous materials. When the rain saturates the ground with water, it is forced with hydrostatic pressure against the outside of the basement walls. This pressure is great enough to force the water into the structure and through the wall; this infiltration is called capillary action. On the inside, plumbing leaks and accidents, shattered water tanks, and other mishaps can cause flooding indoors. A basement needs reliable drainage, a good sump pump system, and proper dehumidification in order to be dry enough to be finished.

Constructing with Wood Studs, Fiberglass Insulation and Drywall

These materials are excellent to use above ground, but in the basement they can spell disaster. The natural humidity that a basement tends to create a condition conducive to the growth of mold when combined with organic materials such as wood, paper, and in fiberglass as the urea based adhesive that holds the batch together.

Not only is the mold hazardous, but the fiberglass insulation loses all of its R-value when damp. Drywall is even worse; when it comes into contact with water it begins to slowly decompose and release toxic fumes. All materials used to construct basement walls should be inorganic and 100% waterproof if they are expected to survive a flood or water accident.

Improper Use of Vapor Barriers

Shady contractors will try to convince you that you can use any kind of finish you want as long as you staple poly sheets all over the walls and to the floor of the basement. There is a worse suggestion, placing the vapor barrier over the studs and fiberglass, and putting the drywall on top. The US Department of Energy’s Building America Best Practices recommends that any moisture from basement walls and floors should be allowed to evaporate and dry to the interior. An Improper vapor barrier will only serve to do one thing: trap condensation between the concrete and the barrier, creating another ideal situation for mold to grow, which you definitely don’t want in your Virginia basement.

Your Virginia basement doesn’t have to be just another under appreciated and poorly decorated space. Who says your basement is limited to storage? You can renew that space and turn into something that’s for more usable, making it a living space worthy of being part of your home. All you need to do is stick to three common principles when remodeling your basement

Keep in mind that if your basement has never received any treatment at all then you’re going to need to the basics before you can move on with really customizing the area. You’ll need to start with finishing insulation and drywall, as exposed pipes and concrete isn’t a space that’s ready for creative design. Read more…

If you want a suggestion, your next home improvement project in Virginia should be the basement. A finished Virginia basement is a necessary step to a complete home. If you are doing a complete renovation, it can be handled at any stage of the process. You can achieve positive results with minimal cost and labor.

Choosing a professional and honest contractor is a good place to start. Basement finishing can be a very detailed job, so you need to make sure you have a good guy. Call their previous clients, double check there credentials. It is important to do so, or you leave yourself vulnerable to theft. Read more…

Remodeling the basement in your Virginia home can be exciting and rewarding in numerous ways. It is a natural choice when choosing a project, because of the relative ease of getting good results for the money.

It is always the smart plan to pick a reputable contractor for your home improvement jobs, if you are not handy yourself. Choosing the right one takes a little effort on your part. Checking credentials, contacting previous clients, etc, is all necessary to prevent a situation that leaves you with no money and an unfinished project. Read more…

Thinking the old house might need a little remodel? Upgrading your Virginia basement might just be the way to go. Your current basement might be a dark, dingy place, only used for storage and laundry, but it could be so much more. A nice game room or second family rooms are both beneficial features to a current resident, or for resaleability. Read more…

The Virginia basement has come a long way since the old days of dirt floor cellars and cobwebs. Many homes are now getting spruced up and decked out with functional finished Virginia basement setups that are equally fun.

While many of us maintain tradition with our homes in bedroom and living design, the Virginia basement has gone from blah to hoozah and has received a heck of a makeover in the last 100 years.

Need a reminder of how your Virginia basement could use a tweak? Head downstairs, then look up. Those exposed pipes, the ductwork, the wiring, cobwebs, shadows and exposed wood are all grim reminders of where we came from and the condition of our current home. Thankfully, the situation is never permanent and you as a homeowner always have the option to do better – even on a budget Read more…

When it comes to your Virginia basement, those moldy odors down there can come from a variety of sources. Really that smell often comes from the fact that it’s damp down there and that moisture gets trapped due to poor ventilation. You can eliminate that with some basement remodeling in northern Virginia homes to increase ventilation.

Of course sometimes you can simply cure the issue on your own depending on the actual cause and what you want to do with the basement of your Virginia home. If you just want to store some boxes and other goods down there, maybe do some laundry, you can just improve the ventilation a little to reduce the smell so it doesn’t permeate the things being stored in your basement.

On the other hand if you’re planning on turning the basement of your Virginia home into something more, like a complete lounge or finished area rec room then your’re gonna have to work a little harder.

Basement Remodeling and Other Measures For Moldy Basements

A lot of older homes have a Virginia basement that’s just a compact dirt floot. If this is what you’re looking at then your best bet would be seal it with a vapor barrier like a heavy duty plastic. The other option of course be some basement remodeling. Northern Virginia contractors can come in and lay down wire mesh then apply some concrete to finish the floor. This can help with the moisture issue for the most part but you’ll still need to look into ventilation.

Of course not all homes are made equal in Virginia. A basement with a concrete floor that’s pre-existing can be a little trickier. You’re probably going to need to do some waterproofing, and consider that you may very well have an internal plumbing issue.

Cracks in the foundation, leaky plumbing running underground and bad drainage can create moisture that comes in through the walls and floor of your home. One of the leading causes of moisture through the basement walls is poor gutter drainage, where the rainwater falls against the edge of the house and collects against the Virginia basement walls in the soil.

If It Looks Like A Duck

If your basement has a moldy odor then more than likely you’ve got mold growing somewhere. A small bit of mold can be removed with little work but depending on the size of the issue in your Virginia basement, you may need to hire a professional to come in and tackle the issue. Mold can be devastating, and can destroy insulation as well as wood framing.

Not to mention how damaging the spores can be to anyone in the home who has allergies. Many forms of mold can be toxic and cause serious health issues if they gather in large quantities so often times it’s best to leave the work to a professional. Not only will a contractor be able to remove the mold but it will leave things in the cleanest condition so that you’re ready for basement remodeling in your northern Virginia home.

I already mentioned the need for ventilation and regardless of whether your basement is finished or completely bare you should always provide adequate ventilation. If you live in an older home in Virginia, your basement is probably lacking in ventilation and may not even be up to code. Basement remodeling can get your Virginia home updated so that you don’t end up turning your basement into a Petri dish.

Your basement has sat alone for years, like the little kid that no one wanted to play with.  Your northern Virginia basement wept, his tears of moisture causing some water damage and making him smell like mold and mildew.  Finally, the day has come that you want to include him as a major player for your home team:  you need a recreation room for the kids and significant other.  While it may look like you’ve got an impossible job of making the scrawny sad Virginia basement into a beautiful enjoyable area, you’d be surprised how little effort it takes. Read more…