Home Design and Architecture Guide

Basement Lighting

When it comes to lighting, basements present a unique challenge. Basements are usually constructed with low ceilings and may or may not have windows. This means the room is usually very dark and drab. To correct the problem, you can add the right type of lighting to create a bright and cheery room where the entire family will love hanging out.

If your basement has windows, the first thing you want to do is accentuate the natural light. If you only have one small window, then you need to choose window treatments that will allow as much light in as possible. To accomplish this, you need to use light, almost translucent curtains. Additionally, you want to use tiebacks so that during the day, the curtains can be pulled back. Another option is to use blinds that can easily be opened and shut.

For the wall color, you want to choose light colors that will help open up the room. While white and off-white are always options, you could also choose a pale green, yellow, or blue. If you do decide to go with white, remember that you can enhance the walls using hobby paint and stencils or rubber-stamping.

For the lights, recessed lighting is probably your best choice. First, it will work well with the low ceiling and it offers a great source of light. The great thing about recessed lighting is that it can be installed just about anywhere in the ceiling. If there is not adequate room for this type of lighting, you can always install track lighting.

For the floor, again, try to stick with lighter colors that will give the illusion of the room being larger and more open. If the room were large enough, one area rug coupled by several smaller throw rugs would be perfect. Pillows and afghans are also great ways to bring pops of light into the room. For instance, if you have darker furniture and floors, placing light colored floor pillows down will again create the illusion of more light.

Table lamps and floor lamps can be placed in corners where light is difficult to reach. With halogen lamps, you can choose a style that will produce plenty of light while also serving as an accent for the room. While fluorescent lighting is an option, because it is very bright and intense, it tends to produce too harsh a light.

By using a dimmer switch or a three-way light bulb, you can still lower the lights to create a romantic setting or keep them at full light for the family. Since this is the basement, be creative with your lighting choices. Do not be afraid of color and designs, which are great choices for making the room casual yet colorful and fun.

Basement Plan

Updating or remodeling a basement is an excellent way to create more room in your home and increase the value of the home. Keep in mind that working on a basement can be a challenge since you might be working with low ceilings, exposed pipes or wires, and so on. The following are some recommendations for working on your basement:

* Planning a Basement Project
* Dealing With Dampness
* Providing An Egress Window
* Assessing Head Room Issues

Planning a Basement Project

Unlike building a new house or an addition, a detailed plan is not absolutely necessary in finishing a lower level or basement if you’re not disturbing the foundation or any load-bearing posts or walls.

NOTE: Although you may not need a detailed plan, you will probably need a building permit to finish your basement, and that’ll require at least a sketch of your project–BEFORE you begin–to give your local building officials an idea of what you’re doing. Check with them before starting.

We wanted a bare minimum of walls downstairs to keep the spaces open, but we had a lot of low-hanging pipes and ducts to hide that would require several soffits.

We used that sketch to start the project, but as the work progressed a more detailed plan evolved.

Dealing with Dampness

Before starting any basement finishing, we strongly recommend that you solve any wetness or dampness problems because moisture will rot wood, drywall, carpet and most any other material you might be using.

If you do have moisture problems, we also strongly recommend that you consult a licensed waterproofing contractor with sound credentials and references.

But BEFORE taking that step, make sure that it’s not just a simple grading problem. If the ground along the outside of your foundation doesn’t slope down and away from the house, it’s likely that rain and melting snow will collect against the foundation and probably seep into your basement. If that’s your problem, build up the soil around the foundation to where water runs AWAY from the house.

Also check your rain gutters and downspouts for any leaks that might be letting water soak into the foundation. And use extensions on the downspouts to make sure water drains a few feet away from the house.

To solve more complicated problems, consult a licensed pro. But be aware that permanent solutions can involve costly excavation in order to waterproof the outside walls of the foundation, and to run new drain tile alongside the footings.

Providing an Egress Window

An egress window is usally required by code in new basement projects — especially if bedrooms are involved. They allow people to escape smoke or fire if doors or stairways are blocked.

Satisfying egress window requirements can be expensive because high-mounted basement awning windows don’t qualify.

First, egress windows have to open high and wide enough to let an adult pass through.

Second, egress window sills have to be less than 42″ above the finished floor to permit easy departure. (One of our window units with a sill 56″ didn’t qualify)

Installing one or more egress windows is obviously a worthy part of a basement project, but it requires buying a large window, cutting an opening in the foundation and mounting the window properly.

Egress windows often create drainage problems caused by the need to set the window bottom below ground level (usually accomplished with sand and gravel-based window wells and retaining walls).

The house in our project was built with one egress window in the lower level bedroom, satisfying that part of the code. But the concrete window well was so high that we had to secure a permanent ladder in it to fulfill all the safety requirements.

Assessing Headroom Issues

Beyond the health and safety issues of dampness and egress windows, the biggest issue in finishing a basement is how to hide all the overhead pipes, ducts and beams and still keep a fair amount of headroom.

It’s obviously difficult in basements with less than 8′ between the slab and the first floor joists, and in some cities building codes may not allow finished spaces with ceiling heights less than a certain height. So be sure to check that before you start.

If you don’t have enough room, it may be possible to lower your basement floor by breaking up the slab, digging down a bit further, re-laying plumbing, then re-pouring the floor. But the costs may be prohibitive

Finishing Hardwood Flooring

Homes with hardwood floors have a natural charm and beauty. In many older homes, if you were to peel back the carpeting, you would discover that the floors are indeed hardwood and with restoration, they could be brought back to their natural splendor. Even new homes in the past several years are being built with quality hardwood floors as homeowners as starting to see the value. Not only do hardwood floors look beautiful, they are also healthier in that dirt and allergens do not become trapped, causing allergy problems.

Although there are many different hardwood floor types such as walnut, pine, ash, mahogany, and oak, the oak floor is by far the most popular choice simply for its enduring beauty and rich look. If you currently have hardwood floors or are thinking about having them installed, the finishing process is important and can make the difference between a great looking floor and one that is simply �okay�.

To begin with, before any flooring is installed, you should have it sit inside the home for up to three weeks so the wood can become acclimated with the environment. Once that time has passed, you may notice a few small cracks, gently raised edges, and so on, caused by the environment and can easily be filled and sanded. Allowing the hardwood flooring to acclimate any longer could lead to big problems so stay within the one to three week period.

If you have new hardwood floors, you want to apply the finish only after the rest of the home is built. During construction of a new home, there will be a lot of dust and unsettled things in the air and on the floor that would adhere to the flooring, causing it to be ruined. Therefore, you want this to be the very last thing you do and you want the walls, ceiling, and floor to be thoroughly cleaned.

If your home already has hardwood floors, start by emptying the room of all rugs, furniture, and window coverings. This will ensure that your belongings are kept safe and away from the finishing products used on the floor as well as dust that will be produced from the sanding process.

If the hardwood floor already has a finish on it that will need to be removed with a sander using sandpaper with a medium to coarse grit. If you do not own a floor sander, you can rent one from an equipment rental company. You want to start at the right-hand side of the wall where you have open floor space of about one-third of the room in front of you. When you turn the machine on, make sure the drum is lifted slightly off the floor. Move forward at a slow, even pace as you ease the drum to the floor.

When you get close to the wall, again lift the drum, move the sander over to the next plank, and then again lower it gently as you move back slowly and at an even pace. Depending on how well the floor sands, you may have to go over it more than once. Be careful not to get down into the actual wood where the floor would be damaged. A very slight top layer will sand but too much sanding will wear the wood down.

Once you have finished sanding, you will need to use an edger to get up close to baseboards, in the corners, up by the base of fireplaces, in tight spaces such as closets, and so on. Remember that the sandpaper will need to be replaced on occasion so keep an eye on it as you sand.

Once the sanding is complete and the floor cleaned, you will go back over every inch of the hardwood flooring to ensure all the nails are filed down, if needed, that blemishes and holes are filled and sanded, cracks filled, and so on. You can purchase filler that matches the wood perfectly at home improvement or hardware stores. Make sure any rough areas are scraped going with the wood�s grain and then do a final cleaning.

Once the prep work is done, you will stain the floor, using the color stain recommended by an expert. Be careful with this process to ensure the stain does not splash on the walls or windows. This process is best done by hand using a soft cotton cloth. Starting in one corner, you want to apply the stain, again stroking with the grain of the wood. Be sure to allow this to dry completely before walking on it and the completed project will look amazing.

Carpet Home Improvement

When it comes to flooring, putting carpet down can be one of the most affordable and best options available. In fact, carpeting can greatly improve the appearance of a room and increase the value of the home. By shopping around, you will be able to find some beautiful options at incredible rates.

The one thing to remember is that if you or someone in your family has respiratory problems such as asthma, hardwood or vinyl flooring would be a better option since some carpets can harbor mold and dust mites that even vacuuming could not prevent. Regardless, carpet is a great option in that it provides warmth and comfort.

When you look at various types of carpeting, keep in mind that some carpets emit vapors, which is known as out-gassing. These vapors are toxic and are what many people refer to as that �new carpet smell�. For some people, these vapors can actual be harmful. The level of vapors that a carpet emits is based on the blend of chemicals used at the carpet mill. For this reason, you might see two identical types of carpets in a store that came from the same manufacturer but because the chemical blend was different, the level of gasses is different.

Additionally, some carpet adhesives can also give out gasses. Therefore, when you shop for carpet and carpet adhesives, you can perform a quick test. Ask the company if you can have a small cut piece of carpet that just came from the roll that you are interested in buying. Take this sample home and place it in a sealed jar. Place the jar near a window where there is ample sunlight and let it set for one to two days. When you open the jar, if the �new smell� odor is strong, often smelling like paint thinner, you know that roll has the potential of giving out strong gasses that could make you ill. It is because of this that most manufacturers will recommend new carpet �rest� in an outbuilding, detached garage, or well ventilated area for a couple of days prior to installation.

You will also discover that carpeting is made from a number of different materials, each with advantages. For instance, wool is one of the top choices because it holds its shape so well. However, wool does tend to fray, is mildew prone, and costs a lot. Nylon is also a popular choice for carpeting in that it is easy to clean, strong and durable, and resists mold and mildew but like wool, it has its drawbacks. Nylon carpet is expensive. Finally, polyester and Olefin are also good choices and known for being durable and will resist mildew and staining. The one drawback is that this type of carpet tends to pile.

For the look of carpet, you will have many choices. Pile is a certain type of weave. In this category, you will find shag, plush, twist, and loop, which refers to the way in which the fibers are woven. Typically, you can tell if carpet is quality or not by how thick it is. Simply take the carpet and bend it to see how much of the carpet backing can be seen. The tighter the pile, the better quality and more durable it will be.