Why to Remodel Your Basement

No matter how large your house is, how many cars can park in the garage, or what city you live in, a certain amount of pride comes from being a homeowner. Your house is your oasis, a sanctuary from the stresses of the workday and is yours to design and maintain.

As a contractor and business owner for over 15 years, Bryan Sebring, owner of the residential remodeling company Sebring Services, knows that one of the best ways to enjoy your home is to use it to your fullest advantage. And that includes transforming old, unused rooms into something new. One of the most popular renovations as of late is refinishing the basement of your home. There are a number of reasons, Sebring says, why every homeowner with a basement should consider this type of remodel.

Resale Value: Depending on the market conditions where you live, explains Sebring, the return on the investment of finishing your basement can range from 76% to 150%. Buyers are searching for homes that have plenty of space to accommodate their growing families, and they view a finished basement as one less part of the home that they would have to make changes to in the near future. A finished basement definitely makes your home more desirable, Sebring says.

Cost-Efficient: Compared to other renovations in your home, like kitchens, bathrooms and other upgrades, your basement offers the best price per square foot of any other project.

More Space: Once a basement has been remodeled, notes Sebring, most homeowners say that they’d rather spend time in their finished basement than any other place in their home. The openness of the room, combined with the upgraded furnishings, make it warm and inviting.

Guests: If you’ve never been able to accommodate extra sleeping arrangements for out of town guests, the space in your basement can easily provide extended family and visiting friends with a comfortable place to sleep during their stay.

Entertainment: In many homes, the basement is the largest room, making it the ideal space for entertaining. Once remodeled, it becomes the perfect spot for a game room or entertainment center. You will soon find that your finished basement is where most of your guests will want to hang out, says Sebring.

Health: If you’ve been putting off getting that treadmill or elliptical because you didn’t have the space, then you can easily transform your basement into a home gym. And instead of driving a few miles to the gym, you’ll only have to descend a few stairs, making it easier to maintain your workout routine.

Organization: Most families don’t use their basements effectively. For many, it has become a scattered storage unit. But, once finished, a basement can provide extra shelving for a more organized type of storage facility.

New Look: Sebring suggests that if you’ve been hesitant to decorate a particular room upstairs in your home because you’re afraid the colors will be too bold, or that it will disrupt the flow of the rooms, use your basement as an outlet for your design ideas. Since there is no limit to the floor plan, and the space is separate from the rest of your home, you can be as creative and experimental as you’d like.