Your Basement: Why Add on When You Can Add Under?

By: Scott Gibson (Page 1 of 9)

Photo: Ryan Hulvat

Photo: Ryan Hulvat

An unfinished basement became a comfortable gathering place in this Massachusetts home. Sherri Martinelli, here with daughter Cambria, set out to create a haven for teens.

Photo: Ryan Hulvat

Exercise is the theme of this partial basement renovation in a Boston-area home. Carpeting is an inexpensive but effective covering for steel columns.

Photo: Ryan Hulvat

Camouflage the Obvious: It's easier to disguise some water lines with paint than it is relocate them. Creative framing in the ceiling of this basement accommodates the oversize exercise equipment.

Photo: Ryan Hulvat

Builders get creative when it comes to hiding mechanical necessities like plumbing shutoffs and electrical panels. A valve is normally hidden behind a removable panel painted the same color as the wall.

door conceals electrical panel in finished basement

Photo: Ryan Hulvat

Photo: Ryan Hulvat

unfinished basement with utility and water issues

Photo: Ryan Hulvat

The builder walked away from this potential basement remodel: The cost of dealing with obstructing utilities and water problems was too high.

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What You'll Learn:

Most basements are little more than a place to cultivate cobwebs and store cans of paint. But fixing up a full-height basement can dramatically increase the usable living space in your house at a far lower cost than adding on.

Although costs vary with the size and complexity of the project, remodeling an existing basement starts at about $20 per square foot, a fraction of what it costs to build an addition or enlarge second-floor space with

dormers. And as we show here, basements can be turned into any one of several living areas. That explains why builders like Rick Heim, a Boston-area contractor, won't even use the "B" word. To Heim and like-minded contractors getting on the bandwagon, a basement is a "finished lower level."

Changing a concrete dungeon into a inviting living area is a challenge, and not every basement is a good candidate for finishing. Key considerations for conversion include controlling moisture, adding ventilation and light, and finding a way around hanging drain lines, ductwork and wiring. Although you can do some of the work yourself, most of it is best left to an experienced pro.