Finishing the basement: the best Father’s Day gift!
Dad has always wanted a man cave—a place where he can watch games, play pool, or indulge in his not-so-secret karaoke addiction. And with summer looming, I don’t blame him for wanting to have a place to cool down after a day out in the scorching sun. So for Father’s Day I wanted to make dad’s dream come true by finishing our basement. After all he’s given us, he deserves it.
I know dad isn’t really interested in working out so I told him that mom, sis, and I were going to turn the basement into a home gym (a little white lie to make sure he doesn’t go snooping around and ruining the surprise). But even though we girls won’t really get the gym we wanted, I know this project is going to be a win for the entire family. I can already see dad begging us to karaoke with him.
But when I started to look into what it would take to finish our basement, I got really nervous. Was I being too ambitious? Unrealistic? It seemed like such a huge and expensive project. Maybe I should just get him a(nother) tie? After doing extensive research on the process, I learned that finishing a basement is an attainable objective and—significantly—a great way to add value to your home.
According to Home Advisor, the national average cost of finishing a basement is $18,400, but that price can range from $6,000 to $21,350 depending on the size of the space. And, just by adding this livable space to your square footage, you can get up to a 75% return on the investment. You can get an even more accurate cost vs. return calculation with the Plunk app.
This project gets a 9.5 joy score from The National Association of Realtors. The NAR’s 2019 Remodeling Impact Survey found that 85% of people who had completed this project had a greater desire to spend time at home, and 70% felt a major sense of accomplishment when thinking about this project. If you’re thinking about getting started on your basement consider these tips:
Hire a pro
The first thing I learned through research—other than how to clean out a basement—is that you need a professional! Zoning and safety codes are meant to protect you and your home from major damage and injury. Find someone who is licensed, has experience, and specializes in basements. Hiring a professional will save you a lot of stress and time and give you peace of mind.
Plan your design
You will discuss design ideas and goals with the contractors, but be ready to tell them what you want. This will serve as blueprint for their work which will consist of framing walls, insulating them, doing electrical and HVAC work, installing drywall, flooring, and hardware, as well as any doors and trims.
When drawing out your plans, consider what use you will give the space. For dad’s man cave, we wanted to make sure we had a home theater section and a game section. Scrolling through Pinterest or Instagram is a great way to get design inspo!
Check for moisture
When you hire a professional, they should check for dampness and any other damages first. Moisture is the number one enemy of any basement! If the area is good to go, it must be waterproofed to prevent any future damage. You do not want mold spawning behind your drywall.
Get permits
The Contractors should be able to apply for permits for your project. This is a very important step that needs to be done in order to make sure you don’t have any issues if you ever decide to put your home up for sale.
Our big reveal
Once the basement was finished—which took a bit longer than I anticipated—it was such a breath of fresh air. I never imagined that a cluttered, ugly space could be transformed into something so beautiful. Our home suddenly felt so much bigger with all that brand new livable space!
We brought down dad’s pool table and bought a ping pong table at a garage sale. For the home theater, I had lots of choices for movie projectors, screens, and speakers from places like Best Buy, Amazon and Target. I also found some affordable theater seating units at Home Depot.
We had a display cabinet installed for dad’s old trophies and sports memorabilia, and the mini bar table I got from Wayfair fell right into place next to his karaoke set. We are so eager to show dad this room. He is such a softie, I am predicting lots of waterworks on Father’s Day.
The gist
Finishing your basement is a big project, but considering that it adds enjoyment and value to your home, it can be a very worthwhile investment. Whether you turn it into a family room, home gym, extra bedroom—or all of the above—a finished basement will be an amazing way to add quality to your lifestyle at home and a great selling point for potential home buyers.
