Basement Remodeling » basement remodeling pictures

Finish your basement with less dust and save your furnace

Basements — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 02:13:23 +0000

When finishing a basement there is going to be dust spread throughout the house. It travels through the air and in the vents and on the shoes of the workers coming in and out of the basement. It comes mainly from rough framing, concrete demolition, installing insulation, drywall, interior trim and painting. There are ways you can help control the levels of dust in your home during the project.

Keep the dust down

Make sure that you or your basement contractor take these steps before starting the remodeling work.

Move all personal belongings out of the basement. If there is no room and they have to stay in the basement move them into an area that is not being finished and cover them well with plastic. It’s also good to hang plastic over the crawl space openings and Install a wall of plastic around the mechanicals area (furnace, hot water tank, etc.). Make sure when you do this that you leave enough room for the furnace and other gas appliances to breath. Stay at least 4 ft away from all of the mechanicals. You can also buy a system called a ZipWall ZipPole ZP4 Low Cost Spring Loaded Pole, 4-Pack Kit with Carry BagZipWall that makes it easy to block off areas from dust.

Make sure the door at the top of the stairs is always kept closed when not in use. Open a basement window and place a fan in the window blowing out. This will create a vacuum in the room and blow a majority of the dust outside. Then when the door on the upstairs is opened the dust in the air will be drawn down and out the fan in the basement window instead of upstairs.

When installing the return air lines in the basement make sure you stuff a towel into the opening or tape them off with duct tape. Otherwise your sending all that dust and debris straight into the furnace and throughout your home. Make sure to remove the towel or tape when the basement remodeling is complete then you can install the return air grills

Change your furnace filter several times throughout the project. It is best to change the filter once after the drywall is done, after the painting and after carpet and your final cleaning. This will help cut down on dust in the upstairs and save your furnace. When all that dust gets into the furnace it gets into the blower motor and burns it up.

And finally when your basement is done hire a professional duct cleaning company. They will come and vacuum out the all the construction dust in the air supply and return lines in your furnace. Otherwise you might be seeing dust in your house for the next several months after the project is completed.

For more information on basement remodeling explore BasementSource.com

If you need basement remodeling ideas try google images or a basement remodeling book

Basements — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 17:45:48 +0000

If you are getting ready to finish your basement ? check out google images for ideas but try this basement remodeling book for all your answers.

They are both a great place to find ideas for finishing your basement. If the project is a ” Do it yourself ” remodeling job or your hiring a contractor you should really check out the following book:

Basement Ideas That Work: Creative Design Solutions for Your Home” Basement Ideas That Work“

I recommend it to customers who are still looking for ideas and its a must have for anyone who is planning on finishing a basement on their own.

This book has all types of tips, tricks, plans and more about finishing a basement

Otherwise you need to hire a basement contractor or design expert to guide you through the process.

Whether its google images or the book you will be able to see what some of the latest trends in basement remodeling are along with samples of home theaters, bathrooms, wet bars, playrooms, fitness areas, built ins, basement flooring, basement remodeling plans and much more. You can find other basement remodeling books at the BasementSource.

Both are helpful tools for creating the layout of your space because you can see ideas that have worked for others. Helping you choose style, colors, textures and much more.

If you need a basement remodeling contractor in Columbus Ohio and surrounding areas contact us.

Thanks.

Your sump pumps best friend, the battery backup

Basements — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 05:15:25 +0000

One of the most important things you can do before you finish your basement is to ensure you have a quality sump pump and backup system.
Every year I get calls from homeowners who’s basements have flooded due to power outages or failed sump pumps. I recommend backup systems in every basement I finish. If only the contractor that finished their basement would have recommended or installed a backup sump pump system they could have saved thousands of dollars in repairs, insurance premiums, not to mention the headaches of refinishing their basements. If your remodeling your basement spend the extra $500-$1,000 to install the proper backup equipment. Most water backup insurance deductibles are $1,000 and if you have a problem you’ll spend that anyway. At least this will save you the hassle and headache of tearing out the carpet, trim, drywall, insulation and re doing it all.
There are many things that can go wrong down with a sump pump that can cause basement flooding. It can be a power outage, a failed sump pump, a stuck float switch or a sump pump that cannot keep up with the inflow of water. Most builder use the cheapest pump they can find during construction and usually the sump pit is littered with debris by the end of the job. that sump pump has been pumping out mud, sawdust, trash, or anything else that falls in the pit. By using a battery backup sump pump your basement should remain dry during almost any occurrence.

So here are my recommendations.
1. Change out your existing pump with a high quality pump like the Zoeller M53 Automatic Mighty Mate 1/3 hp Sump PumpZoeller M53 Automatic Mighty Mate 1/3 hp Sump PumpZoeller M53 Automatic Mighty Mate 1/3 hp Sump Pump

2. Buy a battery backup system to install or have your contractor do it. The two I recommend are the following:
Standard- Glentronics Bw4000 Combination Primary and Back-up Sump Pump SystemGlentronics Bw4000 Combination Primary and Back-up Sump Pump SystemGlentronic’s Bw4000 Combination Primary and Back-up Sump Pump System
Best- SUMPRO Gold Complete Battery Back-up System w/ 2 Batteries (5000 GPH) - SPD-SUMPROGOLDKIT" target="_blank">SUMPRO Gold Complete Battery Back-up System w/ 2 Batteries (5000 GPH) – SPD- SUMPROGOLDKIT
(Most systems require you buy the batteries separate but you normally get the best deal from a local dealer like interstate batteries or an auto part store.)

3. Always, Always, Always have you battery backup system installed on a seperate breaker from your existing sump pump. If for some reason one of the breakers trips the other one should still function.

4. Normally the batteries only last for about 4 years so keep track of when you installed it and when its due for replacement.

Always use a backup sump pump in your finished basement

Author: David Michael

Finished Basement Climbing Wall

Basements — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 19:22:58 +0000

Basement remodeling – Add a kids climbing wall

I thought this was a neat idea to share with everyone. We were finishing a basement in Dublin Ohio and the customer wanted to install a climbing wall for the kids. We left a section of the poured basement wall unfinished when framing and just painted it white. Using 3/4 mdf kids climbing holds
were mounted to the boards. The ones we used were 2′x4′ but you could make them any size. The homeowner wanted to paint the boards and afterwards we mounted them to the wall. We drilled into the concrete and fastened masonry anchors to hold the boards in place. After everything was finished the homeowner installed mats on the floor in case the kids were to slip and fall. Its a fun idea for the kids on a rainy day and very inexpensive to do. For more basement finishing ideas check out http://www.aribuilding.com/basement If your looking for a contractor in the Columbus Ohio area give us a call.

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