Tag Archives: basement

If you don’t want unpleasant surprises next spring, ones that will involve large expenses and major repairs, it would be wise to assess the condition of your home’s foundations right away. Do you see any cracks?

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If you ignore a new crack that appeared, water will infiltrate into your basement during the spring thaw period, and you will start having problems. Don’t be negligent. The earlier you take care of your cracked foundation, the less likely it will affect the value of your property.[……]

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This is a chronic problem for a number of homeowners: lack of space. If your budget doesn’t allow any expansion or room extension under normal conditions, what is there to do? Here are a few great ideas.

A well-structured attic, no matter how small, is an interesting option. It’s the perfect space to set up a home office. The space under the roof offers a quiet place. The natural light from outside is easy on the eyes. The staircase serves as a psychological border between work and family life. The feeling of working in complete isolation is similar to that of working in the basement or backyard shed.

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A living room in the attic has multiple advantages. You’ll enjoy tranquility; if you install skylights, you will have more sunlight than in the basement; if the beamed ceilings and traditional dormer windows have been preserved, you’ll achieve an invigorating design; not to mention a beautiful birds-eye view of the exterior landscape, especially during the fall and winter. Again, here, the staircase isolates you from the rest of the world.[……]

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Homeowners once believed that having a pool in their backyard meant selling their homes faster and at the price they asked for. They were wrong. Others counted on their flower beds, patio and garden. Another disappointment. So, the landscape won’t make a difference either? Definitely not!

The landscape increases the value of a property, but very little compared with a kitchen or bathroom that is renovated pragmatically with modern materials and configured in a way to increase practicality. A roof and foundations in good condition, a basement designed with taste, and even multiple and efficient storage spaces will increase a property’s value more than the landscape.

You are selling your home. You are waiting for those first emails to come in or those first buyers to visit your home. If you were in their shoes, what would your first inquiries relate to? The landscape or the condition of the windows? The flower beds or the radon levels in the soil? The patio or the structure of the home?[……]

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Even the basement does not escape the concept of a sustainable house. If you are planning to remodel the lower floor and are concerned about the future of the planet, here are a few guidelines you should follow, according to Écohabitation experts.

This would be the perfect time to check for radon. We have been hearing more and more about this carcinogenic gas. You can find the detection device in a large shopping centre or a hardware store. If the level is high, Écohabitiion recommends a system designed to evacuate the gas.

Insulating the water heater and plumbing pipes will considerably reduce your energy bills.

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Opt for synthetic (recycled) gypsum for the walls and ceilings instead of the natural one. It is more ecological.[……]

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The basement now serves the same purpose as the living room. Often times, spending time in the basement is even more pleasurable. So, neglecting it is no longer an option. Today, we can find little gems and a lot of imagination on the lower floor.

In many homes, the basement is so well designed that it has become the most popular room of the household. The arrival of the home theatre has a lot to do with this. Hence, the importance of improving the appearance of the space to make it more enjoyable and useful at the same time. You can choose a more conventional decor or go for an unconventional style.

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Usually, the very essence of the basement is joining two or more rooms together without any partition wall. For example, you could combine a recreation room with a kitchenette or a bar, a bar with a wine cellar, a lounge area with a fitness room or bedroom. If this concept suits you, you can always install the same decorative flooring throughout the basement. This will make the space look larger and feel bigger.[……]

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Most people renovate their homes for more space or more comfort. Some also remodel their homes in order to sell their property more quickly while getting the desired price for it.

But you shouldn’t start renovating carelessly. Follow these guidelines.

  • It would be irresponsible to carry out overwhelming work in order to sell your home quickly. Disaster will probably strike. Some upgrades, worth a few hundreds or thousands of dollars, should do the trick.
  • Check every nook and cranny in your home to find any defects. Neglecting this step might give the future buyer the wrong impression. Imagine if he or she arrives with a building inspector? Omitting to inspect your home is not the best way to go, even if you end up selling your property for the desired price. If the future homeowner ends up dragging you into court for latent defects, not only will you see your profit melt away, but your quality of life will diminish.
  • Start by facing your home and put yourself in the buyer’s shoes. Is the frontage appealing? Is the front door impeccable? A neglected exterior usually implies a careless homeowner in the minds of future buyers.
  • Go outside and walk around your property and think of the things that would bother a buyer and try to address the problem. For example, you live in a noisy neighbourhood because of the traffic. Find out how much building a green wall or a solid wall would cost to reduce the noise.

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You’re sick of your home office. You’re often being bothered or your space is poorly structured. You decided to dedicate part of your vacation to renovating your workspace, or possibly even creating it if you have just joined the ranks of the self-employed.

The door to your office isn’t insulated enough? There is a draconian solution: take the office out of the house, which is something many people have done. Some have even renovated a room near the family home, even if it involved paying rent.

Why not convert the shed into a workspace? That was the solution for author Roald Dahl (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory played by Johnny Depp in the movie) and Russian writer Anton Tchekhov, who set up a pavilion behind his property.

You could also use the garage. Some self-employed workers have also set up their offices there.

A less radical solution: build an outside door and cover the one that connects to the inside of the house.

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You have to expand the space between you and your family, your friends and your neighbours, who will not hesitate to travel the short distance to go and bother you.

If none of these ideas work for you, try the attic. It’s a space worth considering. Self-employed workers often take refuge in the basement. However, it’s harder to go upstairs than it is to go down. Your entourage will be less inclined to bother you.

If you want to keep your current office. Add a separation between you and your entourage. It could be a screen, a glass partition wall or even a bookshelf that covers the wall. The more massive it is, the more efficient it will be.[……]

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