So, you’ve decided to invest in your basement – a space currently home to some trash, a spare washing machine, and a lot of cobwebs. You’ve been wracking your brains for ideas to make this a usable, livable space, and you have some good ideas. You’ve even got it all planned out in terms of how you’re going to implement them.
Of course, having great ideas is one thing, and actually making them a reality is another. There’s a lot to know about home repairs, and once you get down there, you’ll likely find things are a little more complicated than you thought.
In this article, you’ll find some quick tips for dealing with the main things you might encounter down there!
First Things First: Dealing with the Pests
Given the dark, damp environments you’ll find in a mostly disused basement, you have to be prepared for any potential pests down there. Unfortunately, these issues often extend beyond the odd spider or two.
It’s not advised to deal with this problem yourself, nor do you likely want to, so rodent control services are a must: they’ll promptly arrive and deal with the issue so that you don’t have to think about it ever again, and they’ll also take measures to prevent it from happening in the future.
Damp and Mold
Not benefiting from the usual temperatures of your livable rooms, basements are prone to dampness and mould. Before doing any sort of decorating, you’re going to have to deal with these issues first.
Adequately light the room and inspect it for any mould growth, moisture, or water damage. White vinegar in a spray bottle applied liberally to the area can work wonders for mould, whereas damp, you’ll need to first locate the source of the problem.
Check first for any obvious foundation cracks – you can fill these in easily with store-bought wall filler. Then, look around for any leaky pipes or broken guttering: if this is the source of a leak, it pays to call in a plumber to take a look at it for you.
Before you do call a plumber, though, make sure you don’t just simply have a blockage on the gutting. You can quite easily clear this out yourself to save yourself some money!
Check Your Electrics
Carefully consider what you’re going to use the space for and what sort of access to electricity you’ll need down there. You’ll likely already have basic infrastructure, but you don’t want to decorate and add furniture only to realize you don’t have enough power outlets.
Even if you have enough outlets, you might not have enough voltage for your requirements, so call in an electrician to go over this stuff for you and assess your situation. It may be as simple as routing an extension cord around the room, or you might need your wiring down there reconfigured.
It’s surprising what you can do with that old dingy basement with a little time and effort, and hopefully, this article has provided you with some important pointers to ensure you can get to enjoy that space as quickly and easily as possible.