Waterproof
The first thing to do is to check for water leaks. If you find some, fix them. This step might be costly, but you must address it before moving forward.
If you don’t have the funds, it’s worth getting a loan and waiting to do the rest of the renovations. Not fixing the problem will cause water and mould problems, at the expense of your health, and house integrity.
Small Areas
Once you’re sure your basement is waterproof, start sprucing it up. Keep expenses to a minimum by finishing small areas of your basement. Do it room by room, section by section. You’ll respect your budget while enjoying your basement renovations.
Know Where to Shop
Whatever stage you’re at in your renovations, you’ll need some materials. Knowing where to shop can save you loads of money. Apart from retail store sales and liquidation centres, you can look on Facebook Marketplace, yard sales, moving sales and estate sales. You can also put an ad on social media, listing what you’re looking for. From construction materials to tools or furniture, you never know what you might find.
Flooring
The choice of flooring is vital when finishing a basement, as you want waterproof flooring. Even though you checked for leaks in your foundation, anything can happen, so better not to take any chances.
Concrete floors, luxury vinyl tiles or ceramic tiles are great choices.
Walls
If there’s no drywall on your basement walls, now’s the time to install and plaster it. If you’re not comfortable doing the plaster yourself, better hire a professional to do it, as badly done plaster will botch the whole look.
Use light-coloured paint to compensate for the lack of light. Look for miscoloured paint gallons in your retail store. You might just find something to your liking.
Ceiling and Lights
There are different options that you can do with the ceiling. You can either drywall and paint it, install ceiling tiles, or keep it open, as is, for an industrial look. Leaving it open is the cheapest option, and with time, you can hide the wires and pipes with various casings.
While you’re at it, add some light fixtures.
Furnish and Decorate
Now for the finishing touches, furnish and decorate your basement with items found in thrift stores or that you have lying around. Allow yourself to get creative. Repurpose old furniture, make your own canvas painting, build furniture out of pallets.
One Step at a Time
If you remember only one thing from this article, it’s don’t try doing everything at once. By renovating one step at a time, you give yourself time to save money for the next step.
Now put your hard hats on and get creative!