Finish a Basement: A DIY remodeling adventure!
Great home theater tips to help you design and setup your basement home theater!

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Visit our project planning page to learn how to prepare to finish your basement whether you're remodeling your basement by yourself, or hiring a contractor to finish your basement
Visit our design page to see how we created our basement design, and for tips on how you can design the basement of your dreams
Check here for information on the tasks you'll need to complete to finish your basement. Complete with the lessons we learned as we remodeled our basement, and tips to help you avoid some of the mistakes we made.
Whether you're designing a dedicated home theater, or creating a multi-purpose media room, check here for tips on selecting home theater components, and calibrating, and setting up your AV equipment
Check here to follow along as we complete our DIY basement remodeling project!






 

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Basement design tips

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Here are some thought starters to get you on the right track. These are some of the techniques and processes we used throughout the design phase of our basement remodeling project.

  • Start by making a rough drawing of your basement as it is now. Measure and label all windows, exterior walls, the stairway, and any ductwork or pipes that may become obstacles later.
  • Make copies of your basement plan so you can create several variations to see which you like best. If you're using interior design software, keep a backup version of your 'clean' plan and save your modified versions under different file names.
Create several drafts of your basement design. It will help you come up with a basement design that meets your needs. [Click to enlarge]

Think of where the main traffic areas will be and make sure you have a clean flow throughout. You don't want to have to zig and zag to get around.

  • If you want a bathroom you may be restricted to putting it in the area that's been 'roughed in'. Unless you enjoy busting up lots of thick concrete, place your bathroom in the design first and work your way from there.
  • If you're putting in a bedroom, make sure you plan for an egress window. This provides a secondary exit in the event of a fire blocking the stairway. If you're getting building permits, this may be a requirement in a finished basement- regardless of whether you add a bedroom or not.

Basement design

  • Do a serious assessment of your skills and decide which pieces of your project you'd be better off 'outsourcing'. You'll have to spend some extra money, but it will pay for itself in the time saved and headaches avoided!
  • Make a 'wish list' of all the things you'd like to have in your basement. Compare it to your spouse's or significant other's. You won't be able to include everything on the lists, but you may each come up with ideas the other hasn't thought of.
  • Start to think of potential color schemes and decor. Visit home stores and Web sites to get ideas. Check out books from the library, and cut out magazine pictures. Although it will be awhile before you're ready for the finishing touches, doing some of this up front will save you time later. Plus, it gives you something to look forward to as you're pounding nail after nail….after nail…

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Design Topics

Design tips

Hiding pipes & poles

Closets and storage

Basement ceilings

Flooring

Lighting

Basement bathrooms

Basement design ideas

Interior design software

Oil based or latex paint?

How to pick a paint finish

How to pick a paint color

How to design a 'man cave'

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