5 Benefits to Finishing a Basement

If your home has an unfinished basement, it is probably used for storage, laundry, and not much else. You've thought about whether you should finish it, but you're not sure if it's the right option or if it's worth the effort. To help you decide, our basement waterproofing company in Raleigh is sharing five benefits to finishing your basement.

Increase Your Home's Value

If you plan on selling your home in the future, finishing the basement can add a significant amount of value to your home. You'll have more square footage which generally is an automatic increase to your home's value, plus, you'll have more attractive pictures to post of your home to entice buyers to schedule a tour. Most reports estimate that finishing a basement provides around 70 percent return on your investment through added value to your home, which is significantly higher than most home improvements.

Add Functional Square Footage

Even if you only finish a portion of the basement, you can still add a few hundred square feet to your home. Rather than selling your home and buying a larger space when you feel you've outgrown your house, finishing the basement gives you the space you need while staying in a home you love.

Create the Exact Space You Need

If your basement is an open space with just some support posts, you have an incredible amount of flexibility to create the exact space you need. While adding a bedroom and bathroom to make a guest area is popular, other homeowners transform their basements into the following:

• Family room/Teenager hangout
• Home gym
• Hobby or craft room
• "Man cave"
• Home office
• Playroom

Finishing the walls, ceiling, and floors provides a large, open space, but you can also frame in walls to create separate rooms, depending on your needs.

Improved Energy Efficiency

By finishing your basement, which entails adding insulation, drywall, and flooring, you're able to improve the energy efficiency of your home. Unfinished basements are often damp and have little to no insulation, causing you to lose heated and cooled air to this space. By finishing the basement, you'll eliminate drafts and save on your heating and cooling bills. Also, in the summer, if your basement stays cooler than the rest of the home, you and your family can spend more time there than in the upstairs, allowing you to stay comfortable while minimizing your need for air conditioning.

Create Rental Income

With much of your electric and plumbing running through the basement, you can add a bathroom and small kitchen. Thus, it's often not much extra cost to turn the basement into an extra apartment, especially if it has exterior access. Whether you want to reduce your housing costs by getting a roommate or rent out the apartment completely, having a finished basement gives you this option. Even if you're not comfortable with having tenants, turning your basement into an apartment can be ideal for an in-law suite or to provide an older child with more independence and privacy.

Schedule a quote for Basement Waterproofing in Raleigh

Before you start considering flooring and hanging drywall, your basement needs to be completely free from excess moisture and leaks. We can help with basement waterproofing, insulation, and other services that will provide you with a clean, dry space to finish. Call us at (919) 847-7072 or fill out the contact form below to get started.