Home
Customer Reviews
Project Pictures
Remodeling Ideas
Basement Designs
Egress Installation
About Us
Contact

Have You Considered This Source for Basement Remodeling Ideas?

The success of your renovation project depends upon the quality of your basement remodeling ideas and properly following through with them. While there are no definitive, or necessarily right or wrong, design goals for your newly finished basement there are definitely certain guidelines you want to consider throughout the planning process.

    Special Note: No single page by itself about basement remodeling ideas will be conclusive on the subject. In this specific case it is written from my unique and personal perspective as a contractor who specializes in this type of renovation work. The information below is based on the collective experiences with my clients. While this train of thought may not be upfront what you think you're looking for specifically when it comes to basement remodeling ideas, I do believe it will help provide you with direction throughout the multiple aspects of planning and carrying out your specific project.
Understand and work with your creative personality.
Most of my clients fit into one of three categories that will be discussed here.

Design Ideas Sketch Tools Based upon which category describes you best you will want to approach your remodel planning differently than someone else would. Taking a little bit of thought to determine which one describes you the most will invaluably prepare you to bring about a better end result that you can live happily with in your home for years to come. Again, none of these are right or wrong, they are simply a directional launching tool for you!

#1. The full-service design client.
What do I mean by this? Typically this individual wants to be guided step-by-step through the entire process from start to finish. They are very aware of what they want the end result of their basement remodeling ideas to provide for them (i.e. they want a new family/game room, along with a powder room so their guests don't have to run upstairs to use the main bathroom), but they are not certain what the best layouts and options would be to make it happen. Therefore, they want professional input based on the past experience of someone who has been successfully involved in bringing other people's remodeling projects to life. This type of client - even though they rightfully wield the final say-so of what gets done - they are not only open to ideas, but they want quite a variety of them to expand their knowledge before making decisions.
    Helpful Tip: Don't feel rushed. First, you want to take the time to make sure your contractor understands very clearly what is that you want to accomplish with your project. After that, you will want to ask a lot of questions. The questions you'll need to ask will likely be most effective by starting with broader topics that provide you with a good starting basis for asking more specific questions later. While this is not black and white, it is a good place to begin. Sometimes you may find that a more narrow question will open a discussion that affects your project in a broader way. So don't get stuck on the systematic approach as much as the quality of your questions. Finally, take notes. Lots of them, so you can refer back to them to spark even more ideas and questions.
#2. The construction-only client.
They already know exactly what they want. And there nothing wrong with that, necessarily, as we will see. Even though they could possibly improve upon certain aspects based on "general" wisdom, it does not matter to them because they know what they like and want and why, and that ultimately sufficient to make them happy. Remodeling Tools and Blueprints This is not intended to sound sarcastic in any way, because it is not. And there are several valid reasons why they may not be interested in design input from a builder. One, is that they've satisfactorily done their homework. They are supremely confident in their planning and have it already mapped out. In most cases that means they have their basement remodeling ideas fine-tuned and on construction-ready blueprints. The only thing remaining is for the contractor of their choice to arrive and complete the actual hands-on contractor work. Another reason could be that they are quite simply satisfied with what they've already decided upon and do not want to change the budget or get caught up second-guessing themselves based on extra options thrown at them.
    Helpful Tip: If this is you, I commend you on your thorough preparation. For the sake of covering all your bets, however, I would still take the time to discuss your design with the contractor. What is the reason for this? Even if you've had a professional designer do your blueprints, not all designers and contractors are on the same page when it comes to how things are actually done on the jobsite. This is not to pit one against the other, it is merely a fact about having different experience levels. It is entirely possible that your contractor understands what the designer is trying to accomplish but might have suggestions for ways of doing it that could save money or time. While you need to make sure you remain firmly in control of what you want it never hurts to get a second opinion of basement remodeling ideas that could make things even better.
#3. The "finishing touches" design client.
This particular type is confident in what they want, but also sincerely open-minded to helpful suggestions in rounding out their own basement remodeling ideas to make them even better. Not only are they well aware of what the end result will do for them, they already have planned how to get there - including the majority of the details of how it will look. This client generally asks a lot of good questions that are designed to fill in the areas that they are not quite as confident about regarding both design and construction knowledge . They understand that these are not two separate and totally unconnected factors, but often affect each other in how they are carried out.
    Helpful Tip: Much like Client #1 above, you will also probably benefit from asking questions that funnel from broader and more general to the specifics about finer details. Architect and Contractor Reviewing Project The biggest difference is that with having already planned much more thoroughly you should be able to focus on questions that are detail oriented sooner, that will help you reach decisions more quickly. Again, being open to asking the contractor's opinion of what you have already planned - for the purpose of receiving a unique perspective based on experience - will only provide you more insight for making a better final analysis of your basement remodeling ideas while there is still time to make changes. You can always say no if you don't agree.
Conclusion: What do these categories mean for you?
Knowledge is your friend. Which is especially true with such an extensive project that invests your invaluable time and money. No question is a dumb one. If the contractor thinks it is, then he is not the right one for your job.

You may find that some of these suggestions overlap. And that is perfectly fine. The categories are merely guidelines to help you pinpoint specific strategies that will hopefully so to help you have a better basement remodeling plan and building experience. In summary, the way to accomplish that is to continually educate yourself by asking deliberate questions with a specific purpose in mind.



Return from Basement Remodeling Ideas to the Premium Basement Remodeling Home Page