One of the most obvious makeover targets is the basement. Now is the perfect time to convert that space into an entertainment venue you will be proud to show off and where you will be able to spend your free time comfortably.

Many of the projects can be completed with the help of your local ARA-member rental store. Renting tools to complete the job can save you money and storage space after the job is finished. Rental stores also offer expert advice on using equipment safely and efficiently.

Begin by deciding what you need to do to make your basement the most comfortable place in your house. Plan a timeline with all the steps, including areas where you may need additional help from a professional.

Here is a list of steps to complete a basement renovation from start to finish:

1. Check to see what building permits may be needed. Every city is different, and you don’t want to start any do-it-yourself home project without being certain you have all the necessary permits.

2. Moisture-proof walls and floors. Often, moisture in a basement is a result of poor drainage outside. Rent a skid-steer to correct the grade outside your house. The ground around your house should fall away from the foundation at least 6 inches within the first 10 feet around the perimeter of the home.

3. Frame walls, rooms and ceiling. Renting a pneumatic nailer will make the job move quickly.

4. Rough in electrical, plumbing, cable and telephone connections. This is an area where you may want professional help. If you work on these projects yourself, rent a conduit bender to run wires, and a voltage meter to test your installed wiring.

5. Schedule electrical and plumbing inspections.

6. Install insulation and vapor barrier. This will help keep your basement warm and dry.

7. Install drywall, sand, tape and prime it. Drywall gives a finished look to a space but can be difficult to install. Rent a drywall router or a keyhole saw to cut corners and special angles flawlessly.

8. Add flooring. If you choose carpet, be sure to add enough padding to make it as comfortable as possible. You can rent a carpet stretcher and install the carpet yourself. Or choose hardwood to add warmth to the space. For wood floors, you can rent a pneumatic floor nailer to speed the job along.

9. Paint the walls. Renting a paint sprayer will make the job quick and give you the professional results you want.

10. Install trim, molding and baseboards. Rent a compound miter saw for cutting perfect corners.

11. Put in light fixtures. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Rent a hole saw to install can lights in the ceiling, expanding the space.

12. Get final inspections and enjoy your new space!

Renting tools from an ARA-member rental store will stretch your budget dollars further, and the expertise of the rental store staff will make doing the project yourself easy.

The pride for your newly finished basement will be yours to own forever. Most everything else? Well, that you can rent! To find your local ARA-member rental store, visit www.RentalHQ.com, the world’s largest rental store locator. You can search by geographic location and by the specific type of equipment you are looking to rent.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

Related posts:

1. Renovation of Unfinished Basement Creates Two-Bath, Home-within-a-Home for Extended Family
2. You Can Save A Lot Of Money With Free Home Remodeling Software
3. Getting the Interior Decorating Information You Need

(ARA) – Bathroom additions rank among the most common home improvements, and the investment almost always pays off at resale. But when it comes to basement renovations, the expense and mess of digging for plumbing drainage lines makes adding a bathroom financially impractical for many homeowners. As a result, homes with plenty of sub-level promise remain underutilized.

“I see a lot of basements in my work,” says real estate professional Daniel Pitman of Brentwood, Tenn. “Too often, they remain unused, wasting perfectly good space and valuable real estate. Owners just don’t know what to do with them.”

The biggest obstacle, he says, is that homeowners “Don’t ever visualize putting bathrooms down there because there’s no way to drain the fixtures. Adding sump pumps is expensive, and they leave a big hole.”

There is a solution that can help homeowners overcome the basement-renovation hurdle. Above-floor plumbing makes it simple and cost-effective to install a bathroom virtually anywhere in the home without breaking through the floors — a special advantage when those floors are made of concrete.

The innovative technology has been a European plumbing staple for half a century and is catching on in the United States for basements, tight spaces like closets and attics, and even temporary bathroom additions. That last application is possible thanks to Saniflo whose toilets are as simple to “un-install” as they are to put in, making them ideal for creating short-term living quarters for a nanny, an in-law or a convalescing person.

Instead of routing waste and water through a conventional floor drain, Saniflo plumbing moves the effluent to a macerator pump, housed in a small plastic box installed at floor level behind the toilet. The macerator uses a fast-rotating cutting blade to break up waste and toilet paper. The resulting fine slurry is quickly and quietly discharged under pressure through small-diameter, above-floor piping to a septic tank or the sewer system.

“When you offer people an alternative to getting the sledge hammer out and busting up the floor, it’s no contest between above-floor and conventional plumbing,” says John Haas, owner of Central Hardware in Elkhart, Ind., which does an active business in Saniflo products. “Saniflo has been the most successful new product that we have taken on since I came here in 1988.”

Dream come true
Daniel Pitman and his partner Duane Enoch avoided basement excavation themselves by using Saniflo’s technology to help turn a 6,300-square-foot residence in Brentwood into their dream home. Located 15 miles south of Nashville, the house was just right for their needs. Knowing they could easily convert the 2,400-square-foot, unfinished basement into separate, but spacious accommodations for Enoch’s aunt and grandmother sealed the deal. But what made their dream come true was a full-scale, luxury renovation of the lower level, including Saniflo system installations for all their plumbing needs.

Enoch’s aunt and grandmother “have their own entrance, kitchen, and laundry room — even a fireplace,” Enoch says of the comfortable and well-appointed sub-level “home” designed for his relatives. The ambitious renovation project also included two master suites with toilet, sink and bath/shower installations. A former pipe-fitter plumber and now a home inspector, Enoch says their luxury basement transformation was an ideal improvement for the home.

Dramatic cost-savings
“Initially, we had a plumbing contractor come out and quote us a price to rough in conventional, below-floor drain lines for the bathrooms,” Enoch says. “Going with Saniflo instead probably saved us $10 grand.”

But Saniflo’s appeal went beyond these impressive cost-savings. “We loved the fact that the Saniflo system spared us from having to go through that concrete dust,” adds Pitman, referring to the need to blast through the floor to install traditional plumbing systems. “The mess would have come up to the top floors eventually. That clean-up factor is really the big selling point for above-floor plumbing.”

The Saniflo system had several other factors in its favor as well:

* Concealed plumbing: Enoch liked the fact that the macerating pumps could be concealed behind the wall, an important advantage for the luxury setting they envisioned. “That’s what sold me on the technology. We have access panels in both baths, which makes it easy to get to the macerator boxes.”

* Just like regular plumbing: Because the plumbing is concealed, “Most people don’t even know an above-floor system is any different than conventional plumbing,” Enoch explains, referring to the look and comparatively quiet operation of macerating technology.

* Quick and easy installation: Without the digging to make drainage connections, the couple’s bathroom installations took a little over half a day.

Enoch and Pitman’s expansive residence is typical of this fast-growing upscale community, known for its large lots and serene settings in the rolling hills of middle Tennessee. But unlike many other homes in the area, the Enoch-Pitman dream home is fully utilized from top to bottom for the benefit of all four family members, thanks to the basement renovation with above-floor plumbing.

“I didn’t want them to go to a retirement community,” says Enoch of his grandmother and great aunt. “Now they have family upstairs, and we have family downstairs. And they are absolutely in love with the bathrooms.”

For more information, contact Saniflo at (800) 571-8191. Or visit the Saniflo Web site at www.saniflo.com.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

Related posts:

1. Adding a Bath Where None Exists?
2. Make your smaller home more livable with a new bath
3. How to save money and complete your basement renovation fast