Do you need more space in your house but want to avoid the hassles and costs associated with shifting to a new house? Do you have unused space in your basement? If you do – there may be a solution. The best option in this case would be to convert the already existing basement into a space which can be used for your requirements. Converting a basement to give more space also increases the value of the property by a considerable amount. Basement floors are designed to hold heavy weights so they are ideal for things such as swimming pools and kitchens, since not much work will be needed to be done to the floor or the structure of the basement because it will already be supporting the weight of the house.
A basement conversion could lead to a lot of upheaval for the people already occupying the place. If the basement has to be made larger or a new basement has to be made, it would mean digging into the concrete floor and for safety purposes, the residents would have to shift out of the premises.
Before beginning the conversion a few building regulations would have to be complied with. These regulations pertain to issues such as fire escape routes, ventilation, damp proofing, electrical wiring and water supplies. These issues should be dealt with beforehand. Since the basement is the lowest part of the building the ventilation would naturally be either non-existent or very poor. So proper care and design needs to ensure that the basement gets adequate ventilation and lighting. The cellar also needs to be waterproofed to prevent seepage and other water related problems. It is but obvious that the basement would be deprived of sunlight. This would make it a rather cold place, so heating also needs to be taken care of. For the heating, any work involving gas must be done by a Gas Safe registered fitter, or electric heaters could be used or you may add radiators to an existing installation if the boiler has sufficient capacity.
Once all the issues are dealt with and the basement is converted according to the tastes and requirements of the person, it would certainly become an asset to the house and the owner.
Author Resource:-
Joanna is a well renowned Polish journalist specialising in Polish, Russian and English translation services. She has been residing in the UK for 3 years where she has made her home among the Polish community in Tooting, South West London.
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