Finishing Your Basement to Fit Your Needs
For many homeowners, finishing your basement can be a fun project with a world of possibilities. Maybe your current home set-up is missing that special feature that you always wish you could incorporate. Or maybe you're a growing family looking to take advantage of more space in your house. No matter what your situation, we have some great reasons for you to make finishing your basement a 2012 project. We've also included photos of basements by Sockness Builders, Inc. below, and ideas to help get you brainstorming about what your basement could be.
First, here are some great reasons to start your basement finishing project right away...
Flexibility: Many homeowners look especially forward to a basement project because it's an area of their home where they can really be creative. Instead of worrying about matching color schemes with the rest of the house, or creating a space that flows with everything else, your basement can be a separate area. Besides, with so many options for what to turn your basement into - the possibilities are endless!
Resale: Homebuyers these days are very interseted in houses that have room for a growing family. By finishing your basement, the added value that you are creating in your home can make your property more marketable when it comes time to consider resale.
Company: If you're a family that hosts company for long weekends, holidays, etc. a project such as this could give you the extra space (or separation!) that you need. Many basement finishing projects also include an extra bedroom or bathroom.
Entertainment: Finished basements are notorious for being the best "hang-out" spot in your home. The large, versatile space is often a popular room for get-togethers, parties, etc. Especailly if you are considering adding a pool table, theater room, or game room to your plans, your basement could become everyone's new favorite part of your home.
Next, here are some fun ideas for ways that you can transform your basement space...
Basement Bar: Maybe one of the most popular basement transformations is turning your downstairs space into a bar area or hang-out. This gives you the option to have a great area to unwind after a busy day at work, or a great space to entertain friends!
Playroom: Growing families often see the need to use their downstairs space as an extra area for their kids too! It's common for homeowners to designate an area as a kids' playroom in their finished basement. This can come complete with window seats, built-in storage benches, etc.
Exercise Room: With all of the extra space you may find in your newly finished basement, it might also be a good idea to include a workout room. Many homeowners can create a gym in their home by moving exercise equipment into one space, or even adding a rubber floor.
Theater Room: A great idea for those who like to entertain, creating a theater room can give your family and friends the perfect place to watch the big game or the latest movies. Creating stadium-type seating or adding acoustical aspects of the room only help to enhance the theater experience.
Man Cave: Becoming increasingly popular is the idea of having a special part of your home as the designated "man cave." Basically, the ultimate in a men-only hang out, this space can include many of the above features including a bar area, theater room, game room, etc.
The possibilities really are endless when it comes to finishing your basement. Below are a few different sketches by our on-staff designer which show other homeowners' ideas brought to life. If you're intersted in remodeling your basment, give us a call! We can put your ideas down on paper like the ones below and help to make sure that your basement dreams become a reality.
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We're excited to start our blog post about what it takes to build a new home from beginning to end. When we started this new home earlier in the spring, we thought it would be a great opportunity to document all of the steps and share it with all of you! For anyone contemplating building their dream home, here's a glimpse into what it takes to bring your idea from concept to completion...
First, here are some great reasons to start your basement finishing project right away... 
Aside from the safety requirement to have a basement egress window, there are also a few benefits that make adding one of these to your home a good idea. First of all, depending on the type of egress window and well that you choose, adding one of these can bring a considerable amount of natural light to your dark, downstairs space. Next, a basement egress window can actually increase the value of your home by allowing you extra saleable square footage that you might not have had before. Finally, most all of the window wells are easily added to exisitng home plans. Many even offer planting space on the "step" area of the well to help with the aesthetic appeal of the window. It's even possible to add "dome covers" (as seen to the photo on the right) to help keep rain/leaves/etc. from falling into the well. 
This Saturday night we'll be saying goodbye to 2011 and welcoming in a new year. If you're like most of us, you're probably left wondering where the time went. We feel like it was just a few weeks ago that we were meeting and talking with all of you at our home in the SCWBA's Parade of Homes at the end of the summer. Believe it or not, we're already starting to plan and look forward to the 2012 parade! 
What are the benefits to the homeowner to be featured in the Parade of Homes? 
Over the years the SCWBA Parade of Homes has evolved to better fit the changing times. One of the major improvements was adding a "Tour of Remodeled Homes" to the new homes that are being featured. This gives area contractors the opportunity to showcase work that was done to improve upon people's existing homes as well. Examples of projects that could be featured include kitchen renovations, exterior remodeling, finishing a basement, or adding a home addition. There are many possibilities, and anyone interested can run their project ideas by Sockness Builders and it would be determined right away if it could be a potential Parade of Homes feature. 
