Richmond Concrete Pros - Basements |
![]() Concrete Options for Basements
One of the big advantages of a concrete basement is the fact that they tend to be quite economical. Basements can double the amount of heated living space for a fraction of the cost of the home and have enormous flexibility. A basement can provide you with a lot of extra room for all kinds of uses. One of the most popular uses is to add a den or rec room. Because they are on a slab, heavy items like pool tables are perfect because the floor is not prone to settling like a wood floor would be, and therefore the table will remain perfectly level once leveled. Additionally, a guest bedroom or office is a good choice. Extra bedrooms and bathrooms add a lot of value to the house and a typical basement has plenty of room for these. Now that services like AirBNB and VRBO are getting so popular, many people are adding a bedroom and bath and renting it out to offset some of the costs. Of course an area for storage is a very popular use as well. This frees up other more expensive floor space in the house, like attics and closets, and the garage. For heating and cooling, the vents can either be placed inside the concrete or more commonly boxed in along the corners of the ceiling or placed above a hung ceiling. This makes access much easier than in other parts of the house. A concrete basement is strong, and durable. Concrete does not rot or burn, and provides good shelter against bad storms. It is also quite energy efficient and quiet. There are a lot of joints where the masonry units are connected in a block wall, so it is important to be sure they are waterproofed, not just made resistant to dampness. You can also build the walls out of solid concrete rather than block for an even more solid structure that is even more resistant to fire and water than block. Depending on the area of the country you are in, you might need a waterproofing membrane installed with the ability to bridge cracks, or even caissons, which are deep piers, in cases of extremely poor soil. If a basement is an option for you, it should be strongly considered. Home |
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