Having a comfortable and aesthetically pleasing basement can increase the livable space of your home as well as boost its value. While a basement remodeling project can be the ideal way to achieve this, there are many homeowners that may have limited experience with these project. As a result, they may make some simple oversights that can lead to future problems with the basement. To help you minimize this risk, you should keep the following few tips in mind when planning for this type of project.

Incorporate Waterproofing

The basement can be one of the areas of a home that is most prone to suffering water damage. This can stem from the fact that the basement is below ground, which can make it easier for water to seep into it. When this occurs, severe damage can result due to concrete cracking, mold colonies developing and wood rotting. It can be easy to overlook this damage for an extended period of time if you do not regularly inspect your basement, and this can give it the time needed to go from a relatively minor problem to a major source of damage to the house.

Luckily, there are some relatively simple steps that you can take to help keep your basement safe from this potentially serious threat. Having a sump pump installed can be a particularly effective way of protecting your basement against flooding. These pumps will automatically turn on and pump water out of the basement. Additionally, you should consider having the walls and floors coated with a waterproof sealant. These steps can significantly improve the resilience of your basement against this type of damage, and they will not significantly impact your design choices for the remodel.

Make Sure To Obtain A Permit For The Basement Remodel

There are some homeowners that may make the critical mistake of failing to research whether their local jurisdiction requires a permit for a basement remodel. Failing to obtain a permit for this type of project may cause future insurance claims for the property to be denied. This is especially true if the damage stems from the basement. While the rules governing the need for these permits can vary greatly from one community to another, you can easily find out whether this is needed for your project by consulting the local building department. When a permit is required, you will need to submit the design plans for the new basement as well as have the basement inspected when the work is completed. While this may seem to make the basement renovation more complicated than necessary, it is an unavoidable step for protecting the coverage of your homeowner's insurance policy.