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How to Make Room for More Room in Your Home

I did a little spring cleaning over the weekend.  Among other things, I brought four 60-gallon Rubbermaid containers into the basement.  Four. More. Giant. Containers.

In all, I have three dozen of these storage units now– all filled to the brim with things I’m not likely to touch (or think about) again for the next five years.  As I stacked the containers, I thought of the most common reason homeowners never finish their basement:

“I’d never be able to finish my basement with all that stuff in there!”

Pishposh. Remodeling a crowded basement IS possible.  Here’s what you should do:

Don’t Plan to Finish the Entire Basement

Most basement remodelers do not recommend finishing every inch of your basement.  While an entire floor of your home is overkill, SOME storage space is a good thing.  Allocate one-half to one-fourth of your basement as a dedicated area for storage, utilities, and laundry.

ZenWall is an affordable solution to spruce up storage areas

If you have a little extra in your budget and would like the storage area to look its best, try out some inexpensive upgrades.  We recommend our ZenWall product to give it the same look as the finished space.  Sometimes, we line it with rigid, white plastic boards (BrightWall) and waterproof floor tiles as a cost-effective upgrade.

Let Some Things Go

If you haven’t looked at it in five or ten years, what’s the chance that you really need it?  Finishing the basement is a great reward for finally organizing all that junk, sifting through your photos, and finally tossing out Aunt Edgar’s old rocking chair.

Yard sales, Goodwill, and your local waste disposal & recycling company are the way to go.  You’ll be surprised how good you feel without all that stuff weighing you down!

Use Vertical Storage

Of course, some things have to stay.   But if you stack those boxes and crates one on top of the other, it’s not going to be accessible.  The solution?  Vertical storage.

Storage shelves are relatively inexpensive and can do wonders for adding available space to your home.  Over the weekend, I personally picked up mine, and in two hours I’d at least doubled the available space in my closet.  Awesome!

Ask Us for Advice

At Total Basement Finishing, we’ve been remodeling basements since 1987, and we’ve got tons of great ideas on how to maximize storage space in your home.  Additionally, we’ll be able to help you build custom shelves, cabinets, and closets to optimize what you have.

We’d be glad to offer you a free, no-obligation basement finishing consultation and cost quote .  Give us a call today to locate a Total Basement Finishing Dealer near you, and get started on your new & improved home!

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There was never a better time to remodel your basement the green way.

If you’ve been dreaming of transforming that dingy basement into a home theater, a home gym or any type of livable space in your home, the time to finally tackle that project is now.

The Federal Government, under the section 1121 of the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009, is giving qualifying homeowners a series of incentives to make their homes more energy efficient, including a Tax Credit of 30% of the cost of energy efficient improvements, up to $1,500 dollars.

Total Basement Finishing’s  EverLast Perimeter Wall Panels qualify as an eligible building envelope component under 25c of the Internal Revenue Code and IRS Notice 2006-26.

Basement insulation is one of the most cost effective energy efficient improvements. The U.S. Department of Energy reports enormous savings from insulated basement walls.  For example, picture a 1,500 square-foot home in the northwest U.S. that has a finished basement with R-10 insulation.  If it’s heated by natural gas (at $0.72/therm), a homeowner should save $400 every year with an R-10 insulation!

EverLast Basement Wall Panels are mounted on a R-13 rated, closed cell foam insulation board which,  unlike fiberglass and competing fiberglass based insulation boards, will not soak up moisture and loose its R-Value. There are also other features that make Total Basement Finishing’s EverLast walls the best choice for your green basement remodeling project.

• 100%waterproof, inorganic and non-absorbent. Will not soak up water, support mold growth or get ruined, even if your basement floods.
• The cement core panels give you sturdy walls to hang book shelves, flat screen TVs and fixtures with no need to look for studs.
• The washable, stain-resistant, waterproof finish is virtually maintenance free while giving you the refined, high-end look you are looking for in a basement remodeling project.
• Everlast Wall Panels come with an impressive 50 years warranty.

There was never a better time to get the basement room of your dreams with Total Basement Finishing. But you have to act quickly: homeowners only qualify for this credit if the walls are installed after 12/31/08 and before 1/1/11.

Contact us today for your Free Design Consultation.

For more information on the Federal Tax Credit and qualifying products. visit the U.S. Department of Energy website.

Beautiful Game Room designed by Mr. Basement

The popularity of basement game rooms and “man caves“, which soared during the past decade,  will remain as a huge trend through 2015, According to the National Association of Home Builders’ “Home of the Future” study.

A combination of rising fuel prices, shaky housing market,  and the increase in number of available home entertainment technologies and systems, had homeowners looking at ways to maximize the use of available space in their homes building rooms to be more enjoyable and provide for all their entertainment needs.

Ron Greenbaum, also  known as Mr. Basement, is an expert in basement environment, from waterproofing to finishing.

Mr. Basement built many basement game rooms and “man caves“,  including the one in the picture that illustrates this post, which was featured in this Triangle article.

And he offers some important advice regarding game rooms:

“Before the design phase can begin, homeowners have to make sure the space is well-prepared,” Greenbaum says. “That means doing due diligence and controlling humidity in a basement or insulating the space in a loft above the garage. Otherwise, you’re throwing your money away.”

Mr. Basement is a Total Basement Finishing  dealer in Baltimore, Maryland area all the way from Frederick County to the Eastern Shore, Washington, D.C. and Northern Virginia.

Total Basement Finishing offers the best finishing  solutions for your Basement Game Room or Man Cave.  Contact us to locate a dealer in your area.

1. Concrete is porous and absorbs moisture. Because of this, water vapor and a mineral powder called efflorescence continuously passes upwards through the floor and into the basement.
2. Concrete is cold– made so by the earth around it.
3. Most basements will eventually flood from the plumbing, basement windows, water heater, washing machines, or through the foundation.

If you have a basement finishing project in mind and want to install these products, think again. Basements remodeled with traditional materials, such as carpeting, linoleum, tile, and wood, are being ruined and ripped out every day. And this is a big investment– you’re not going to want to pay to do this again.

Then: Linoleum Floors

Linoleum flooring is a fast, cheap, roll-out flooring that is occasionally used for basement renovations. Because it’s so easy to install, many homeowners are tempted to grab a roll for their finished basement space. Of course, linoleum is not known for its beauty, and it would rarely, if ever, be someone’s first choice if price was no object.

While linoleum makes a fair cost-effective solution for upstairs rooms, it’s a terrible idea for a basement floor finishing. To be installed, linoleum must be adhered to the sub floor below. In this case, your sub floor is basement concrete, with moisture and efflorescence passing through continuously. This moisture and efflorescence works to break down the adhesives that bind the linoleum to the concrete, making its seal loosen, blister, and eventually fail. And if the adhesives use organic material, they’ll grow mold and mildew as they peel. Flooring designs that adhere to the floor- such as linoleum and paint, will always fail.

Now: Wood-Design Plastic Parquet Floor Tiles

One great substitution for linoleum on the basement floor is to find a parquet-design basement floor tile like Total Basement Finishing’s ThermalDry Parquet Floor Tiles. They install quickly and easily, and they’re able to be used as soon as the installation is done. They’re more attractive and durable than traditional linoleum flooring, and because they install without glues or adhesives, humidity moving upwards from the basement floor will never cause them to peel or blister off your floor.

ThermalDry Parquet Flooring is made out of completely inorganic materials, so they’ll never support the growth of mold or mildew, and they’re much longer-lasting and more durable than linoleum. And if one tile is scratched, punctured, word, or otherwise damaged, they can be easily replaced- even by a novice do-it-yourself homeowner. Why settle for ugly linoleum flooring?

Then: Ceramic, Stone, and Marble Basement Floor Tiles

One idea for a basement floor that appeals to many homeowners is to add the time-honored beauty of stone, ceramic, or marble floor tiles to their finished basement. At a glance, this sounds like a great idea. However:

1. These tiles are installed with grout, which can grow bacteria, mildew, and mold and must be maintained annually.

2. The tiles bond to the basement floor, so they’re hard, cold, and unforgiving.

3. Removal of tiles from the basement floor is expensive and nearly impossible, as you’re trying to remove grout from cement.

Yes, they’re gorgeous. But don’t you also want a welcome environment, a warm surface underfoot, and the option to change your mind about your basement flooring someday?

Now: Tile-Design Basement Flooring for Basements

Instead of committing to a lifetime of hard, cold tiles made of stone, ceramic, or marble, consider installing equally attractive plastic basement flooring tiles. These tiles click together and install as a floating floor on your basement concrete. There’s no need to keep everything you’d stored in your basement upstairs for days while you wait for the grout to set- they’re ready to use immediately after installation.

Basement floor tiles like the ones provided by Total Basement Finishing rest on raised pegs, creating an air space beneath. This space ensures that moisture will not be trapped beneath, and it creates a thermal break, making the surface of the tiles 8-10 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than the cold concrete below. Their plastic design makes them more forgiving of falls and dropped items, and should you ever want to remove them- the can be pulled up easily, with no need to scrape away grout.

Then: Wood Basement Floors and Sub Floors

Wood finishing on a basement floor is among the worst possible finishing options there are. Wood soaks up moisture from the concrete floor beneath like a sponge, causing them to swell and buckle from moisture underneath- where dehumidifiers can’t reach it. If there’s ever a basement flood, water will be trapped in the wood as well. Mold can start to establish itself in a wood floor in just 24-48 hours, and once it’s begun, it’s expensive and difficult to stop it. We’ve seen hundreds of basements with ruined wood floors!

Height in a basement finishing plan is critical, and wood flooring doesn’t help. Wood basement floors take up as much as 3-4″ of head space, which is sometimes just enough to make the basement not code-compliant for basement finishing. And if your wood floors are ever ruined and need to be removed, you can bet it’s going to be hard to find a contractor willing to rip out your old, moldy, rotting lumber, drag it out of the basement, and dispose of it.

Now: Wood Laminate Basement Flooring

Admittedly, there’s nothing as warm, inviting, and attractive as a beautiful wood basement floor. However, there are options for basement flooring that can be installed without taking up several inches of your valuable head room, without being damaged by moisture, and without the risk of having to rip out and replace your basement floor should a basement flood occur.

Products such as Total Basement Finishing’s Millcreek basement flooring do just this. Warranted to be 100% waterproof, it won’t be damaged by a basement flood, and its design is more durable and long-lasting than a wood floor. Unlike a wood sub floor, Millcreek only takes 1/4″ of a basement’s head space, leaving you more vertical room in the finished basement. And because it installs as a floating floor, there’s no adhesives to peel, and removal of the flooring is easy in inexpensive.

Then: Basement Carpet on Concrete or a Wood Sub Floor

There’s only one basement flooring material that soaks up moisture more than wood- carpet. When placed on a basement floor, carpeting pulls in moisture like a sponge until it’s completely soaked. One flooded basement, and you can count on a moldy, musty odor in your finished basement for years to come.

If a basement carpet is laid directly on the floor, then it’ll also soak up moisture and humidity passing upwards from the concrete below. And because it’s laying directly on the cold concrete, it’ll also be cold and uncomfortable underfoot. If it’s laid on a wood basement sub floor, then you have all the problems of wood floor- less head space, rotting wood, buckling wood flooring, and mold- combined with a moldy, rotting carpet. And because you’ve installed carpeting, you’re committed to a long, unbroken sheet on your basement floor. This means that any stain, tear, or worn spot is permanent- you’ll just have to live with it.

Now: Inorganic Interlocking Carpeted Tiles

Instead of installing carpet on a sub floor or directly on the concrete itself, find a basement flooring option that will act as both a sub floor and carpeted surface. The ideal solution are ThermalDry Basement Floor Tiles.

ThermalDry carpeted floor tiles are a basement sub floor and finished floor surface in one. They interlock to prevent humidity from rising upwards into the basement, while they are completely waterproof and will not support mold growth. Should one become worn or damaged- for example, at the bottom of a staircase- they can easily be removed and replaced.

If you have your heart set on your own carpeting design- perhaps to match the space upstairs, [dealer] can still help. They offer unfinished floor tiles as well, which will stop humidity and keep your floor’s surface 8-10 degrees warmer than the concrete below. ThermalDry basement sub floor matting will double the life of your custom basement carpet!

Local Basement Floor Finishers

When you’re ready to finish your basement, our TBF dealers would like to help.  They offer FREE basement finsihing estimates, including a written quote, on-site design consultation, and free basement finishing book. Call or contact them by e-mail today to get started!

Exposed fiberglass showingin a basement closet. Exposed fiberglass is also common in unfinished portions of basements finished with this kind of wall system.

In recent years, there has been a big influx of homeowners insulating their finished basement walls with fiberglass insulation. And some large companies have also joined the bandwagon, creating basement finishing products that are manufactured with fiberglass insulation.

The issue here is that while fiberglass insulation works well in upper floors, it’s one of the worst insulation options available for a basement remodeling project.

This article will explain why, and discuss the best alternatives for basement insulation.

Fiberglass insulation rarely goes all the way up the walls, leaving open spaces where heat can escape. Metal stud mounted on foundation walls will also conduct heat away.

Inferior Wall Paneling Insulation

Fiberglass basement insulation is a less-effective insulation option, when compared to closed-cell insulation or spray foam insulation. It can absorb water from flooding and humidity, losing much of its insulative R-value as it becomes saturated. And if the insulation is compressed in any way, it will also become less effective.

More importantly, fiberglass batt insulation is installed in an unbroken sheet on the basement walls. There will be open air along the top of the insulation, and over time, the fiberglass will often settle, increasing the size of the gap on top.

Additionally, fiberglass and fabric basement wall panels cannot support the weight of cupboards, bookshelves, or other heavy objects. When they’re installed, the insulation must be cut away, so they can be mounted directly to the foundation wall.

These openings give heat a way to escape from your home, significantly reducing its energy efficiency. Think of it this way: How warm could you keep your house if you had a window open all the time? If you have large openings in your insulation, you can expect the same results.

Mold can easily grow on fiberglass and fabric-based basement wall panels, especially during a flood.

Fiberglass Walls Support Mold Growth

While fiberglass itself is inorganic, not all the materials that are in a completed fiberglass batt insulation are. For instance, the paper facing that is too-often included on fiberglass basement finishing panels can grow mold easily, as are the resins that are often used in the fiberglass to attach it to the backing. Foil backings can be effective for protecting this fiberglass from humidity, but the newer black plastic coverings include perforated holes- holes that can allow humidity and water into the insulation.

And since fiberglass is not naturally pink, we know that pink fiberglass has been dyed; that dye contains urea, an organic material that can and does grow mold. We’ve seen hundreds of basements that have been ruined by moisture and water over the years, and we know just how easily fiberglass gets moldy!

Basement Flooding Ruins Fiberglass Walls

When fiberglass basement walls get wet, the dyes leak and stain the fabric. And fabric walls are very hard to clean!

HGTV recommends installing fiberglass batt insulation with the facing pointed towards the warm side of the wall. This means that if the batt is properly installed, your fiberglass insulation will be pressed directly against the wall, where it can absorb moisture and humidity directly from the basement wall.

And if the basement leaks with groundwater or it floods through your pipes, washing machines, basement windows, water heater, sinks, toilet, tub, shower, or anywhere else in your home, you can say goodbye to your fiberglass insulation. Fiberglass soaks up moisture like a sponge and its dyes are water soluble, meaning that once the flood has come, your walls will be stained and the fiberglass will be soaked, and no longer effective as insulation.

Of course, once the fiberglass is wet, it is also its most susceptible to mold, rot, and mildew growth.

The Solution for an Insulated Basement Wall

Installing Total Basement Finishing wall panels, with blue closed-cell polystyrene basement insulation.

Instead of fiberglass insulation, [dealer] installs closed-cell polystyrene insulation as part of the finished basement wall panel system they provide. Designed by Total Basement Finishing, each insulated wall panel includes an incredible 50-year written warranty to resist mold and damage from humidity or flooding.

Created with dense insulation and a hard 1/2″ cementitious board, these panels can support the weight of up to 300 pounds per square inch, meaning that there’s no need to cut away the insulation when you need to mount cabinets, bookshelves, and heavy objects. Their vinyl covering makes them beautiful and easy to clean for the life of the home. And unlike fiberglass insulation, this free-standing wall panel can install on the walls or as a partition with no need for studs!

We can finish a basement, from floor to ceiling, in about ten days, and the warranties that come with the products last for decades! To locate a TBF Dealer in your area and schedule your FREE, no-obligation basement finishing design quote, call or e-mail us today!

Have you been skipping your daily exercise routines for lack of time or motivation to go to the gym? Are you tired of paying membership fees only to find out that you have to wait in line for a chance to use your favorite workout equipment?

Maybe you are just someone who would love to get serious about your health but doesn’t feel comfortable in a gym environment.

Did you ever think of building your own personal gym ?

If you have an unfinished basement, you can turn it into your dream home gym in a matter of days and, depending on your choices of equipment, quite affordably too.

The advantages of having your own home gym include:

• Family, friends and roommates can work out too: there’s no need for everyone to pay membership fees.
• Work out at your own pace and enjoy complete privacy
• There’s no need to share equipment with strangers.
• You can work out at any time, with no need to worry about getting to the gym before it closes.
• You can add features you would not normally find in typical gym (spa, meditation room, massage chair, flat screen TV or media center)

Step by Step Plan

1 – Measuring:

Take rough measurements of your basement, (your basement remodeling contractor will take the final measurements anyway). Sketch it on a piece of paper, and mark the place and measurements of any fixtures (utilities, stairs, windows and egress windows, doors, walls, pillars, appliances).

2 – Sketching:

Use paper or a simple free online tool like the Floor Planner, to plan your basement home gym. Build the walls, and place all the existing fixtures where they belong.

3 – Picking your equipment

There are three types of workout equipment.

A-    Cardiovascular workout equipment: mainly used to help you burn calories and fat, improve circulation and strengthen your heart. They make you burn fat by raising your heart rate, accelerating your metabolism, and causing your body to burn stored fat. Tread mills and recumbent bikes are in this category.

B-    Body building equipment: used to strengthen and define body musculature. Weight and utility benches are examples of equipment in this category

C-    Multifunction/combination equipment: some modern machines provide two types of workout and may include features that will focus on individual areas of the body (upper body, abdominal muscles, legs, thighs, hips, arms).

Consult your doctor, a personal trainer, or a fitness expert and establish clear workout goals and a feasible plan based on your current age, physical fitness, body type, health, daily work schedule, needs, and expectations. There is no “one-size-fits-all” plan when it comes to workout, and you don’t want to spend money on equipment that’s not right for you.

Start researching fitness equipment over the Internet, to have an idea of the dimensions. Some machines are very bulky and take up a lot of space and some models are very compact or can be easily stored when not in use. Make your choices based on the available space as well.

4- Shopping for Fitness Equipment

Prices for fitness equipment can range from a few hundred to several thousands of dollars. However, you can get very good deals if you are willing to shop for used items.

Browse Ebay listings for bargains. You may find good deals on your local GoodWill or Salvation Army Thrift Shops, and money spent there supports important community programs and worthy causes.

Tag sales and garage sales are also great places to find deals in gym equipment.

Alternatively, you can join your local Freecycle community and get the equipment for free!

5- Enroll the help of your basement finishing contractor.

Call [dealer] for a free design consultation in [cities]. Let your dealer go over the basement measurements with you, and guide you through the process of designing your {basement gym/basement fitness center}, advising you on the best finishing materials and layouts.

Show your design specialist your sketch, and give him an idea of the kind of equipment you’ll be using. Work with the contractor until you’re 100% confident that you have just what you want.

Pay attention to details such as lighting, the number of power outlets you will need, and whether or not you will need an egress window. Make sure you include extra outlets for things like your cell phone charger or a cooler.

Your contractor will inform you about any needed permits, and in most cases, they will be the ones making sure all the proper permits are issued before the work starts.

After the design consultation, you’ll be given a detailed, written estimate and will have a good idea of what your finished basement will look like.

5 – Finishing the Basement

TBF Basement Finishing systems can be installed in a matter of 7 to 10 days, with minimal disruption. Expect consistent updates and a courteous crew, as well as excellent workmanship.

6 – Bring in the equipment.

As soon as the TBF crew finishes installation, you can bring in, assemble, and install your gym equipment. Male sure all the parts are safely attached, and verify that all the electronic equipment is plugged, and that the cords are neatly tucked out of people’s way to avoid accidents. Add a few nice details like motivational posters or pictures of your loved ones to remind you of why you’re working so hard to stay fit and healthy.  A scale and mirrors will allow you to evaluate your progress.

With careful planning, the TBF Systems, and the right equipment choices, your ugly unfinished basement could become your beautiful and comfortable home gym in as little as 5 days!

Pat yourself in the back, even before you start working out. Building a basement gym is a great way to reinforce your commitment to a healthy lifestyle, and it’s a wonderful way to inspire your family and friends to do the same!

In the article, Larry breaks down his 5 principles to run a business by:

• Improve yourself to improve your company
• Look for opportunities in your backyard
• To sell, first educate customers
• Regardless of your industry, be a knowledge company
• Bring out the best in employees

Read the full article here: http://smallbiztrends.com/2009/08/entrepreneur-grew-sales-using-5-success-principles.html#comment-665972