With Canadians spending more time at home, opportunities to improve our living spaces continue to present themselves. You may have spent time pampering your pets, setting a new tone in the bathroom, or even performing some long-overdue home maintenance. If you’ve been considering uncharted home improvement territory, then it could be time to finish your basement. Let’s look at some ways to help you plan for this project.

Is It Worthwhile?

Undoubtedly this is one of the biggest projects you can undertake in your home, and it carries some risks as well as a hefty price tag. On the flipside, you’ll not only increase the livable space in your home, your property value could see a substantial boost. Whether you hire a pro to complete the work or execute this epic DIY yourself, the added value alone makes this a worthy endeavour if done correctly.

Besides general considerations for this project, you’ll need to assess costs. Consider a professionally finished basement will cost between $35 to $55 per square foot. Of course, this cost would be reduced for a DIY, but it’s a good baseline for budgeting. 

Important: If you’re considering converting to a basement suite consulting your municipality and a qualified professional are both key in planning for a  safe and legal living space for family or tenants.

Common Pitfalls To Avoid

Working Without a Permit: 

This is one of the most common mistakes when it comes to any type of renovation, causing potential financial and legal troubles down the road—especially when selling your home.

Ignoring Moisture: 

Before proceeding it’s important to confirm if conditions are suitable for finishing. Basement humidity levels must be maintained at 55% or less. Anything above 60% presents a mould risk. 

Tip: Taping two-foot squares of plastic sheeting strategically on the walls and floor for two-week periods is an excellent way to test for moisture penetration.

Improper Flooring: 

Another major pitfalls for finished basements is when carpet or organic flooring are laid on concrete. This can create conditions for condensation to collect, so it’s important to employ proper subflooring materials, or if possible, use inorganic flooring such as ceramic tiles.

No Backup Sump Pump: 

If your basement requires a sump pit and pump to address drainage during spring or sustained rain, it’s important to maintain a working backup pump for emergencies. 

Tip: During dry periods, practice swapping out your pumps to avoid any panic when there’s a pump failure. 

Poor Drainage: 

One of the most important considerations takes place outside your home. Ensure your gutters direct water at least 10 feet away from the home, and that the surrounding soil slopes away from the structure. 

Inadequate Ceiling Clearance: 

While most homeowners are not likely to attempt finishing a crawl space, it’s important to meet minimum code requirements for ceiling clearance. Clearance height may vary from city to city, but generally speaking you must keep a minimum height (below beams and ducts) of 6’11” for at least 75% of your usable floorspace.

Consult Professionals

This can’t be stressed enough. Even if you plan to do the finishing work yourself, it’s best to consult a professional for this type of project. A building engineer or architect can help you develop a plan to avoid missing key details, while also helping to assure building permit approval.

All electrical, plumbing, or support structure work should be performed by licensed professionals to avoid costly, dangerous mistakes.

Materials

Once you have a plan, it’s time to purchase the materials you’ll need to accomplish this project. Assuming any drainage or moisture seal issues have already been addressed, here are the main materials to plan for: 

•Treated lumber for studs (treated lumber is less susceptible to warping and rot)

•Metal or wood furring strips to create offsets along your walls (a must for uneven walls)

•Insulation (a solid foam insulation is recommended if it will contact the walls directly)

•Flooring materials (subflooring, carpet, laminate or tile)

•Drywall

•Paint

•Concrete sealer

•Hammer drill with masonry bits, masonry screws or slip anchor sleeves

•Plumbing (if you plan to install a bathroom or make changes to your laundry area)

•Sump pumps (every sump pit should have a primary and a backup pump)

Understandably, there’s a lot to consider, learn, and think about when preparing to finish your basement. Taking the time to carefully plan out your project while being mindful of potential pitfalls will go a long way towards creating a beautiful space you can not only be proud of, but will provide years of enjoyment for your family, and those of future owners.

Entertainment looks much different than it did a year ago. But with streaming services offering the latest movie premieres, coupled with the approach of some of the year’s biggest televised events, let’s turn some of those lemons into lemonade and look at key tips for building the perfect home theatre. 

That’s Dedication

While incorporating a home theatre environment into your family room is fantastic, if your goal is to create a space solely for theatrical enjoyment, a dedicated space is best. Whether you just finished your basement or plan to, this is the perfect opportunity for this project.

The primary reasons for a dedicated room are layout and treatment. You’ll get more out of the space by optimizing the placement of furniture, speakers, lighting, and sound baffles.

Furniture

The goal for seating is comfort and screen visibility. Place plush armchairs or couches a suitable distance from the screen, but not too far away. Installing castors on couches, armchairs or love seats are a convenient way to shift or add seating on demand. For a genuine theatre feel, consider tiered seating if your space allows. While you can buy chairs with built-in cup and snack holders, side tables or a coffee table are handy options as well.

The Big Screen

When planning for your screen, you’ll need to decide whether to go with a smart TV or a mounted screen and projector. Projectors used to be prohibitively expensive, but modern advancements have brought their costs way down. 

Whatever you choose, it’s important to mount the screen high enough so that everyone can see clearly—especially with row seating—and low enough so viewers aren’t straining their necks.

The Gear

Unless you use a smart TV, you’ll need a streaming device, a Blu-Ray or DVD player, plus a receiver and surround sound system. If you wish to avoid surround sound components, a decent sound bar will do nicely and negate the need for a receiver. 

Keep your main components together on a TV stand or rack close to an outlet and wired internet access. If you’re planning to use a surround sound system, then it’s strongly recommended to research thoroughly to decide what’s best for your budget and space.

Note: While Wi-Fi has come a long way in strength and speed, if you’re streaming in HD (1080p) or Ultra HD (4k), nothing will beat a wired network connection.

Sound Treatment

Reduce outside noise pollution by installing an additional layer of drywall or sound-reducing wallboard, plus replacing the hollow door with a solid one. 

Sound (or room) treatment is more commonly associated with recording studios, but applies in this case because it’s best to reduce reverberation (reverb) as much as possible for a crisp, clean sound. Acoustic foam and baffles can be bought for a reasonable price and applied to walls, the ceiling and corners to cut the reverb. 

The other key element of sound treatment is speaker placement, especially in relation to your seating so do some research.

Set The Tone

To create that perfect theatre atmosphere, start with as little natural light possible. Basements and inner rooms are prime spaces to work with. If your room has windows, the aim is to block our natural light completely and with as little effort as possible.

As far as artificial lighting goes, pot (recessed) lights or wall sconces, coupled with a good dimmer switch give precise control over light levels while reducing the risk of eye strain. An economical substitution is to run LED string lights along the sides of your room. 

Snacks

Many people have a bar in their dens, so why not take your home theatre environment to the next level with a snack bar? This could include a mini fridge for your favourite beverages, storage for chips, nuts and candy, or even a popcorn maker to give your theatre that authentic buttered popcorn smell.

Things To Avoid

Like most projects there are common traps to be mindful of, such as:

• Overspending: Technology changes quickly, so don’t budget for the most expensive setup available when you may have to update in a few years. 

• Overly Bright Décor: Bright flooring, furniture and décor can have a negative impact on your room’s ambiance. Darker tones work best.

• Hard Flooring: Smooth flooring contributes to sound reverb so it’s best to use carpeting if possible (the thicker the better!)

• Lighting Behind Seating: This is a surefire way to add unwanted glare to your viewing experience, keep lighting to the sides as much as possible.

Now that you have a better understanding of the key elements for building your home theatre, you’re ready to hit the ground running. As long as you have a well-researched plan for your space, you’re sure to create your perfect home theatre.  

If you have kids, one thing’s for certain—you have a lot of art on your hands you don’t want to throw away! The fridge can start to get a little busy when you hang up every single drawing, but luckily there are a number of chic ways to decorate with your child’s artwork. Here is a list of ideas for you to find inspiration.

Create Your Own Clothesline Display

If you spent a lot of time drawing together, you probably have one or two (or 10) artistic masterpieces ready for display. Find pieces that match or complement each other either by colour palette or content, and pin them using clothing pins along one to two strands of rope. You can find everything you need at the dollar store, or at local craft suppliers. It all depends on how fancy you want to get. 

Use nails or thumbtacks with colourful ends to attach the string or rope to your wall. If you want to keep it completely hassle-free, adhesive hooks will do. 

Space your nails or hooks out equally and levelled. Grab a single piece of string and tie a knot around each spaced wall mounts. Use the clothing pins to attach the artwork and you’re all set! You can change out the artwork as it gets made!

Put LEGO® on Display

If your children love LEGO®, you probably have several sculptures, buildings, and imaginative creations lying around your house. While LEGO® usually gets disassembled to create the next masterpiece, there are a couple of interesting ways you can display your kids’ creations.

The first way is a wall-mounted LEGO® creation. You’ll need a piece of wood, LEGO base sheets, some paint, glue, and a bit of imagination. Attach the base sheets to the painted piece of wood, then affix your child’s LEGO® creations to those base sheets. Add any adornments you see fit, like stickers, drawings, or glitter! Tip: you might need a little glue to help you out here.

LEGO® Shadow Box

Another great way to display LEGO® art is by creating a shadow box. A shadow box is an enclosed display case with a glass front that lets you show off any number of objects, which makes it perfect for showcasing LEGO® creations. Fill it with whatever creations you see fit.

Wall Calendar

Sometimes your fridge gets a bit full, but there’s a way you can display it year round! Have your kids’ artwork professionally scanned, or if you’re a bit more tech savvy, you can download an app to scan and enhance the art for you! From there, you’ll have a wealth of options at your fingertips. Creating a wall calendar is a unique way to display multiple pieces of artwork from your kids. Try using a custom calendar maker which offer easy drag-and-drop functionality. 

Alternatively, these make great custom gifts for family members and close friends.

Tapestry

Once you’ve had the art scanned the world becomes your oyster! One of our favourite ways to display a child’s original art is a custom tapestry. Pick the most delightful piece of the bunch and send it off to a printer who specializes in custom tapestry.

Playdough Mobile

If your kid is more the arts and crafts type, wall hangings and mobiles are a great option. If they’re a fan of playdough, you can easily craft a wall hanging by attaching a few pieces together using string and connecting them to a rod. It’s worth getting some oven-bake clay if you’re looking to make a mobile, as it’ll probably last a bit longer on the wall.

If your kids are fans of glueing and crafting with mixed mediums, you can create a hanging mobile which allows more depth as it hangs from the ceiling.

While the build-up of art in the house may feel overwhelming, you’ll feel better about displaying it intentionally and incorporating it into your home décor. Your children will feel good knowing you’re proud of their work, and you’ll feel good showing it off. If your kids are old enough, you can even get them involved in building the displays! Work together to make their art even more special. 

There are endless ways to display your kids art, it’s just about finding the best option for you.

While many people are attracted to bright colors, Homeowners are often most concerned with making sure the palette in their home feels “livable.” After all, a color you love in a stunning photo may not be a color you will love to see on your walls every day. Here are some tips for choosing a paint color you’ll enjoy in real life.

Don’t Buy Paint On The Spot

It’s important when you begin the process of selecting a paint color, to start with a wide palette of options.

When you go to a paint store, don’t worry about choosing the best possible color while you’re in the shop. Your goal should be to arm yourself with a variety of options so you can make the best possible choice later. This usually means pulling more swatches than you think you need — and even colors you don’t think you will want.

Choosing subtle colors, as opposed to bold and saturated hues, can be the trickiest, as the more subdued the tones in the paint, the harder they will be to see in a paint chip. For this reason it is wise to grab some paint chips that are similar to the color you think you want, but a bit off. Grab the paint chip that appeals to you at first glance, but also take two swatches on either side of it for variety.

When you look at these paint chips again at home, you may find that one you didn’t think you liked is actually the right one for your home.

Bring Your Own Swatch

When you go to the paint store, don’t go empty-handed. Bringing a piece of art or fabric as color inspiration can be useful, but something even simpler can help you see colors correctly: a white sheet of paper.

In the store, a pale color may look virtually white, but in your home it will likely be contrasted by some bright white elements such as the ceiling, trim or even something as simple as a switch plate or lampshade, rendering the color much more noticeable.

Bringing something pure white — and also pure black if you have it — will give you something to contrast against the paint swatches in the store to help you see the undertones more clearly.

For example, a “light” blue may seem lighter than the other blue shades on the same paint chip, but compared with a stark white it might suddenly look a lot more saturated.

It can also help to use another design element of the room as color inspiration. It’s usually recommended to choose colors that are a bit lighter or toned down from the true hues in the inspiration piece, lest they be too saturated for a full wall.

Try Some Space Experiments

Once you’ve taken many paint swatches home, that is when you can truly decide which colors will work. As you may know, colors can look quite different in your real-life lighting than in the bright fluorescent lighting of a store.

It’s also important to consider that colors will look different relative to other hues in the room, different positions (on a wall versus on the ceiling, for example) and at different times of the day.

Tape paint chips to the wall where they will be applied, and view them during the time of day you will be in the room the most. For example, in the morning or evening for your bedroom. Take your time to do this with individual color swatches on their own, so each color swatch isn’t visually competing with a rainbow of other options.

Go Big And Go Home

Another huge factor that can change how you perceive a paint color is the size of the swatch. No matter how carefully you look at it, a tiny paint store swatch will never fully show you what a color will look like on a full wall. For this reason, designers will often apply a large stroke of paint directly to the wall to see how it will look in real life.

This is an effective technique for helping to compare a shortlist of colors once you’ve narrowed down your selection. It can also help you see how a single shade looks in different finishes if you’re debating between, say, eggshell or matte.

If you don’t want to have to live with messy walls for a while, you can also order large-format paint samples from many companies. It will cost you about $10 to $15 per “memo” swatch, but it can save you a lot of money in wasted paint if it means you don’t end up with the wrong color.

Take Your Time

To some, painting a room, and then painting it again later to change the shade, isn’t a big deal. After all, paint is one of the relatively easier elements of a space to fix if you make a mistake.

For others, the effort and expense of repainting is a major pain. If this is you, it’s worth taking the time beforehand to really sit with a color option before taking the plunge. The more time you take to sit with the choice, the less likely you are to get swept up in a passing fad or sudden impulse.

Do you love a color right now because it’s a true favorite, or is it just a passing infatuation? Looking back at older saved photos will help you see what hues you’ve truly gravitated toward for the long haul.

If you think you’ve settled on a favorite shade, keep a copy of the paint chip with you as go about your life. When you find yourself in a friend’s home, a cozy restaurant or another inspiring space, hold the paint chip up to nearby surfaces to see if it seems lighter or darker, brighter or more muted than colors you’re drawn to.

Make A Commitment

Once you’ve selected and purchased a paint color, it’s time to commit. Paint will look quite different during the painting process, and it is very important not to judge the color until it has been properly applied in the necessary number of coats — at least two, but often three or more, depending on the product and shade.

It’s truly wisest not to judge the color at all until at least the next day, and to give yourself some time to adjust to the change in your space before jumping to any conclusions.

This is especially true with darker shades, which will visually shrink the space in a way you will need a little time to get used to.

Get A Second Opinion

Still worried you won’t be able to live with your choice? Having a design professional come to your home for a color consultation can give you a lot of insight, especially because they will typically come armed with paint-swatch decks in every color, bringing the entire paint store to you.

Another option is to choose a time-tested signature color of one of your favorite designers. While a color shown in a single photo may look different in real life, if you try a designer’s go-to hue, you can rest assured that this color looks great in many spaces.

Don’t Think About It

Any artist will tell you that the more you stare at something, the harder it becomes to truly see it. Sometimes the best thing you can do while trying to choose a color is to take a break for several days and come back to your options with a fresh perspective.

When you come back, look at your selections and go with your gut. Ultimately, if you really love a color — light, dark, soft or bright — it will feel livable, so there’s no reason to choose any hue but the one that feels right to you

Most of us are naturally inclined to purchase a house based on a pure gut and heart reaction. “It feels like home.” Right? However, finding that “feeling” can be an exercise in patience and frustration, just like dating. Here are 10 questions that can help guide you in finding your ideal home match.

Are You Low Maintenance?

Take a look at a potential house and its property. Are the gardens filled with perennials? How big is the lawn? What’s the roof warranty? A metal roof can last up to 50 years while asphalt shingles will need to be replaced every 10 to 20 years in areas that experience heavy snowfall and rain. Is the house constructed with a resilient material like Hardie board? Insects, weather and curious woodpeckers can make quick work of a log or wood home and require ongoing maintenance. 

 Are You Quiet?

Spend some quality time at the house and observe traffic at different periods of the day. Do the neighbours have a barking dog or young children who love their trampoline? Are you close to a firehall where sirens will be a constant soundtrack? Are there train tracks nearby? Are you on a major bus route? At an intersection? Beside a restaurant with outdoor dining? Get to know the neighbourhood and everything nearby.

Are You Warm?

While gas fireplaces are instant and convenient, they can also be inefficient depending on their age and BTU rating. Wood-burning fireplaces will require the care of a chimney sweep and a little lumberjack labour but are undeniably romantic. Pellet stoves have a high combustion and provide one of the cleanest burning fuel options but can pose an issue if you lose power (unless you have a battery back-up) as they still rely on electricity.

Propane and electric heat (baseboards, forced-air furnace) have their pros and cons with delivery fees and time-of-use rates. Boiler systems are commonplace in older homes but new technology has modernized the traditional radiator’s appearance and efficiency.

And don’t forget about heat loss —are the windows new? Do they need to be replaced? The R-value of a house’s windows and insulation can make for a cozy night or give you the shivers.

Are You Flexible? Willing To Grow?

If your family is planning to grow (dog, child or in-law suite?), will the house permit expansion? Is there an unfinished basement? Is it possible to add another bathroom? A detached garage? Main floor laundry? Will there be space for the art studio or kitchen island you’ve always dreamed of?

Are You Outdoorsy?

Is the house located near trails? Dog parks? What exposure does the house have? North-facing windows can pose a challenge, but there are certain plants that will thrive. Will you see the sun rise or set? Is there enough storage or space for a shed, deck and/or hot tub? Are the trees surrounding the house healthy?

Are You Financially Sound?

Is the house in a desirable location? A home in a gentrifying neighbourhood or bedroom community will likely increase in value but buying a boat access-only property or three-season cottage can hamper resale value. Consider budgeting for costs like monthly condo fees, parking, commuting, grass cutting and snow removal, septic pump outs or the cost of replacing aging appliances.

 Are You Charming?

What’s the story behind the house? If it’s a heritage home, visit your local city hall to investigate the archives. A growing interest in schoolhouse and church conversions has helped preserve history while providing a reliable rental income for the savvy entrepreneur.

Are You A People Person?

Does the house realistically meet your entertainment requirements? Is there a room for the kiddos and their PlayStation? Will the dining table seat the entire family? Is there space to put in a pool? Pool table? How many guest bedrooms?

Are You Stable?

The foundation is where everything began. If you’re considering an older home, invest in a structural engineer for the house inspection. Be aware of erosion and high-water levels with lakefront properties. Check basements and ceilings for signs of leaks and mould and chimneys for integrity (and bats!).

Are You Willing To Change?

While a house may appear 100% perfect after the first starry-eyed visit, there will be inevitable changes that you’ll want to make. Are they possible? What can you sacrifice? What are your non-negotiables? Are they cosmetic changes (paint, lighting) or beyond-the-budget renovations?