Basement Developer?

[Calgary14]

What would qualify as a bad layout/design?

[Fuzz]

Having a jack post at the bottom of the stairs... 6" to the right, it would have been perfect!

[Calgary14]

For anyone with a finished basement - anything you wish you could change or add if you could? Looking at getting one developed soon so hoping to get feedback on what you use (or don't use) and what you wish yours had (or didn't have)

[Oling_Roachinen]

Mostly, I'd look at modernizing it, things that work with Alexa. Lights, switches, fans, TV, thermostat (if different than main levels), speakers.

[White Out 403]

Originally Posted by Calgary14

For anyone with a finished basement - anything you wish you could change or add if you could? Looking at getting one developed soon so hoping to get feedback on what you use (or don't use) and what you wish yours had (or didn't have)

Use a good drywaller and framer. Don't cheap out there. oh and build in surround sound speaker wire and any other electronics you may think you'll have like a projector in ceiling etc. Have your connections already ran.

[Fuzz]

Insulation...

[Weitz]

Skip the fireplace. But if you insist, don't put it in a stupid place.

[Calgary14]

All good points. I'll make sure I use only reputable contractors, and wont be doing any of the work myself (would turn out to be a DIY hackjob at best). Pre-wiring is another thing I'm looking at - potential for entertainment system. Insulation is actually at the top of my list to cut down on noise from upstairs, and solid doors instead of hollow

[Lubicon]

Insulation and a good underlay for the flooring, regardless of what type you plan on putting down. And if your utility room is on the opposite of the house from you electrical run some empty conduit in the ceiling if you can to connect the two areas - makes adding circuits, cables etc. easier in the future if you need to.

[calf]

Originally Posted by Calgary14

For anyone with a finished basement - anything you wish you could change or add if you could? Looking at getting one developed soon so hoping to get feedback on what you use (or don't use) and what you wish yours had (or didn't have)

My house was developed by a previous owner, and is now clear to me an obvious DIY hack job. It has a furnace room, a bedroom, a bathroom and a "main room".

If I were to start from scratch, I'd re-configure the rooms so the bedroom and bathroom aren't on opposite sides of the basement from each other.

The main room also has a support pole right down the middle. It's a nice divider, but with cable/speaker wires installed on one side, there is almost zero flexibility for how the room can be arranged. I'd personally try to have as much open space as possible if I were to be starting over.

[Fuzz]

I hear those support poles are superfluous after construction, and you can just cut them out with a sawzall.

[White Out 403]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

I hear those support poles are superfluous after construction, and you can just cut them out with a sawzall.

[EldrickOnIce]

Spray foam. Costly, but spectacular.

We spray painted the ceiling. Also spectacular, but this is more to taste than anything else.

[Fuzz]

After watching the CBC doc on spray foam I would never get it. I'm sure 99% of the time it's fine, but that 1% sounds like a nightmare.

[EldrickOnIce]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

After watching the CBC doc on spray foam I would never get it. I'm sure 99% of the time it's fine, but that 1% sounds like a nightmare.

Hmmm. Wow. I don't know. That is no good.
Probably good reason to stay clear of unreliable contractors and/or product than the process itself.