When you’re planning a new home, one of the main features you should consider is a basement. It’s easy to add to almost any home design and offers several major benefits. Here’s why you should talk to your building contractor about including it in your plans, and a few options to consider if you decide to add one.

Benefits of Basements

The biggest benefit of having your building contractor add a basement is an increase in livable space. It can double the square footage of a one-story home, giving you more room for bedrooms, bathrooms, home gyms, offices, recreational rooms, and dens.

This space is more private than street-level rooms since it’s difficult to see in through a ground-level window well. Adding a basement will also increase the value of a home, and will sell for more than a home without a basement.

Types of Basements

One of the easiest ways to classify basements is by size. Full basements are just as large as the floor above them, taking up the whole footprint of the house. Partial basements are smaller than the house. A full basement can become a partial if your building contractor constructs a home addition that expands the house’s footprint without expanding the basement.

Basements are also categorized by their features. Finished basements have walls and floors that are covered in similar materials to the rooms on the main floors, like drywall, carpet, and tile. Unfinished spaces have exposed concrete and structural elements.

Finished basements are ready to be used as additional living space, while unfinished basements are most often used for storage and laundry. Basement finishing can be completed long after the initial construction. A basement can also be fully underground, or, if the home is built into a slope, can have one side exposed at ground level while the other side is buried. If a basement has a door that opens directly to the outside, it is called a walkout, walk-in, or walk-up basement.

If you’re planning new construction or renovations and want to discuss adding a basement, contact HNS Property Services in Parker, CO. This full-service building contractor in Douglas County provides custom design and construction services. They handle every step of the project, from planning and management to the finished product. Their team specializes in bank-owned properties. Call (925) 212-1585 to get started, or learn more about their past projects online.