Remodel
4. Grab bars. Designers and manufacturers have embraced the idea of aging in place, and today there is a plethora of universally accessible fixtures that are sleek and clean, and that suggest a sense of style rather than scream about their function. The appearance of your grab bars may be important to you if you want to incorporate them in your renovation but aren’t at the stage where you necessarily need them. Safety tip: Ensure that there is proper plywood blocking in the wall before installing grab bars, and don’t ever hold on to towel bars or soap dishes for support.
1. Curbless showers. Whether you’ll need a walker or a wheelchair to get around, or if your condition simply limits comfortable mobility, a curbless shower makes transitioning in and out of the shower easy and safe. Before you proceed, you’ll want to hire a professional contractor who understands the principles of proper slope on an otherwise flat bathroom floor. You’ll need to ensure that proper waterproofing is implemented under the tiles and make provisions to allow for the drain within your level floor.Bonus tip: If you’re proceeding with this project, why not consider in-floor heating as well?
How Do I Tile Over a Partial Installation?It is definitely possible to use a partial-room heated floor and then tile the entire room to one finish. However, keep in mind that, since radiant heating is permanently trapped under the flooring, it’s smart to change the flooring material in the heated area. This not only can create pleasing visual breaks in the space, but it also saves you from a potential disaster if the system fails at some point and needs to be repaired.The flooring will have to be removed and thus typically destroyed to access and repair a radiant heat system, so defining a smaller area with its own flooring finish will reduce the area that must be retiled after.MoreHow to Add a Radiant Heat System Is Radiant Heating or Cooling Right for You?
What System Should I Install?Radiant heat systems come in three types. The first, forced-air based (where hot air carries heat through channels in the floor), is rarely ever used in homes. The second, hydronic based, tends to be the most efficient, using hot water to carry heat through a network of tubing.
6. Electrical panel and other services. Your basement will likely be home to such features as your electrical panel, hot water heater and furnace. Sometimes it’s difficult to lump these items together into one soundproof, properly ventilated utility room, which is the ideal. If you can’t, then ensure that you come up with creative ways to conceal your electrical panel, whether it’s in millwork, behind artwork or hidden in a bookshelf.
2. Digging deeper. Digging out your basement to give you higher ceilings is an expensive endeavor. You’ll need to make structural changes to your house to gain ceiling height. Depending on the size of your basement, the cost of digging it out and underpinning it could cost $50,000 to $90,000. But you’ll gain an entire floor. For many people, it’s worth the investment.
1. Inviting elements. It’s difficult to draw people downstairs to a basement, especially when it doesn’t get a lot of natural light. It’s great if you can use its dimness and coziness to your advantage. Putting in elements that create atmosphere, like fireplaces or large flat-screen televisions, works well.
This playroom area is located beyond the island (you can see it in the first photo.) The girls wanted a spot where they could put on performances. “We wanted to give them that but create something versatile that could grow with them, rather than installing a raised stage they might want to get rid of later,” Harriman says. She installed a rod that spans the width of the room for the theater curtain. The girls also use gymnastic mats and a balance beam in here, while their little brother has room to spread out his train and other toys. A thick wall allows for display and storage niches along the right side of the room. On both sides of the room are 4-foot-wide pocket doors. The one on the left leads to the sewing and craft studio; the one on the right leads to the music studio. “We installed wide doors so that the separate spaces could feel open to one another when they wanted, but that they can close off when they want privacy,” the designer says.
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If you don’t need storage space and are seeking a minimalist design, you can forgo cabinetry and simply install a wall-mounted countertop.
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