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01/14/2016 11:23

You might have seen in the latest remodeling magazines that transforming your basement into a kitchen or a kitchenette has become one of the latest trends in house renovations. With no doubt, there are lots of other possibilities of redoing something in the basement: kids room, home gym, add a bedroom or even a separate apartment, but with no doubt creating a lower-level second kitchen is a project that will bring you the biggest benefits.


MULTIPLE USES
A lot of people hesitate about having a second kitchen, but according to the professional Guy Solomon reviews a second kitchen in the basement can become a perfect spot for entertainment and hosting any special occasions. If you also consider a kitchen with a dining room, you will create a perfect place for relaxation avoiding the necessity of running up and down stairs or having worries about a mess. Having a basement retreat will definitely allow you to have easy access to cooking and cleaning-up without disturbing all the members of your family upstairs.


If you think about renting out a part of your house, then a second kitchen will definitely raise the paying rent and be very useful both for you and your tenant. It is also extremely useful if you live with grown-up children or aging parents. Having an extra kitchen will significantly reduce any conflicts and of course provide a private and hassle-free zone.


COST SAVINGS
If you have just bought a house and anyway will renovate the whole building, then creating a basement kitchen will definitely make excellent financial sense. You will not need to do any extra excavation works, all utilities including water, gas, electricity, and all sewer lines are easily accessible which means cost savings. On top of that you will not spend much time on plumbing and drains installation because they are already in the basement. It means that installation of a kitchen sink or dishwasher will definitely be inexpensive and easy. Moreover, as a rule heating and cooling requirements are lighter for the basement level of your house, so you will simply be adding square footage without getting larger increase to the utility bills.


According to the statistics, any kitchen renovations are actually listed as the top valuable selling point by all real estate agents, so it means that a basement kitchen will definitely significantly increase the resale value of your house.


EXTRA CONSIDERATIONS
Some of other important benefits that a basement kitchen can provide you with are:
Extra insulation on the walls and ceiling that will lower spends on heating and cooling bills for the house in general. Moreover, according to Guy Solomon good insulation also gets you better soundproofing which means that you will be able to throw a party downstairs without intruding into your kids, for instance, life upstairs.


It is easier to create proper ventilation system in the basement plus the kitchen in the basement has less connection to the house upstairs, it means that you will have much less smell of food in the house.
 

01/13/2016 18:10

We all want to be thin and look nice this is why most people go to the gym for some training. But if you are a busy person or have many kids whom you need to take care of, then it becomes simply impossible to work out outside the house. This is when you can go downstairs, have a precise look at your unused basement space and imagine a perfect home gym for the whole family!


Is Your Basement a Good Fit?
If you decided that you definitely need a basement gym, then you need to know about the several important things when performing such renovation. In order to make a list of these things and explain them in the easiest way we consulted a professional basements contractor Guy Solomon and this is what we ended up with.


How much space do you have? This fact should be thought of in close connection to the ideas of your perfect basement. If you want to have a big gym, then you need to make sure that your basement space is big enough for your project, while if you want only a couple pieces of equipment, then in fact any basement can work for this purpose.


Ceiling height. As a rule, basements ceilings are not very height, which may become a great obstacle on your way. Check the codes for gyms in order to find out where you are. High ceiling is a must for a home basement gym, because you need to have some reserve in the height in order to properly perform all the exercises on the training equipment when, for example, you run or do some step work.


Gym Equipment
After you finish all the preparation and finishing works in your basement it is time to think about buying equipment and special accessorizes that are needed in order to make your home gym     a more comfortable environment. And this is the part where you can start having fun! Think about the equipment that you not only want but actually plan to use in your home gym. Experts advise to start from treadmill, traditional stationary bikes, free weights, ellipticals, or even more, depending on how much space you have available. In case you plan to purchase any large pieces of exercise equipment, experts advise to put them into your gym first, and only after that start adding any other accessories.


Another great thing that you need to think of is having at least a sink downstairs. According to Guy Solomon reviews this is a perfect addition to any home gym, because it allows you to fresh yourself up even during the training. Also consider the storage place for some equipment like special rugs or dumbbells that are important for your trainings but are not very handy if lying all over the floor.  
And the last advise about the gym is to install there good sound system which will help you keep up with the rhythm during the training.

01/13/2016 17:08

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