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admin | January 2, 2012
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Home Building 101: Basement Finishing Ideas



Home Building 101: Basement Finishing Ideas

Hot Basement Ideas for Room Layouts

Your basement can be the most diverse area in your home. What should you include? Many people include a bathroom, bedroom, game room, storage room, and a home theater if your budgeting allows. If you need a place for your book collection or a spare room for your guests, your basement may be among your best bets. What are other ideas for getting the most use of your basement? Lets answer this question while ensuring we fit your personality and your individual lifestyle.

Library or Shelving

Basements are quiet areas. What a good spot for a reading room! Snuggled in your newly finished basement you now have the chance to enjoy your favorite books in peace and quiet. You still are inside your home just in case you are wanted upstairs.

Make sure your books are away from the window light to avoid sun exposure. Ceiling lighting is almost always needed inside the basement, so be sure to plan out your light fixtures to illuminate your basement lighting correctly. Mix strong task lighting with direct ambient lighting. Look over the light bulb packages and lighting fixture boxes at your supply store if you do not have the time to look up the definition of lighting and the lighting terms I stated seem like another language!

Movie Room

The movie room also called the home theater or entertainment room is among the most popular in finished off home basements. Proper Planning is essential before the basement finishing off process starts. Speaker wiring, cable wiring, and electrical wiring all need to be included prior to having any work done.

Wine cellar

Basements are often including the option of a Wine Cellar. Do you have a large collection of wine? Consider having something larger than a shelf for storing your bottles. Having an entire room designated for this very purpose is a very intriguing and fascinating idea indeed! It actually is quite simple to achieve adding this delicacy to your home. Basements are usually cool and dry. This is the environment needed to keep wines. Ideal temperatures range within 48 to 56 degrees Fahrenheit. If you live in an area with a hot climate, you will probably need to Move Away. :-) I mean – buy an air conditioner or air exchanger.

Home Work Out Area

This area has cluttered many a basement that was just too small for including it. Often a membership to your local YMCA (No Affiliation so I Hope I’m O.k. with stating this in my article) “Y” “M” “C” “A”, the “y” “M” “C” “A” … O.K. enough singing.

When basements are large enough, you may transform basements into fitness centers. Basements including treadmills, or lots of fitness equipment, can easily fit into your space with the right planning. Home sauna’s are now popular in basements for when the work out is complete. They can be bought pre-made, equipped with your favorite C.D. or players, and use regular electrical outlets for power.

Recreation and Family Rooms

Living rooms in basements are wonderful areas to hang out. Keep in mind people also use this basement area for entertainment purposes. A separate family room will allow your family to engage in different activities and relax without having to worry about keeping it in Tip Top shape if someone should happen to stop in. If you have small children, a carpeted floor or rugs are ideal for a play areas.

Hope this helps – Sincerely wishing you remodeling success!

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admin | January 2, 2012
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Cabinet Designs For The Den Or Living Room



Cabinets for the den or living room are different from any other room in the house. Unlike a kitchen or bathroom where cabinet designs have a standard and specific purpose, these rooms serve a variety of functions and the storage needs to reflect that while still matching decor. It also gives you an opportunity to get creative with the styles and use of space.

Bookcases And Large Storage Cabinet Designs:

Storage in dens and living rooms help to keep the room organized and looking great. Traditional bookcases with elegant details such as crown moldings or custom accents are great for holding books and decor items. Some are having special inserts added into some of the shelves to hold movies and music.

Complete wall units added to these spaces house all of the necessities including TVs, DVD and media devices, home theater systems, and a media library. These pieces often become the focal point of the room with their rich graining and range of colorings. Large wall units are being designed in sections as well. This allows the homeowner to rearrange the pieces in many different ways to accommodate changing needs and tastes.

Built-ins are another great option. Spaces that contain stairs can have a custom cabinet design created to match the unique shape and space of the area to maximize the room’s storage. Cabinets can be built around couches and tables too.

Fireplaces:

Artistic cabinet designs created around the den’s fireplace create a stunning focal point in the room. Hardwood covering the back wall and a decorative mantel can go around the fireplace. Custom cabinets on either side can house decorative items or be used for extra storage. Other materials such as granite, marble, and slate are being incorporated into the designs as well. For an added look of luxury, custom wood boxes and holders for tools added directly into the original cabinet design or created separately to match the original design look fantastic.

Movable Units And Accents:

Separate cabinets are extremely popular in dens and living rooms for their versatility. Curio units are great for holding small antique items and collectibles. Wardrobes are ideal for holding electronics in smaller spaces because they still allow the homeowner to hide them away when they aren’t being used.

When it comes to spicing up the cabinetry, virtually anything goes. One of the most popular options is hand carved columns, appliques, and supports to give any design a custom handmade appearance. Glass or crystal doorknobs or replica door pulls completes the look and feel of a piece. Pot lights and glass shelving are also used in many different storage systems to bring attention to the items being stored in them.

The perfect cabinets will only increase the enjoyment you get out of your home and add to its value making them a worthwhile investment. There are an unlimited number of options when it comes to custom cabinet design for dens and living rooms. The only rule is that they function and are appealing for you and your family.

Cabinets for the den or living room are different from any other room in the house. Unlike a kitchen or bathroom where cabinet designs have a standard and specific purpose, these rooms serve a variety of functions and the storage needs to reflect that while still matching decor. It also gives you an opportunity to get creative with the styles and use of space.

Bookcases And Large Storage Cabinet Designs:

Storage in dens and living rooms help to keep the room organized and looking great. Traditional bookcases with elegant details such as crown moldings or custom accents are great for holding books and decor items. Some are having special inserts added into some of the shelves to hold movies and music.

Complete wall units added to these spaces house all of the necessities including TVs, DVD and media devices, home theater systems, and a media library. These pieces often become the focal point of the room with their rich graining and range of colorings. Large wall units are being designed in sections as well. This allows the homeowner to rearrange the pieces in many different ways to accommodate changing needs and tastes.

Built-ins are another great option. Spaces that contain stairs can have a custom cabinet design created to match the unique shape and space of the area to maximize the room’s storage. Cabinets can be built around couches and tables too.

Fireplaces:

Artistic cabinet designs created around the den’s fireplace create a stunning focal point in the room. Hardwood covering the back wall and a decorative mantel can go around the fireplace. Custom cabinets on either side can house decorative items or be used for extra storage. Other materials such as granite, marble, and slate are being incorporated into the designs as well. For an added look of luxury, custom wood boxes and holders for tools added directly into the original cabinet design or created separately to match the original design look fantastic.

Movable Units And Accents:

Separate cabinets are extremely popular in dens and living rooms for their versatility. Curio units are great for holding small antique items and collectibles. Wardrobes are ideal for holding electronics in smaller spaces because they still allow the homeowner to hide them away when they aren’t being used.

When it comes to spicing up the cabinetry, virtually anything goes. One of the most popular options is hand carved columns, appliques, and supports to give any design a custom handmade appearance. Glass or crystal doorknobs or replica door pulls completes the look and feel of a piece. Pot lights and glass shelving are also used in many different storage systems to bring attention to the items being stored in them.

The perfect cabinets will only increase the enjoyment you get out of your home and add to its value making them a worthwhile investment. There are an unlimited number of options when it comes to custom cabinet design for dens and living rooms. The only rule is that they function and are appealing for you and your family.

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admin | December 19, 2011
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Kitchen and Bathroom Electrical Wiring Gfci Electrical Circuit Wiring – Bathrooms and Kitchen Areas Require Special Electrical Wiring -



Kitchen and Bath Areas

GFCI Electrical Wiring

Remodeling Wiring for Kitchens and Baths

Remodeling Wiring for Kitchens and Baths

Kitchens and Bath areas require special electricity wiring for electrical outlets.

The electrical outlet locations are also much different than in other portions of homes.

What are electrical requirements for kitchen and bath areas?

As electrical requirements change frequently be sure to check with your certified local electrician for any special requirements you and questions for your kitchen or bath remodeling. This a summary of a few of the guidelines from the national electrical code a few years back.

In the kitchen area the NEC requires no more than 6 fee from a given location to be from an outlet which would make the outlets no more than 12 feet apart with special outlet locations in the kitchen area or over counter-tops.

Counter-top receptacles in your kitchen must be served by two or more different circuits. Each kitchen counter space that is wider than 12 inches must have its own outlet, with no point along than countertop being more than 24 inches apart horizontally or 48″ of space between the outlets in the kitchen.

Often electricians run a three wire 240 volt cable from the service panel and provide two new 120 volt circuits. One side of each receptacle is served by one of the  circuits while the other side is served by the other circuit, giving two circuits available at each outlet which gives the term split circuit. Protection for over-current on a split circuit used a double breaker which is linked in the circuit’s panel.

Ensuring kitchen and bathroom safety, the NEC requires GFCI protection in all new bathrooms, and in kitchen outlets within six feet of the kitchen’s sink and other locations around the house. Adding ground fault protection to existing circuits makes sense in any bathroom or kitchen.

A “ground Fault” is a current leak caused by faulty electrical insulation in a tool or appliance which is plugged in. This current leak may be too small to trip a circuit breaker for your kitchen or bath area, yet can prove fatal to anyone standing on a wet floor or touching a grounded metal plumbing fixture for an example.

There are three GFCI types. One is a circuit breaker installed in the main panel. A second type of GFCI outlet is installed in the outlet box as a replacement for an existing outlet, and there also is a simple plug in GFCI outlet or extension cord. Installing a feed through GFCI outlet is the most common for kitchen and bath areas with more than one outlet. A feed through GFCI allows ground fault protection to all of the receptacles beyond the outlet in the same circuit.

Although adding GFI outlets is very simple step when remodeling kitchen or bathrooms ]people wanting to do work them selves too often make the fatal mistake of missing the minor addition of the correct type of outlet. Be sure to understand this step, or hire an electrician to make sure your kitchen and bathroom areas have the right gauge electrical wiring at the right spacing apart,  and at very least ensure your circuits in areas such as Kitchens and baths where moisture can be present is protected with a GFI style of outlet.

We hope this helps as you start your new kitchen planning and kitchen remodel. Please let us know what information you were looking for on our website does not have the content you are looking for so we can be sure to include it in the future – Thank You!

Kitchen and Bath Areas

GFCI Electrical Wiring

Remodeling Wiring for Kitchens and Baths

Kitchen and Bathroom Remodeling Circuits and Wiring

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