| If you are finding yourself pressed for space, you may | | | | dreaming. Unleash your imagination, forget about |
| be considering finishing your basement. You can take it | | | | money restrictions. Include all the various ideas that you |
| from a dank, dark area that nobody wants to be in to | | | | have culled from friends` homes, the clips that you`ve |
| a rec room, perfect for entertaining family and friends. | | | | saved from magazines, the ideas you`ve dreamed |
| This can be done instead of making an addition to the | | | | about. This freewheeling gambit serves a practical |
| house if you find you are expecting another child or a | | | | purpose. To an amazing degree many of these wild |
| mother in law. | | | | dreams can actually be included in the finished job. |
| If you`re interested in finishing off your basement, this | | | | Scaled down or changed they may be, but the central |
| could be the most important message you will ever | | | | idea and the satisfaction will remain |
| read. | | | | When you have gathered together this mass of notes, |
| Thousands of families have successfully completed | | | | clippings, sketches and ideas, shift your imagination into |
| home remodeling projects and the number grows | | | | lower gear. Now is the time to decide exactly what |
| larger every year. Now`s the time to get started! | | | | purpose the space will serve. If a portion of the room |
| The problem is a universal one for, sad to say, most | | | | will be turned into a storage area, there`s no need for |
| families are bursting out of their dwellings. Like never | | | | elaborate preparations, lighting, finishes, etc. All you |
| before, we now have the time and money for | | | | really want here is dry, usable space. If part of the |
| elaborate part time activities. All sorts of hobbies are | | | | area will be a laundry, then you want better light, |
| booming. The paraphernalia that goes with them is | | | | proper floor drainage, a nicer finish on the walls and |
| starting to engulf us. When you add on the inevitable | | | | simple but sturdy cabinets and counters |
| accumulation of odds and ends that seems to build up | | | | Carefully planned and conscientiously built, the |
| almost magically, half the households in this nation are | | | | basement should be as handsome, inviting and cozy |
| about to explode through the front door. | | | | as the rest of your house. This is not an idle |
| Before you go hog wild at the lumber yard, take the | | | | philosophical thought. Turn out a lackadaisically planned, |
| time to do a decent job of planning the remodeling. Not | | | | slap dash sort of job and you will wind up with little |
| only will you be able to lop a fat hunk of cash off the | | | | more for your efforts and expense than the same old |
| material bill, but you`ll wind up with a far nicer looking | | | | useless area that merely boasts some ornate trim. |
| job. Like any big business enterprise, break the planning | | | | And now get down to the hard core planning. Scale |
| up into several stages, from dreams to decisions. | | | | down your ideas to fit family financing and available |
| First, gather the entire family together and think big. | | | | space. At the same time, make sure your ideas can |
| Spare no expense, time or labor in your preliminary | | | | be carried out without too much trouble and expense. |