Basement Lighting Advice for Des Moines Area Remodeling

If your basement is currently unfinished then you most likely have just a few receptacles and lights down there now. These will be connected to circuits upstairs. When you finish your basement you need to add new circuits so you don?t overload the existing ones. When we finish a basement we will add a number of new circuits depending on how many receptacles and lights there are. It is not uncommon to add four or five if there is a bathroom involved. So when planning the basement project you needs to look at your electrical panel and make sure you have the capacity to add more circuits. If not than a sub panel or tandem circuits may be an option.

Electrical Code has receptacles no more than 12 feet apart. I put mine a little closer than that, more like 8 to 10 feet. Receptacles are cheap and it?s better to have too many than not enough. If you have a treadmill or refrigerator or an appliance that draws more power than a normal, you should plan to have a dedicated circuit. You need a GFI (Ground Fault Interrupter) in any wet area like a bathroom or utility room. Your sump pump will have its own dedicated circuit already.

Plan your lighting locations and switch locations carefully. Think about how you want things to work and where furniture and appliances will be placed. Do you need any 3-way switches so you can turn lights off at different locations? If it is one large room you may want to break up the lighting into a couple of zones. This way you don?t have to have all the lights on just to be in one area. Recessed lighting should not be spaced too far apart. I recommend 5ft to 6 ft between fixtures and around 2ft from any wall.? I always put a dimmer switch in the main room. It?s just an easy way to control lighting for different needs.

Your basement will most likely have some low ceiling areas around the vent work. This can sometimes make it difficult to get light where you want it or create some shadowing. One option may be a wall sconce or two. When done correctly a sconce will direct light up to a low ceiling area. This can help even out the lighting and help to reduce shadowing.

Plan for your TV and phone locations so the cable and receptacles can be set correctly. It is not uncommon to have a couple of cable locations in a basement. Different cable providers have different requirements so you may need to contact them. Mediacom is no problem but some of the other companies want you to use their installers. If you are going to have a DVR you may need multiple cables to an area.

Speakers systems like surround sound should also be considered at this time. You will want to determine the speaker location as well as the component placement so all the wiring can be completed. Surround sound is a common feature in a basement today and is relatively inexpensive.

Whether you plan to do it yourself or hire a professional like me, you will want to spend some time planning ahead for your basement project. It can have a huge impact on the overall look and functionality.

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Source: http://culphomeimprovement.com/basement-lighting-advice-for-des-moines-area-remodeling/

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