Extend The Basement To Gain Housing: Information And Ideas

With a basement extension, the living space can be extended well. We say what matters.

Your house is bursting at the seams? Then maybe a cellar extension is the solution. The basement is often used for parties, the in-house sauna or for the storage of fine wines. Keller can also be transformed into high-quality living space if it is dry and has enough windows. What you can do with your cellar and what you need to pay attention to here.

Arguments for the basement cellars are often treated neglected. Here everything accumulates, what is not needed in the house and apartment at the moment. But cellars can be much more than junk rooms: under the right conditions, they can be converted into full-fledged living space. This has the following advantages:

They have more space, which you can use as a retreat, as an additional playground for the children or to accommodate guests.

A cellar extension increases the property value.

The insulated basement reduces the heating costs of the house as a whole. It is best to plan the extension of the basement in cooperation with a certified specialist planner ( energy consultant ) and adapt it immediately to the current energy-saving guidelines.

Minimum requirements for the basement

expansion Who wants to expand the basement to the apartment should find out in the respective state building regulations, which minimum requirements apply in their own country for living spaces in the basement.

In Berlin basement apartments must have a clear height of 2.50 meters; in Bavaria, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland, Schleswig-Holstein and Hesse it is 2.40 meters, in all other federal states only 2.30 meters. Similarly, there are different specifications for the window sizes: In Hesse, Bavaria and Berlin, the window areas must be at least 12.5 percent of the floor space of each room, in the other federal states, there are only 10 percent. Important: You will be charged for the approval of the conversion work.

The specifications do not apply if you use the rooms yourself. Then cellar rooms can be converted into work or children's rooms without the need for approval.

Necessary construction measures:

Install heaters (you can not do without them, as they protect against condensation in combination with the insulation)

Insulating walls and ceiling

Basically, the floor and walls must be insulated. Ideally, you have everything so planned right at the house construction that the subsequent basement expansion is not a big problem. Otherwise, the effort increases. Should a new entrance be installed? Would you like to exchange or even enlarge windows? Such details must be considered early in the planning of the insulation.

External insulation is recommended in cellars. If this is not possible, it can also be insulated from the inside - for example with calcium silicate boards. In rental and multi-party buildings, an additional sound insulation on the ceiling is important to swallow the impact sound from the ground floor.

Useful insulation measures

In freestanding old buildings, sealing from the outside makes sense: expose the walls from the outside and insulate them with bitumen emulsion

A drainage system that drains water into the sewage system

Subsequent installation of a horizontal barrier: it prevents moisture from rising from below into the walls

Installing windows

There are various ways to provide the basement with the necessary daylight, even if it is not possible to install windows or enlarge existing windows on the side walls:

High-lying basement windows, for example, designed as a window hinge, are always a good idea: Among them, even larger furniture space - so even the area of small spaces can be well utilized.

Even rooms with pipes and expansive pipes can be used by cladding these components. The best way is that the same size built in wardrobes, where you can stow all sorts of stuff. Because: As chic as you expand your cellar, you will still need it as a storage area.

A built-in closet provides for many cubic meters of storage space in this basement room. In addition to the daylight that falls through the door, an LED light strip illuminates the room.

To build a cellar to the bathroom who intends to accommodate a shower or a toilet in the basement, needs a lifting system, which pumps off the water. Because basement rooms are located below the so-called backwater level, which is usually at the height of the road surface. This means that if, for example, the public sewage system has run aground after heavy rainfall, the water created under this level can not naturally drain away.

Ideas for cellar use: the sauna

In addition to the insulation required by default, further criteria must be observed when installing a home sauna in the cellar.

For saunas that want to use more than one person, usually a three-phase connection with 400 volts must be placed.

If possible, the sauna exhaust air should be discharged to the outside via an opening in the wall (wall opening).

Source: indecortrends.com

 

Feng Shui Bedroom Ideas - The Nuts And Bolts Of Bedroom Design

Today, our everyday lives are so dynamic and exhausting that everyone feels a bit tired or even exhausted at the end of their working day. One longs for peace and perfect relaxation at home. Therefore, the good night's sleep is a must, so you fresh and charged with new energy in the next day starts. The décor of the bedroom and the relaxing ambience in this vital space play a crucial role in our night's sleep and in our overall health. According to known Feng Shui experts, there are some setup mistakes that many people make when it comes to designing their bedroom. That's why today we propose to present to you such Feng Shui bedroom ideas that will have a positive effect on you and guarantee you a good night's sleep. These are generally formulated in this article and are intended primarily for beginners in the Feng Shui doctrine. However, even exquisite fans of Chinese life philosophy can benefit from it.

Use familiar Feng Shui rules to create a harmonious bedroom

Of course we are dealing here with the Feng Shui philosophy, which has become so famous in recent decades,  and how we can use its basic rules when setting up our own bedroom. Anyone who is interested in this Eastern teaching, is here with us exactly correct!

The well-known Chinese philosophy of life Feng Shui dictates the rules in life and spatial design

What is meant by Feng Shui bedroom ideas?

Many modern bedroom ideas are based on the Chinese teaching Feng Shui. These two Chinese words actually mean "wind and water" and represent an ancient art of opposing objects. The Chinese believe that the goal of one's life is to promote the flow of Chi (positive spiritual energy) and create a balanced and harmonious environment that promotes one's health, increases personal well-being and brings good luck to the home. One of the ways to accomplish this is by properly placing items in your own home, including furniture. This Chinese art has become so widely accepted and fashionable that it is no longer thinkable of modern bedroom ideas.

The Chinese philosophy of life is hard to imagine in the modern bedroom

•             The correct placement of the furniture in the Feng Shui bedroom ideas

An entire house can be designed according to Feng Shui rules. But we all know it from our own experience, the peace is the basis for a healthy life and the bedroom is the best relax oasis at home. The Feng Shui experts agree that the bedroom is the most important space in every home. Therefore, they advise to start just with the establishment and design of their own four walls. The ambience in the bedroom is strongly influenced by the way the furniture is positioned there. Believe it or not, your overall health is affected by the energy flow in this room. Proper placement of the furniture can make you feel calmer, think more positively, and better control your emotions.

 The correct positioning of the furniture in the bedroom influences our feelings

•             Feng Shui bedroom ideas for the design of a harmonious ambience

Start with a look around in your room. The biggest mistake that people make in their bedroom furniture is not to leave room the same size on both sides of the bed. But this is especially important in the design of this room. Where exactly is your bed in the bedroom? Is it put on the wall? Is more space available on one side than on the other? Does the room feel a bit strange when you step back and look at it?

This is what the perfect Feng Shui bedroom looks like

The uneven placement of objects on either side of the bed does not allow a steady flow of chi in the room and can lead to relationship problems as well as physical and mental health problems. When designing the room, make sure that there is equal free space on both sides of the bed. But make sure that there are also such furnishing elements that "ground" the energy. Two bedside tables, for example, do the trick, with two additional bedside lamps of the same size that provide soft lighting in the bedroom. And something important for the beginners in the Feng Shui Teaching. The experts recommend the use of round tables instead of square ones. The sharp edges on the rectangular table can stop the chi energy, "cutting it off". It does not let it flow unrestrained through the room and can disturb your perfect sleep and your inner peace. But you want to avoid that at all costs, right?

Feng Shui Bedroom Ideas for balance and harmony in the room

Conclusion : These Feng Shui bedroom ideas allow the balance in the design of a harmonious bedroom. You keep your energy centered and the balance in your relationship is maintained. Also read the continuation of this article where you will find the common mistakes in designing harmonious Feng Shui bedrooms can learn and get practical tips for avoiding such mistakes.

Source: indecortrends.com

 

Basic Light: How Indirect Lighting Creates Mood

It does not become really comfortable until the light comes from the background. We give tips for indirect lighting.

Light determines our sense of space. It must be bright and direct to work, read and cook - but a moody atmosphere can best be achieved with soft, indirect light. We explain how to create indirect light, what task it has and in which variants it can best be implemented.

How is indirect light generated?

Light reflected from ceilings or walls is called "indirect light". It provides a pleasant, uniform illumination of the wall or ceiling, barely casts shadows and does not dazzle - it is therefore also perceived as a "soft" light. Indirect light does not reveal the actual light source, it is noticeable only in the illuminated area. It is particularly effective when the light source is not visible when switched off or retreats so strongly that the light emerges as if from nowhere - for example, with wall lights made of paintable ceramic or with LED strips that are behind objects hide.

What is the task of indirect light?

Unlike functional lighting, which is supposed to provide sufficient brightness when working or cooking, for example, indirect light is used to create mood. That's why you go in lighting design best so ago that you first for sufficient ambient lighting on the ceiling provide the them with secondary lighting complement. These include on the one hand wall, table or floor lamps as point sources of light, on the other hand a soft and unobtrusive mood lighting with indirect light. Please pay attention to uniform light colors of the different light sources and remember that the secondary lighting should create atmosphere - usually low lumen values are sufficient between 200 and 450 lm.

Which variants of indirect lighting are there?

In the following, we will show you different variants of indirect lighting and give tips on how you can place them cleverly in different rooms. Indirect lighting quickly creates a harmonious sense of space, and with the new LED technology, there are even more ways to use light design.

1. LED ceiling washlights bring the principle of light reflection over the ceiling to the latest technical standards. They are now also available in dimmable versions, and the lamps are available in warm white or extra warm white - the same light colors that the halogen ceiling spotlight had ,

2. Wall lights are available in a wide variety of variants: with screens for glare-free light, with effects such as rays, cones or star-shaped radiations. Wall sconces are ideal if low-ceilinged rooms are to have a higher effect or if you want to stage pictures and wall decorations.

Wall lights generate unobtrusive, mostly indirect light and thus quickly create a cozy atmosphere. A prerequisite for many models, however, is a power connection on the wall. Wall lights are not only an eye-catcher in the living room, but also stairwells and larger corridors move into an effective light in the evening.

3. LED stripare now probably the most common way to create indirect light. The light strips, which are often only a few millimeters wide, are available in all colors and lengths, and the industry has already developed suitable accessories - for example, in the form of decorative stucco moldings with recesses for LED strips. Most models can easily be cut to length with scissors, and with quick connectors it is also possible to combine or angle them. The power is usually via a power supply, which is connected to the power outlet. The technical refinements that can be used to equip LED strips include dimmers, integrated twilight sensors, color changes from warm white to cool white or RGB variants. With smartphone apps, the stripes can be easily controlled from the couch.

Indirectly illuminate shelf bottoms, cabinet backs and TV boards (or even the back of the TV screen) with LED Stripes quickly and without much installation effort. Also on the underside of the bed or on baseboards in the kitchen, a light strip is often placed. In the bathroom, it can be particularly helpful: A hidden LED strip, ideally with motion sensor and twilight sensor, turns on during nightly visits to the bathroom and creates a diffused indirect light that protects the photosensitive eyes at night. Since there are models with IP protection, the stripes can be used safely in the bathroom. Find

4. Light bars are a further development of LED strips, which is now offered by many manufacturers. In this case, the LEDs are already embedded in the strips, which are available for ceilings and walls, but also as foot and skirting boards as well as terminations for stair nosings. Depending on the location of use, they consist of wood-based materials or reinforced polystyrene, for example.

5. Suspended ceilings, superior walls or nichescreate another way to accommodate indirect light sources. Due to their small footprint, LED strips or light strips, such as those used for cabinet lighting, are also recommended here. Recessed luminaires can be recessed along the wall in the ceiling and illuminate the walls, which distribute the light pleasantly.

Tip : Superior walls make lower rooms appear optically higher if they are illuminated indirectly at the sides.

6. Furniture and other objects with LEDs. Many furniture manufacturers have discovered the LED technology for themselves. One of its advantages is its low intrinsic heat, which makes it possible to use it on sensitive furniture surfaces. Living room and bedroom cabinets were often equipped with light before, but now their lighting has become even more filigree and integrates even better in the piece of furniture. Also in demand: bright colored stripes that create effects in modern high-gloss furniture. Even sofa landscapes and couches often provide lighting options and thus provide a simple and uncomplicated atmosphere in the room.

More tips for lighting design

A glimpse into the future: OLED comes after LED

Even more options for indirect lighting will be provided by OLED technology in the future. In comparison with LEDs ( L maybe E mittierende Diodes), OLEDs (where the O stands for "organic") can be produced more cheaply, but at the moment they have a shorter lifespan. Because OLEDs can be made very flat and flexible, they can be incorporated even better into objects. Manufacturers are already dreaming of windows that are equipped with OLEDs that imitate daylight, or mirrors that shine like screens all over the surface. Wallpaper and textiles manufacturers are also interested in OLED technology. The indirect light of the future may come directly from the wall, the wallpaper or the curtain. But until then, LED technology already offers many options for letting a part of the room lighting work discreetly in the background.

How do you use indirect light? Has the LED technology changed your lighting design? Share your experience in the comments.

Source: indecortrends.com