The Basement

The basement is by far the scariest part of our house. Growing up and living in apartments my whole life, the basement was a place with three functions: laundry was done there, garbage went there and the basement provided the perfect place to win hide-and-seek.

But in a house, the basement is home to crucial systems: heating, electrical and water. When our broker first took us down into the basement, the first thought that went through my mind was, "Well, this was a nice day in the country, I hope we don't hit traffic on the way back." If you've never seen a boiler or a water-heater or a fuse-box before, your first time can be...intimidating.

The basement is like Mission Control. Everything important happens down there. And as much as I wanted to never, ever go back down there, you really have to. I know it's cliche, but information is power. The more I learned about each system, the better I felt about going down there. They key was our home inspection. The inspector explained each system and what it did and why. That was VERY helpful.

The basement is still my least favorite place in the house. But with each passing week I'm getting better about going down there. Some things to keep in mind:

1. Get a dehumidifier. I recommend the Whirlpool 75 Pint Energy Star Dehumidifier. Moisture is the enemy of basements and this baby has an Auto setting that's perfect for weekenders--turn it on once and you're good-to-go.
2. Make sure you have ample lighting. Too much important stuff is going on down there and you need to be able to see everything.
3. Get the service contract for the boiler. You don't want to mess with that thing, and the service contract will save you money in the long run.
4. If you have a water-softening machine, be warned that the salt pellets only come in 40 lb bags, and they are a pain-in-the-ass. Remember, lift with your knees and watch your eyes as your pour in the pellets--the salt dust stings.

Posted by Evan