Basement expansion, insulating, thermal insulation???

Good evening everyone,

I am completely new here and since we will be renovating/restoring an old building in the foreseeable future, I have a few questions in advance.

Maybe I will find some answers here ;)

First of all, about the house...

Semi-detached old building, year of construction still unknown. We need to carry out some "alterations" in order to have enough space for our 3 children. Our basement is quite large and divided into 3 rooms. A laundry room, a boiler room (the oil tank will be removed), which is supposed to become the storage cellar, and the current storage cellar is supposed to become my sewing room.

My question now is, can the basement be insulated from the inside?

There is only concrete...

I wonder what I should put on the walls, can I tile the floor (which also concerns the other basement rooms)? Are there special wall paints for basement rooms?

Is wood paneling an advantage for the sewing room?

I hope someone can answer me.

Best regards
Lotta

Tiling the floor should not be a problem. It depends a bit on what is inside now and whether something needs to be done as preparation (e.g., with leveling compound).

Insulating from the inside is often not such a good idea - you should ask a professional. Making a fully functional living space out of a basement is not quite that easy.

I would avoid the wood paneling, as there is always a risk of mold formation depending on how tight the basement is.

For the walls, you can do a wet plaster or a normal drywall construction with gypsum board. You can then paint it, etc.
The condition is always that the basement is dry.

Of course, there are also coatings for concrete, but that will look a bit rustic.

I just read that it won’t be easy.
It’s not supposed to be a fully livable space, I "should" not spend more than 4-6 hours a day in this room.
Of course, it should have some warmth in winter so I don’t freeze.

First and foremost, it should no longer look like a basement.. :o

Could you maybe tell me who is an expert for basements, what kind of company I can turn to ??

Regards, Lotta..