1. Planning - For some time you've probably been eying that wasted attic or basement space, thinking in terms of a new recreation room, a workshop, a bedroom or even a complete apartment.

Yes, it can be done, and cheaply and easily, too, if you're willing to devote a little time and effort to the project.

2. Basement - A basement comes with its own built-in problems. The area is below ground for the most part. It's in contact with the earth on almost all sides and the windows, of necessity, are small. All of which cuts down on light and encourages enough dampness to grow fungus on your shirt.

3. Attic - Structurally, there are quite a few changes you can make in an attic. It's just a question of how far you have the guts to go, or more exactly, how good your carpentry is and how many friends you can press into slave labor. Let's check the possibilities.

Quite a few years back, dormers were all the rage.

4. Insulation - Tailing up the studs that willform the structural support for the new walls of your remodeling job is a highly satisfactory task. It goes so fast. Savor the sense of self-esteem you can get from this phase of the work and remember it later when you get to the tougher jobs.

Standard material for wall studs is 2x4 lumber.

5. Electrical Work - According to the specialists in this field, there are three main types of light: work light, general illumination or fill light, and effect light. Let's see how this idea fits in with your scheme of things. Despite the name, work light is simply illumination that is directed to cover a specific area at a usable intensity. To take the edge off the term, you use work light for card playing, reading, sewing, shaving, etc. The actual source can take one of several forms.

6. Heating + Cooling - To be completely comfortable those brand-new living areas in your home, attic and basement, need one more ingredient— temperature control. In winter these rooms should be as warm and comfortable as the rest of your house. When hot humid summer weather rolls around, the attic needs plenty of cooling. While the basement may be far more livable under these conditions, a bit of dehumidification would probably be in order there.

7. Plumbing - Most of the time, an involved but necessary part of any large scale remodeling job is the addition of an extra bathroom. While you may decide to do away with this nifty bit of labor if the new space is to be used strictly as a sitting room or a recreation area, don't toss off the advantages too quickly. A game room will be far more usable if you provide at least for running water plus a sink. You won't have to lug dishes up and down the steps.

8. Stairs - Before you get too involved in the jumbo-sized task of build­ing an entirely new set of stairs, check to see if a little repair work will make the existing set serviceable. If they are sturdy but shabby, a couple coats of any good grade deck paint may be a sufficient face lifting. If they creak and groan at every footstep, just tighten the treads.

9. Wall Treatments - Home remodeling, along with virtue, thrift, honesty and several other nifty qualities, does have its rewards. To a large degree this chapter is the payoff. Much of the labor that has gone into your project up to this point is more or less invisible. All the preparatory work, the electrical work, plumbing, etc., that has occupied your evenings up until now adds comfort and conveni­ence but not beauty.

10. Floors - Putting down a new floor, either wood or tile, carries its own special brand of satisfaction. The job, once you've finished, is beautiful. You can admire it, you can call in half the neighborhood to admire it and you can bask in a luxurious flow of praise. Remem­ber that this is definitely a part of the job you can look forward to—the thought may ease the humdrum routine of nailing, sanding, scraping, etc.

11. Ceiling - The easiest, quickest, niftiest ceiling that you can construct to cover the muddled overhead of your remodeled attic or basement is an acoustical tile job. You'll find this material at the lumberyard under such names as Armstrong Cushiontone, Celotex and a batch of other familiar titles. By any name this material is a carefully formed 12-in. square of rather soft fiber-board.

12. Trim - If you think your newly remodeled attic or basement looks handsome now, just wait until you get the trim in place. As a matter of fact, why wait? Now is the time to do this job.

Trundle over to your local lumberyard and take a look at all the stock moldings on display there. If you want to keep costs down to a minimum, order your trim from the selection carried in stock.

13. Built-Ins - When you start converting an attic or basement you can sud­denly find yourself confronted with, as the teen-agers say, a set of kookie problems. Usually the space was not designed as living quarters and the change-over, complete with desirable facilities, can sometimes be a real hassle

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