Cost of finishing a basement

[sillyak]

Looking to finish our basement in the Red Deer area later this summer. I don't know anything about building so we plan to hire a contractor to do it. I was wondering if you guys could let me know approximately how much it should cost and pitfalls to avoid. Details are:

Will be about 1000 square feet of finished area. Outside perimeter is framed and insulated with power receptacles every half dozen feet or so. Bathroom is roughed in. Bathroom will be lino, the rest will be carpet. Two bedrooms, a bathroom, utility room and family room to be framed in. Shouldn't be much for the electrician to wire in, just lighting and bathroom.

I of course want a quality job done, but it's not a million dollar custom home either. I want the Winchester Mod 70 of basement finishing. Quality at a good value, but I don't need the detail and finishes of a Holland and Holland.

How long should it take? I have friends who have finished their own and it takes them months and months. I'm not looking for some ungodly long project here.

[BIG AL]

We're current talking to different contracts as we're getting estimates to build a house. The cost per square foot for developing the basement is coming in at $40.00-$50.00. You have some work already done so it should be somewhat less.

[justsomeguy]

That size will run you $30-50k depending on:

Do you want a sub-floor
Quality of carpet
drywall or drop ceiling
Bathroom fixtures.


Suggestions:

Put in a sub-floor and thick underlay....soft and warm

Drop ceiling makes it easier to access upstairs plumbing, but a good framer/drywall person can maximize ceiling height. If you've got lots of low hanging beams, HVAC ducts, etc your basic builder will quote you drop ceiling and put it 4" below the lowest point on your beams/ducts.

Pre-wire for everything. Pull 3 RG6 cables (HD sat dish with PVR needs 2-3 cables) and ethernet to where your TV is going to be and put cable / ethernet in each room.....future proof

Prewire for surround sound speakers

light switch at top and bottom of stairs

light switch for basement lights outside of each bedroom.

Put plugs where you're going to want lights, TV, etc.

In your reloading room (you're are having one right....) closet install extra boards and even a jack post so that in the future you can install a safe that will never be stolen.....actually, buy your safe now and have it sitting in the basement before you finish it....save on drywall repairs.....just sayin

Check codes for bedroom windows, there is minimum dimensions that you have to meet, can be expensive if you have to start cutting concrete in your foundation.

Make note of where all floor drains and clean out points are on plumbing....easier to find when you need to clean something out in 5 years.

Permits....get em or your insurance won't cover you.

Timing.....a crash and burn job will be 4-6 weeks with a crew of sub-trades. 1-2 guys doing a detailed job will be 2-4 months.

Get 3 quotes and references....and call the references and ideally go see their work....pretty easy to give their cousin's phone number as a reference, and pictures are not worth the paper they're printed on.

Get everything in writing, I've learned that fixed price contracts they will use the cheapest of everything unless you specify. It's amazing what $2-3k will mean in terms of things like light fixtures, plumbing, taps, light switches, trim, etc. If you want to upgrade make sure to specify. Most guys have no problems with it as long as it's in the contract, but they hate customers who come in and say "I hate those cheapo light fixtures you installed"

Keep an eye on sub-trades......in some cases you're going to get an apprentice doing work without proper supervision......had a mess with grouting of tile one time.

[diamond k]

35-50 psf is what we charge as a rule without anything extravagant

[Larry.S]

I don't know much about construction, but have been having fun finishing, my basement by myself. Got quotes for the electrical, 3500 (did for 700 myself), drywall 4000 complete (up to about 500 myself). Lots of evenings down there, but it saves a ton of cash and gives me something do do. Won't ever be as good as if the pros had done it, but for a fraction of the price whatever. It is a basement after all.

[Hunter1602]

Here's a follow up question...
When selling a home with a developed basement, would one expect to get out the cost of creating that basement?

[220swifty]

Don't count on that basement circuit saving you much. The electrician may be able to use parts of it, but your bedroom(s) will need to be arc fault breakers on a dedicated circuit, and your bathroom a GFCI on it's own circuit.

It's been a while since I did an entire basement job, but 40$/ft would be a safe figure to ballpark from. Don't forget to think about other niceties, like hard wired sound and options for tv's in other rooms. Price can run up pretty quick with bathroom fixtures and finished as well, so if you want to keep a close eye on cost, that's one area to watch.

[mich]

Originally Posted by Hunter1602

Here's a follow up question...
When selling a home with a developed basement, would one expect to get out the cost of creating that basement?

Absolutely, unless it is a homeowner hack job. Then it is a liability. Permits, licence's, insurance, wcb and qualified people cost money.

[TimeOff]

Make sure you have a Backflow Valve on you're main sewer outlet as it flow's out of you're foundation. I put one in at the suggestion of the city inspector. Valve cost is around $400 before installation. Requires breaking up the concrete to install, but is cheap piece of mind.

If my Brother had one in his basement in High River a few years ago, they wouldn't have had any flood damage.

One of these;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMBznnNV-ss

[roger]

Plywood behind the drywall in places were a taxidermy or wallhung tv might go. Buy rollends of flooring for mechanical room. Use up odds and ends of baseboard in there. No reason mechanical room can't be cleaned up to.

[Ken07AOVette]

Originally Posted by OscarShooter

The cost will depend on many factors. I was in the same boat you were. I just finished mine too and most everything I did was pretty new to me. I did about 85% of my basement myself and 15% by the guys from here . The entire process turned out to be a bit frustrating and slow going, but it's all worth it when it's done! I saved lots of money by doing a lot of work by myself

You know this is a 3 year old thread, right?

[Sundancefisher]

I decided against a drop floor.

I figure you or someone someday will have a kid or pet accident on the carpet...vomit, spill and it is far easier to clean without a drop floor that could drain into cracks etc.

I would highly recommend sealing the concrete floor. Prevents concrete sloughing and soaking in stains and spills and odors. Makes cleaning easier even with carpets.

Plumb in a wet bar now even if not planning to build one. Increases future value and options as you age in the home.

Put in lots of outlets for power, internet and cable.

Enlarge windows for egress as needed.

Be generous with pot lights. Not needing other fixtures opens up the basement more.

Ensure best possible heating...consider electric baseboards plug ins if unsure.

Install a full sized utility sink in the utility room.

[ganderblaster]

WTH is going on with all these revived old threads? If you want to get your post count up start a new one or reply to threads current? Is this some company’s idea of advertising?