Basement Development & Associated Costs

[Madman]

Originally Posted by surferguy

How did the install go?

Really good - there isn't much to it really and I'm really happy with how much better it has already made the basement feel.

[Mattington]

Anybody have a recomendation for a good drywaller? I am getting close to finishing up the framing in my basement and would like to start lining up the drywall portion of the project.

[Knalus]

Just finished framing stage, electrician is in now. An amazing feeling, especially when you are doing the majority of the work yourself.

[Northendzone]

Originally Posted by Knalus

Just finished framing stage, electrician is in now. An amazing feeling, especially when you are doing the majority of the work yourself.

at least until the end, when you look at the finishd product and see the things you could ahve done differently......one thing i coquered to some degree was my discomfort with respect to electricity - although I would likely never wire anything into the box myself, i can now run wires to circuts and make junction points.

[Komskies]

I've started the very preliminary stages of my basement development. First thing I did was take the floor plan of the basement and modeled it in SketchUp. Pretty cool piece of software to be able to easily model something in 3D like that.

[Nyah]

Our basement development is going pretty good, but we noticed some discolouration on the framing along the floor in a small spot on one of our outside walls. Taking a look behind the insulation, we saw a small leak in our foundation. Any ideas on good foundation companies I could call to come in and fix it? Does anyone know what would be involved in fixing something like this?

[V]

I'm going to be installing a legal basement suite in my house in the next little while, but I'm really not sure what to do for a secondary heating source. I don't really have room to add a second furnace, so I'm wondering what the most long term cost-effective method of heating the basement suite might be.

Any ideas?

[Dentoman]

Originally Posted by Nyah

Our basement development is going pretty good, but we noticed some discolouration on the framing along the floor in a small spot on one of our outside walls. Taking a look behind the insulation, we saw a small leak in our foundation. Any ideas on good foundation companies I could call to come in and fix it? Does anyone know what would be involved in fixing something like this?

I used Basement Systems for that exact same problem. Very simple fix ..... they inject some sort of sealer under high pressure which seals up the crack. Unfortunately, my basement was already finished. Good thing you found it now.
Know some other people who used the same company for a huge wet basement problem and they were very happy as well.

[Nyah]

Awesome, thanks. I have them and Abalon coming to do quotes. It's good to know they only inject it (hopefully)...I was worried they'd actually do excavation. I suppose every case is different though. That's probably where it would get expensive.

[speede5]

Originally Posted by V

I'm going to be installing a legal basement suite in my house in the next little while, but I'm really not sure what to do for a secondary heating source. I don't really have room to add a second furnace, so I'm wondering what the most long term cost-effective method of heating the basement suite might be.

Any ideas?

I just did a suite for someone and they put in electric. It is cost effective to install but you want the tenants paying the electric bill.

[Knalus]

Originally Posted by Nyah

Awesome, thanks. I have them and Abalon coming to do quotes. It's good to know they only inject it (hopefully)...I was worried they'd actually do excavation. I suppose every case is different though. That's probably where it would get expensive.

I had Abalon come over, their quote was literally twice that of Basement Technologies. I can't tell you how they did yet, though, as they are coming to do the work at the end of the month.

[Knalus]

It's not basement development, but does anyone know the name or number of a good landscaper?

[Nyah]

Another question, I'm going to be getting a permit from the city and I'm wondering if anyone has any tips? The framing and electrical are done and the only difference between the plans we have and the work is a couple pot lights. I know what I need to bring, but has anyone had any experience with this? What's the best time of day to go, what are the wait times like and where in City Hall do I go? Any other tips would be cool.

[Mattington]

Originally Posted by Nyah

Another question, I'm going to be getting a permit from the city and I'm wondering if anyone has any tips? The framing and electrical are done and the only difference between the plans we have and the work is a couple pot lights. I know what I need to bring, but has anyone had any experience with this? What's the best time of day to go, what are the wait times like and where in City Hall do I go? Any other tips would be cool.

When I got a building and electrical permit from the city all I submitted for plans was where the walls were going, size and opening function of the windows, and where the smoke/CO detector was going. Be sure to have all the dimensions on the drawings, including door sizes, also where the hot water tank and furnace are located. I'm sure I am missing a few things, but there are detailed instructions for what to have on the plans on the city website. The one thing we did not have was any electrical plans (submitted anyway).

[Nyah]

Sweet, we had the plans drawn up by a friend who does it professionally so she's got everything on there that we need. Was it a pretty easy process? Did they tell you upon submission that you got your permit or did you have to wait?

[Northendzone]

I went to the city office first thing in the morNing.

I went with hand drawn plans wihich were taken from the original blue prints........as I recall it took about 20 minutes or so. I had to go back because of something dumb - I just can't remember why.......

[wooohooo]

Originally Posted by Nyah

Our basement development is going pretty good, but we noticed some discolouration on the framing along the floor in a small spot on one of our outside walls. Taking a look behind the insulation, we saw a small leak in our foundation. Any ideas on good foundation companies I could call to come in and fix it? Does anyone know what would be involved in fixing something like this?

How big is the crack or leak? You could always try to use some concrete sealer if it's just porous cement. Or there is an epoxy you can inject into tubes you insert every foot or so. But might be worth checking on your grading or your gutters

[Mayer]

Question about flooring.

We are developing our basement and are trying to decide whether to go with carpet or laminate/hardwood. Ideally we would like carpet, but there are factors that are making me consider different options.

My main question is cost. I could do the laminate myself so that would just cost me material. For carpet, I would have to hire an installer. Does anyone know approx. how much it would cost to get someone to install carpet in a 450 sq foot space?

Also, any reasons why laminate would really not work in a basement, besides it being a little colder on the feet?

[darklord700]

It'll be between $3-$5/sq ft for carpet installed, so probably around $1.5K-$2.5K for 450 sq ft.

Laminate will work but most people say they don't hold up well. If you decide on Laminate, please don't pick the glossy one for every ding and dent will show up.

[Northendzone]

^ if you opt for a better quality underlay it could boost your cost per sq ft by ~ $3