Basement development

[stampsx2]

Hi cp’ers,

I’ve decided it’s time to develop my basement. However i’m trying to decide if i should do it on my own or hire a basement development company. What would you all recommend?

Doing all the work yourself you’ll spend $10,000. Having a company do it for you it’ll be about $30,000. Do those prices sound right for 2020? Standard 800sq foot basement with a full bathroom.

Has anyone gone the kijiji route, hiring a framer then an electrician then a plumber etc etc? Any cost savings there? Would you recommend going that route?

Anyone try basement packages at Lowe’s or Home Depot? This would be my least favorite option.

[Swayze11]

I think you could probably do some things yourself and just piece out things like electrical, plumbing, things you don't want to do to someone else.

I figure you could easily do framing, drywall, flooring and finishing yourself.

When I plan on finishing my basement I feel like I will just hire someone to do the things I don't feel comfortable doing like electrical, plumbing and especially taping/mudding because someone else can do a way better job than me in a quarter of the time.

[Underdog]

3 years ago I was at the same point. 650 sq ft, 1 bedroom 1 bathroom and a living room area with a small bar counter, carpeted with tile in the bathroom. I received 3 quotes from basement/renovation companies ranging from $45-$55k. I decided be the contractor myself and hire out the subs individually. I only did the framing and then the bathroom tiling myself. Final accounting was just under $20k.

We're about to embark on a major reno on the rest of our house this spring and I'm going to do it myself again.

[TheIronMaiden]

Just a small point, but you are not only paying for the tradesperson, you are also paying for their tools. It is worth assessing wether or not you will ever use the tools that you will need to buy again.

[Geraldsh]

Which do you have most of - time or money?

I am retired so have plenty of time to do my own 500 sq. Ft. Basement. My son has two small boys he would rather spend time with so his Reno’s are contracted out.(and he has more money than I do).

So far I have done the framing, most of the drywall, all electrical, all plumbing, painting; trying to complete the bathroom first for convenience sake. I started in November and will be interrupted by camping season before I finish it all

Time is on my side...

[CaptainCrunch]

I did a lot of the development when I owned a home myself, when it came to electrical and plumbing though I preferred using an expert.



The only other thing that I refused to do was the mudding and taping and sanding drywall. I hired a couple of kids from the neighbourhood showed them how to do it, and let them go at it. Mainly because I hate that job.

[Geraldsh]

If you are a kijiji or craigslist aficionado you can buy used tools and resell them at the same price when you are done. I usually buy new and sell at a loss when done.

[PaperBagger'14]

A couple things to consider for renos:

-If it's your first time being a general contractor and hiring other trades for some work, do some research on permits and when inspections need to be done. It would be the ####s to have your electrical done and start boarding the walls with no rough in inspection.

-Many drywall companies will charge a substantial higher fee to tape and mud walls that they didn't put drywall on. This is because most DIYers leave too large of gaps, which makes their job far more difficult.

-Your price seems low, depending on the quality of finishings of course. Maybe with basic fixtures, carpet and linoleum flooring and a cheap toilet/tub you could be closer to $15000.

[guzzy]

I did my basement in 2018 by myself. Roughly 1000 sq ft. Floorplan was one bedroom, one bathroom, gym and main area with bar and TV area. Bar was pretty simple with 8' of base cabinets for bar plus counter. I also built a custom bar table and shelving with pipe fittings.

The only thing i contracted out was Drywall and an electrician to tie into the panel ($100). I just tallied my final basement costs from receipts. $11,000 for basement (framing, electrical, plumbing, finishing). I paid $7200 for drywall contractor which included supply, boarding, mud and tape and ceiling texture.

When i priced out drywall to board myself i was looking at $1500 not including tape, tools etc. That was just board. I had contractor break out costs for me so I understood. He wanted $2000 for supply and install of board. $4800 for mud and tape, $800 for texture. He would knock $400 for texturing because of less tape. He would also likely charge more if i decided to board myself because they would have to do more mud/taping. I didn't hesitate and gave him the entire contract because drywall makes all the difference and it would have taken me months.

It is all about how comfortable you are with certain items and how much you want to invest (time and money). I had everything permitted and passed all inspections on first try. Thanks youtube, couldn't have done it without you. I learned a lot as well.

[stampsx2]

Thanks guys. After talking to a few people and getting some prices, i’m going to do it myself. Probably contract out the plumbing.

The drywall seems like a pain but hearing costs like $2000 -$5000 just for some taping and mudding, i’ll do it myself even if it takes longer.

Was hoping someone would come on cp and say they just did their basement for under $30,000 but that’s starting to sound unrealistic.

[EldrickOnIce]

Your numbers are good, in that installation costs are probably going to cost you double material costs.
Your numbers are low in cost if finishing. 10k won't get it done if you want any sort of premium finishes in bathroom

And tbh, the one thing I would absolutely contract out was taping and mudding. Lol
I am a good drywall guy, in a garage. Professional results from excellent tape and mudding are comparatively stunning.
Good luck!

[stampsx2]

Originally Posted by PaperBagger'14

-Your price seems low, depending on the quality of finishings of course. Maybe with basic fixtures, carpet and linoleum flooring and a cheap toilet/tub you could be closer to $15000.

I think you’re right, maybe a bit on the high side at $15,000. I’ve been crunching the numbers and $13,000 keeps popping up. That’s with a tiled shower, carpet and suspended ceiling which costs about $1000 more than a drywalled ceiling. Anyway, much cheaper than a company doing the work.

[EldrickOnIce]

Have you considered a painted, 'rough' ceiling?
Ours is stunning, imo
Flat black

[Erick Estrada]

I drywalled my garage. I will never, ever, ever attempt mudding and taping again.

[EldrickOnIce]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

I drywalled my garage. I will never, ever, ever attempt mudding and taping again.

Also an excellent garage drywall guy. Lol

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by EldrickOnIce

Have you considered a painted, 'rough' ceiling?
Ours is stunning, imo
Flat black

Do you have a pic? I've never seen that before.

[Geraldsh]

Mudding and taping should be an Olympic sport - anyone can do it but it takes some serious effort/practice to achieve perfection.
My previous renovations were done before the internet was invented. This time I can see every step on utube and analyze what I am doing wrong .

[EldrickOnIce]

Originally Posted by Sliver

Do you have a pic? I've never seen that before.

Ceiling felt low in spots, even though walkout. Took the idea from Matrix basement system: crown along top of wall everywhere, paint everything above crown flat black. Any mods that need doing later can be repainted. It wasn't hard to do, kind of lol, though I dressed like forensic guy while painting.

[Geraldsh]

Cool!
Would you say it makes the ceiling feel higher?

[surferguy]

I did something similar in an old condo I had except I painted all the pipes white and shined up the copper lines. I then hung some clearcoated plywood panels with lights on them. It made the room feel so much taller

I like this look but it wouldn’t work everywhere, how do you find the brightness during the winter?