Costs to finish basement

[Flames_Gimp]

Originally Posted by Rhettzky

Drwalling, taping, mudding, primering and painting are way more expensive than I thought they would be. Just a heads up.

i've paid about $300 in supplies to do about 450 sq. ft of drywall. we just finished priming the kitchen as I type this

[ken0042]

Originally Posted by Ironhorse

How does one prove ownership of the house when getting the permit? And is it done at City Hall somewhere?

Yes, city hall, 2nd floor. Best time to go is 10:30 am. The contractors go 1st thing in the morning, then it gets stupid busy at lunch time.

Proof of ownership- they asked my name. Apparently they have my name from me paying them taxes every month. All kidding aside, that part is nothing to worry about.

[eazyduzzit]

What are the penalties if you don't get the required permits to develop a basement?

[ken0042]

I've heard of fines of around $500-1000. (if they catch you of course.) One big issue you can face is when you go to sell, if the work isn't on record the buyer has reason to void the deal if one of the conditions is "subject to home inspection." May not be an issue in our current hot real estate market, but who knows what 5 years down the road will bring.

I'm also not sure if there's legal or insurance issues if you get a flood or an electrical fire due to a fault in an un-inspected basement development.

[eazyduzzit]

Originally Posted by ken0042

I've heard of fines of around $500-1000. (if they catch you of course.) One big issue you can face is when you go to sell, if the work isn't on record the buyer has reason to void the deal if one of the conditions is "subject to home inspection." May not be an issue in our current hot real estate market, but who knows what 5 years down the road will bring.

I'm also not sure if there's legal or insurance issues if you get a flood or an electrical fire due to a fault in an un-inspected basement development.

Strange..

I had a home inspection done on my house when i bought it (2001)...no issues and never said anything negative. Just on my property taxes / city assesment it shows up as un-developed basement from day 1 when it's been developed from before I moved in. It was sold through a realtor as well, nothing private or on the side.

I assume the previous owners didn't get the permits and thats why the city doesn't know. But i'm certainly not complaining.

[ken0042]

I'm trying to remember the process from when I bought, but it was one of the following:

- My home inspector had pulled the permit history
- My realtor had pulled the permit history and gave it to the home inspector

Then the home inspector pointed out that the only permit that had been pulled was for the front deck; as that was a change made by the previous owner just before the house was done being built.

Maybe that was the home inspector being thorough; because he knew there wouldn't be much to find wrong in a < 1 year old house.

[Incinerator]

Originally Posted by shane_c

I'm thinking about partially finishing the basement before we sell the house. I would be doing the work myself. I would put in some power outlets, light switches, close off the laundry and furnace area, and do the drywall. I likely wouldn't do the floor though. What would be the approx cost to do this? Would I get more from the sale vs. what it will cost? It's about 500-600 sq ft I'm guessing.

A partially finished basement, especially one that is DIY, will only decrease your resale value, I would highly suggest you to scrap such idea and leave it unfinished if you're selling soon and have decided that you're not going to have it professionally developed.

[I-Hate-Hulse]

Originally Posted by ken0042

I'm trying to remember the process from when I bought, but it was one of the following:

- My home inspector had pulled the permit history
- My realtor had pulled the permit history and gave it to the home inspector

Then the home inspector pointed out that the only permit that had been pulled was for the front deck; as that was a change made by the previous owner just before the house was done being built.

Maybe that was the home inspector being thorough; because he knew there wouldn't be much to find wrong in a < 1 year old house.

Sounds like you had a good home inspector. The "experts" from Housemasters I paid $400 for completely refused to comment on permits and code issues at all. As a result, they completely missed the fact that the house had an open permit on a new furnace installed by the previous owner. Guess who has to work through all that now? (And likely pay for remediation work).

Home Inspections are such as scam IMHO, unless you get some expert willing to comment on code violations. Most inspection companies don't comment on code. So basically I paid $400 for some guy to come by, turn on my taps and appliances, and comment on completely obvious things.

Nevertheless, the next time I buy a property, I will be shaking that place down code wise. If anything remotely looks new in HVAC, plumbing or electrical, you can bet I'm going to be pulling the permit history for the place. I'd advise other home buyers to do so as well - the cost of remediations can be staggering.

My realtor didn't do squat to pull permits, and now I know how easy it is to do via 311. Man I should of listened to Mike Holmes earlier....!