Finishing the basement

[busymama77]

This is a project that I would like to either endure ourselves or hire someone to do this for us, but not for another year - like in 2012. Next year, we're saving the money for a new cedar fence.

Anyhow, if anyone has done this themselves, how much did it cost and how long did it take? Drywall, lighting, carpeting, etc., If you hired someone, what was the grand total? DH thinks it would cost around $20K, but I don't see that being the case. Our basement is maybe 1,000 square feet - maybe more? I'm not sure. While the boys have room to play in their rooms currently, I would like to have some place for them to be able to play together and declutter our family room as well as their rooms.

Thoughts? Ideas? Suggestions?

[Irishmommy]

We are just finishing up the front half into a family room (the bathroom/bedroom are later). We did all the demolition, replaced the 2x10 foot windows, did all the framing, insulation and drywall. Hired out the electrical (dh is scared of electricity ). Then dh sliced his finger open in August laying the floor, so we hired two carpenters we know to do the rest of the trim - baseboards, 4 doorways, rebuild the stairs. I think we're still a good bit under $5,000. The bedroom should be cheap as we already have the flooring for it, so just drywall/insulation/lighting. We got a quote for the bathroom from an old 2 piece to a fully finished three piece of $5,000 which can be cut down by doing some ourselves. We'll hire out the digging out the concret and running the plumbing, let the contractor do that and install the three fixtures, then we'll do the rest.

I figure we can do the whole thing for less than $10,000, spread over a couple of years. Would have been a lot less except for injury!

[corrie43]

we re did our basment with contractors doing all the work. it went from concrete flors and walls with exposed beams to fully finished. They had to move the hot water heater too. it cost 16K fo everything. Well worth it. We did the painting to save 3K.. They wanted 3K and it took us 2 days and we did it all in a few hours. Worth the savings

[busymama77]

Originally Posted by corrie43

we re did our basment with contractors doing all the work. it went from concrete flors and walls with exposed beams to fully finished. They had to move the hot water heater too. it cost 16K fo everything. Well worth it. We did the painting to save 3K.. They wanted 3K and it took us 2 days and we did it all in a few hours. Worth the savings

How many squart feet is your basement??

[sept04mama]

We priced ours out at $30K for hiring out and around $10 doing it ALL ourselves and finding some of the stuff secondhand. It is about 1500 sq. ft. My DH has framed about 1/2 of it, but that's all so far- I have a feeling it will take YEARS!