How much did u spend developing your basement?

[nonofyobiz]

just curious what it is going to cost. Obv alot depends on what you do and how much of it you do yourself, how much wiring, lights etc.

My basement is not big (house is 1450 sq ft.).

It'll have one standard size bedroom with closet, no bathroom, prob like a 6 x 6 storage room, laundry room, and the rest of the space will basically be TV and couches.

I'd like that dri cor flooring, wire in the home entertainment stuff, speaker wires, heat vents down to floors. I'd also like to do some sound proofing so I can finally crank that home theatre i bought! *evil eyes towards wife*

Either I do all that or I can build a garage, tough decision!

[C_Dave45]

NO bathroom??? Not a wise choice. Think resale value.

[nonofyobiz]

Originally posted by C_Dave45
NO bathroom??? Not a wise choice. Think resale value.

made the mistake of not getting it roughed in and don't really want to rip up concrete. There's a bathroom at the top of the stairs however shower is top floor So that kinda sucks.

[JordanLotoski]

I'd rip up the concrete and put a bath in the basement, Dave is right, way better resale.

[ganesh]

I haven't added up all the bills yet. Mine was in the range of 15K to 20K. Keep in mind I did the framing and the heating my self. I did a 17 X 22 HT area with Cork flooring and completely sound proof the area. Plus one bed room and a wash room.

[CapnCrunch]

I'm thinking of doing mine, but it's 1800 sq/ft and it leaks water in the spring.

FML.

[C_Dave45]

Originally posted by ganesh
I haven't added up all the bills yet. Mine was in the range of 15K to 20K. Keep in mind I did the framing and the heating my self. I did a 17 X 22 HT area with Cork flooring and completely sound proof the area. Plus one bed room and a wash room.

That's a good price. You've put some good equity into the home. Typical basement finish is anywhere between $30-$50 per sq ft, if you get it done by a contractor. Most projects I work on end up totaling around the $40,000 mark.

OP; busting up the concrete is not as big a job as it seems. Definitely put in a bathroom. You'll regret it if you don't.

[Kloubek]

Agreed re: the bathroom. Just a little 2-pc if nothing else. I did it in my townhouse and it DID suck a little ripping up the floor but it wasn't really too bad. I believe floor concrete is usually around 4 inches, which isn't too bad. (It was closer to 8 in my townhouse though)

CapnCrunch: Certainly do not develop it if it is leaking - it will mold and ruin everything. Is there no way to seal it up properly?

[screw_loose]

I don't think many people honestly think re-sale value when they are building a home anyways. Of course we are thinking re-sale value when we are selling.

True re-sale value in a basement would include heated floors, oversized basement windows and a complete bathroom at least in my opinion.

Cost of every basement is different. It really depends if you are going to hire a company, hire separate contractors or do some of the work yourself. The bathroom though is a 100% must or you are realistically just throwing money away. The cost to have the plumbing roughed in will not be as bad as you think if you get somebody in to properly cut the concrete.

Ironically enough the bathroom will also cost you the most. There isn't a lot of huge expensive when doing a basement. For most projects there is minimal electrical, minimal plumbing and some framing/drywall.

When we did ours though we used engineered hardwood so the cost went up a bit but we love it do death.


You should get the leak checked out right away by the way or your house is going to be junk within a few years. Is it coming in from the side of the walls? You know cracks in your foundation, improper foundation sealing, etc. Or is it coming in from the floor up meaning your drainage system under the floor is crap.

Either way your home shouldn't be leaking if everything was installed proper and your sump pump is working.

[Mitsu3000gt]

Originally posted by screw_loose
I don't think many people honestly think re-sale value when they are building a home anyways. Of course we are thinking re-sale value when we are selling.

I disagree, I think it's a key consideration unless you know you're going to be living there forever. I ended up with a condo, but I was VERY close to building a home instead, and with every decision I made I took into consideration resale value, even if it meant making some compromises in some areas based on what I wanted personally. IMO it's a large oversight to not consider resale when buying/building.

Anyways, back on topic, my Dad developed our basement mostly himself, but paid someone to do the drywall taping/sanding and carpet install. Total cost of everything + materials I think was around $15k. 2bdrm, 1 bath, HT room and a (dry) bar. He's handy but not a contractor or anything. Consider doing some of the work yourself if you want to save a ton of money.

[topmade]

Rough cost of mine was about $7000 4 years ago. Did everything myself except for carpet and all the electrical that included a couple of cable and internet jacks in the bedroom and living room. It's very open and basic about 700sq/ft with one large bedroom about 10'x12', living room 12'x15', full bathroom 10'x5', Furnace room with storage space that we keep our 5'x3' deep freezer in that's about 10'x10' and two storage rooms 8'x10' and 3'x6' that's under the stairwell. Drop down fibreglass panel ceiling. Cheapo light fixtures.

[sillysod]

My basement is 1100square feet. It has 1 bed room, 1 bathroom with shower etc.

Large TV room, wet bar with dishwasher and fridge, a mechanical room and a seperate storage room. I put in all potlights (20 I think) and speakers in the walls along with vaccuflo, its own washer and dryer (stacked) for those dirty things you don't want to wash in your good washer and dryer.

Flooring is mosaic tile in the bathroom and I did laminite for flooring because its the play


I did everything myself with the exception of the mudding, taping and stucco work.

In the end I was around $15,000 for everything all in.

[89coupe]

Originally posted by sillysod
My basement is 1100square feet. It has 1 bed room, 1 bathroom with shower etc.

Large TV room, wet bar with dishwasher and fridge, a mechanical room and a seperate storage room. I put in all potlights (20 I think) and speakers in the walls along with vaccuflo, its own washer and dryer (stacked) for those dirty things you don't want to wash in your good washer and dryer.

Flooring is mosaic tile in the bathroom and I did laminite for flooring because its the play


I did everything myself with the exception of the mudding, taping and stucco work.

In the end I was around $15,000 for everything all in.

Sounds nice, post some pics!

[screw_loose]

I think you'd shit yourself if you'd see how many people scoff at fees for a plumbing rough in, higher ceilings, bigger windows, heated concrete pad, etc. Yet these are items that will add value to a home. The plumbing rough ins I think were one the cheaper items at around $500 or something.

[turbotrip]

without a bathroom is ~ 15K

[93mr2gt]

I added an extra foot to my basement when we bought our house last year so i can put a golf cage and golf analyzer in the basement, the upgrade cost us about 3000.

I am actually looking to build a wine cellar with a bar in front of it. Depending on how much the plumbing for that sink will cost, i might have one at the bar. Large living room for pool table, then a separate room for my golf cage and a full bath. Wonder how much those requirements will cost me. (drywall and framing i will do myself)

[CUG]

w bathroom ~~~15k

Did 70% of the work myself.

[CapnCrunch]

CapnCrunch: Certainly do not develop it if it is leaking - it will mold and ruin everything. Is there no way to seal it up properly? [/B]

LOL, I definitely need to get the water sorted out. It's not a "small" leak.

[sillysod]

Originally posted by 89coupe


Sounds nice, post some pics!

It's nothing special, but will definitely post up pics.

[Chandler_Racing]

Paid ~$40k for mine.

1250-1300 sq ft. 1 bedroom with a walk-in closet, 1 large office/ bedroom, 1 bathroom, and a massive open area for movies / hanging out.

I cheap'd out and didn't do a nice bar, will probably go that route in the future though.