What do you think a contractor would charge to frame out the basement?

[StageLeft]

BTW is there any software to help with this? I know for years there has been software to design homes and remodels and things, but what I envision is software in which I plug in all my dimensions to the basement and then it basically shoes me all the layers; i.e. shows me the framing and if I drill down I can see the electrical, plumbing, etc. and if I come out the thing on a more finished perspective. Is there anything like that?

 

[Sea Moose]

Originally posted by: Skoorb
BTW is there any software to help with this? I know for years there has been software to design homes and remodels and things, but what I envision is software in which I plug in all my dimensions to the basement and then it basically shoes me all the layers; i.e. shows me the framing and if I drill down I can see the electrical, plumbing, etc. and if I come out the thing on a more finished perspective. Is there anything like that?

/pencil
/paper

 

[skyking]

No, I use plan3d for the final view of rooms and buildings but it does not detail the construction like that. It has stock windows and cabinets, and you can easily paint and see what various treatments look like. The thing you describe is high dollar professional CAD, I've seen it in use at one of our clients.
Too bad you were not closer, I'd help you do it yourselves. It is not that hard and you'd save a ton of money.

 

[olds]

If you do use paper, use graph paper and draw it to scale.

 

[HomeBrewerDude]

your probably looking at $75/sq ft

 

[Safeway]

Originally posted by: HomeBrewerDude
your probably looking at $75/sq ft

For a finished basement? No. That is way inflated.

 

[grohl]

From another do-it-yourselfer to another, my advice is to go for it. You sound a lot like me. All my projects seemed impossible at the beginning, I learned a ton doing them, and they all look great. Tons of research and advice from pro's is all I ever did. Good luck. Wish I could help you out and learn with you - I am thinking about finishing out an attic space.

 

[SearchMaster]

Good advice in this thread. I did a full gut in one of my bathrooms and did the whole job myself, and the one piece I noticeably screwed up is the drywall (both walls and ceilings). It isn't HORRIBLE but obviously not professional. The biggest problem is that I tried to retain some of the existing pieces and I should have just stripped it all out. Mudding is definitely an art and experience is extremely helpful.

My biggest advice is not to put time pressure on yourself. You've lived with it as-is for a while, even a few more months won't kill you. Meeting code is going to be hard too without knowing it that well. With the slowdown in the building industry, I wonder if you could find an out of work handy man that could help out for a couple hundred bucks a day?

 

[lokiju]

I'm not pro at this stuff by any means but have had to patch in drywall (about a 6'x4' section) into the ceiling of my guest room twice now and while it's time consuming and can be a pita, it's not really that hard to make it look professional. I was patching in new drywall with old with seams and was able to blend it nearly perfectly. Use the mesh looking sticky seam tape though, the paper stuff is a huge paint in the ass to blend in with mud.

Also I bought a drywall sander attachment that hooks up to my shop vac from Ace Hardware for $20 that really helped keep the dust under control a lot more thesecond time I did the work.

 

[Squisher]

The reason people put in drop ceilings is for access to the main floor above. If you decide to put in a drywall ceiling you need to think of every wire and plumbing run you might ever want before hand. Also, you might want to minimize the chance of water emergencies by putting some water leak alarms behind the fridge (if it has a water dispenser/ice maker) under the kitchen sink, etc. They're cheap ($15) insurance.

I'm going to put in a drop ceiling pretty soon.

If you drywall yourself I assure you you'll be better at it at the end then when you started.

I smooth out all my taping with a drywall sponge until the final coat. It minimizes the dust I have to eat.

 

[olds]

Originally posted by: Squisher
The reason people put in drop ceilings is for access to the main floor above. If you decide to put in a drywall ceiling you need to think of every wire and plumbing run you might ever want before hand. Also, you might want to minimize the chance of water emergencies by putting some water leak alarms behind the fridge (if it has a water dispenser/ice maker) under the kitchen sink, etc. They're cheap ($15) insurance.

I'm going to put in a drop ceiling pretty soon.

If you drywall yourself I assure you you'll be better at it at the end then when you started.

I smooth out all my taping with a drywall sponge until the final coat. It minimizes the dust I have to eat.

I tend to agree on the drop ceiling. Looks like the OP has water/wiring up there.
I do some drywall finishing but it's best left to the pros. Especially if you are trying to blend it in. In this basement, I'd still frame, run electrical, insulate if needed, hang and tape the drywall myself. But I'd let someone else finish it.

 

[Biafra]

If you have the time and the patience go for it. Just be aware that every step affects whats next from framing to finish. Mistakes are harder to cover up as you move along.
Example:

Twisted framing lumber can create a lump or dip in the wall.
Make sure you have nailers for drywall in you corners.
Not having everything on 16" centers will cause trouble with landing 2 sheets of drywall on the same 1 1/2" piece of material.

All of you mistakes will come back to haunt you when mudding.
Paper tape is thinner.
Make sure your knife is sharp.

Sanding sucks. Do whatever you can to avoid it.
A wet sponge can be used to smooth out the mud.
Drywall knives are not flat for a reason.

 

[rgwalt]

Be sure and pull any necessary permits for the construction. These may require construction plans and diagrams. Also, depending on the configuration of your basement, you may not be able to put a true bedroom down there if there is no means of egress through a window (fire code). When you go to sell the house, essentially you couldn't call the room a bedroom.

For the electrical, think long and hard about what you want. Maybe it would be a good opportunity to run other cables as well. CAT5e or CAT6 for ethernet and phone, double coaxial cable, speaker wire, HDMI and/or component video, etc. Running wires after the sheet rock is up is a huge PITA.

I would consider hiring someone for the sheet rock. While it may save you some money by trying to do it yourself, the quality of the work likely won't be what you would ultimately want or expect, and it is going to take you 10 times longer than a professional. I've done some sheet rocking, and it isn't fun or easy. A professional crew will have the sheet rock in place, taped, and mudded in a half day in that basement... If they use the newer quick drying mud, they may have it sanded and ready to paint as well, all in one day.

Laying the flooring (non-carpet, either wood or tile) is something you could DIY. Just make sure and read up on how you would need to treat the existing concrete. For instance, for wood flooring you would want to lay down a coat of epoxy to act as a moisture barrier. For tile, you may need to pour self leveling concrete (this could be done before framing). Also, installing baseboard, doors, door trim, etc, is all fairly easy DIY stuff that will save you $$$.

Good luck!

 

[arrfep]

I kinda like the Dexter look you got going on.

 

[StageLeft]

Also, you might want to minimize the chance of water emergencies by putting some water leak alarms behind the fridge (if it has a water dispenser/ice maker) under the kitchen sink, etc. They're cheap ($15) insurance.

Great advice and I completely am on board with this. I've been meaning to get a couple for various spots as it is, and I will get some!

I kinda like the Dexter look you got going on.

haha, I tried watching that yesterday, my wife found it too morbid and I don't completely disagree

 

[StageLeft]

base4.jpg

That's the window in the planned basement. Outside its bottom is about 22" from the grass. How big an effort/cost is involved in bashing it out to make an egress-worthy window? I know a neighbod did one from scratch and it was quite a chore, but in this case it's already started...

Minimum width of opening: 20 in.
Minimum height of opening: 24 in.
Minimum net clear opening: 5.7 sq. ft. (5.0 sq. ft. for ground floor).
Maximum sill height above floor: 44 in.

Based on that, this is already wide enough. It would need about an extra foot of height. Unfortunately, it's very high from the floor. Is a permanent stool or anything acceptable to reach that maximum sill height above floor? Otherwise we'd have to bore this down deep another 2+ feet into the ground and have that horse-shoe shaped ledge in the ground on the outside with a possible bubble window.

 

[Sea Moose]

I used to go sailing

 

[Squisher]

Egress windows don't come cheap. Mostly because they have to cut through block, frame it, and install a well. $2000?

Didn't you say this was a walkout basement? I'm not sure on the rules, but I don't think the actual bedroom needs egress just the basement area.

 

[Kelemvor]

Originally posted by: Kntx
Watch 10 episodes of holmes on homes and you should be good to go.

I love that show. Shows you definitely what NOT to do and then how to do it right.

Minimum code is crap and should be updated.

 

[StageLeft]

Originally posted by: Squisher
Egress windows don't come cheap. Mostly because they have to cut through block, frame it, and install a well. $2000?

Didn't you say this was a walkout basement? I'm not sure on the rules, but I don't think the actual bedroom needs egress just the basement area.

Ridiculously I believe that EACH bedroom in NY needs an egress. I will confirm for sure, but I think that's the case. In this situation the bedroom door will open into a room with a walkout door AND an egress window already in existence. Pretty stupid. We're going to think of ways around this, like moving the bedroom around or whatever. Seems crazy to have three legitimate egresses for just one bedroom.

 

[vi edit]

Originally posted by: Safeway

Originally posted by: HomeBrewerDude
your probably looking at $75/sq ft

For a finished basement? No. That is way inflated.

I'm in the process of getting some home bids and basements are running around $35/sq ft to finish depending on what you are doing. That's bare necessities - framing, electrical, and drywall. Add significantly more for finishing a bath or other ammenities. Plus you have to add flooring onto that quote.

 

[SearchMaster]

What's ridiculous about it? If you're sleeping with the door closed in the bedroom and a fire starts outside the bedroom, you'd be trapped in the bedroom with no egress, unless you want to take your chances running through the flames to get through one of the other exits.

 

[StageLeft]

Originally posted by: vi edit

Originally posted by: Safeway

Originally posted by: HomeBrewerDude
your probably looking at $75/sq ft

For a finished basement? No. That is way inflated.

I'm in the process of getting some home bids and basements are running around $35/sq ft to finish depending on what you are doing. That's bare necessities - framing, electrical, and drywall. Add significantly more for finishing a bath or other ammenities. Plus you have to add flooring onto that quote.

Wow that's not a bad price. Mrs just calculated we're doing about 634 square feet. I wonder if I could get it done for $2-2500 minus floors and bathroom.

 

[MotF Bane]

Originally posted by: Skoorb
BTW is there any software to help with this? I know for years there has been software to design homes and remodels and things, but what I envision is software in which I plug in all my dimensions to the basement and then it basically shoes me all the layers; i.e. shows me the framing and if I drill down I can see the electrical, plumbing, etc. and if I come out the thing on a more finished perspective. Is there anything like that?

My parents have used Broderbund Home Architect for all of our projects, might be worth a look.

Do you have anyone who can help you, i.e. upper teens son? Sheetrock is heavy, working with it yourself, especially overhead, would be a bitch. If you have some help, frame it yourself, get an electrician for your wiring, rock it yourself, get someone to do the plaster (nice finished look), and finish the rest. To frame it, buy the lumber from someplace decent, not Home Depot or Lowes, take your time, check your measurements several times.

If you don't have a lot of tools, the cost to obtain them, plus cost of mistakes, won't be worth it. I'd say go for it if you can though.

 

[geno]

*sees pics of weight bench*

OH SHIT SKOORB BE GETTIN HIS FUCKIN SWOLL ON!!!