https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Sun, 19 Apr 2026 02:18:00 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-did-you-spend-on-finishing-your-basement#post-1800670 Wed, 06 Aug 2014 09:53:01 +0000 Adira 1800670@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@mrsjyw: Thanks!! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-did-you-spend-on-finishing-your-basement#post-1800660 Wed, 06 Aug 2014 09:50:58 +0000 mrsjyw 1800660@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Smurfette: no rooms, one open space! We built out a closet underneath the staircase, but the inside is unfinished!</p> <p>@Cole: he was a contractor that was highly recommended through family friends. he's got a no BS personality, blunt, but very good and straight to the point. Worked well with us/DH's personality. he works in the metro detroit area, wall me if you want his info, i'll get it from dh!</p> <p>@Adira: there was plumbing in ground for the bathroom i believe, but extra needed to be built out for the bar kitchen area </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-did-you-spend-on-finishing-your-basement#post-1800616 Wed, 06 Aug 2014 09:33:15 +0000 Smurfette 1800616@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@mrs. wagon: Our pest control company said they had some small termite damage, so we think that is why they really gutted it. We can see where they had the rooms, but now it is just one huge open room. Which is now becoming a dumping ground for everything. We need to get it finished so we stop keeping crap!! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-did-you-spend-on-finishing-your-basement#post-1800601 Wed, 06 Aug 2014 09:29:27 +0000 mrs. wagon 1800601@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Smurfette: haha this is exactly what happened with our basement! The tenants broke the bathroom and the basement flooded and there was tons of damage. So the owners, in preparation for sale, ripped everything out and called it unfinished. Right now there are two big rooms (one with a fireplace), a small room, and the smallest full bathroom known to man. We have to extend the bathroom but other than that we may keep the rooms as is for the time being, to try and save on costs. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-did-you-spend-on-finishing-your-basement#post-1800593 Wed, 06 Aug 2014 09:24:04 +0000 Cole 1800593@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@mrsjyw: That is fabulous, were you happy with the company you used? I am sort of near you I think and I would love to know who you used. We are planning to finish our basement in the next 5-7 years but we expected it to cost more than that. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-did-you-spend-on-finishing-your-basement#post-1800589 Wed, 06 Aug 2014 09:21:27 +0000 Smurfette 1800589@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@mrsjyw: This is what DH thinks it will cost for ours. Our basement use to be finished but the previous owners ripped it out to redo and then decided to move. So the waterproofing has probably been done but we are going to redo to be safe.<br /> Did you frame in rooms? Or just one big area? We want to make 2 bedrooms/office, media room, and then a storage area. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-did-you-spend-on-finishing-your-basement#post-1800543 Wed, 06 Aug 2014 09:06:11 +0000 Adira 1800543@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@mrsjyw: Thanks for the info and all the details!! Did you already have plumbing and stuff for the half-bath or did that all have to be added? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-did-you-spend-on-finishing-your-basement#post-1800535 Wed, 06 Aug 2014 09:04:30 +0000 Mrs.Someone 1800535@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We spent around $70k, but it was completely gutted and redone: drywall, adding a wall, plumbing, electrical, etc. Probably the most expensive part was adding a bathroom on the side of the house that didn't have any existing plumbing.</p> <p>Oh, and this included new windows both in the basement and on the main floor of the house. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-did-you-spend-on-finishing-your-basement#post-1800465 Wed, 06 Aug 2014 08:39:37 +0000 mrs. wagon 1800465@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@mrsjyw: wow!! That is very encouraging!! Thanks!!! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-did-you-spend-on-finishing-your-basement#post-1800457 Wed, 06 Aug 2014 08:36:47 +0000 mrsjyw 1800457@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@mrs. wagon: I don't have the breakdown on me, but we had a completely unfinished basement that also needed waterproofing done prior to everything else being finished and it cost around $20K for 900 sq ft of living space and an extra 200 or so of unfinished closet/storage. This included electrical, insulation, drywall, recessed lighting, a 1/2 bath, bar/counter/sink/cabinets, carpeting, tiled flooring around bar area and built in theatre shelving unit, and paint/baseboard, staircase railway, two doors, one bi-fold closet door, etc. We didn't do a thing ourselves.</p> <p>Took about 3 weeks to finish. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-did-you-spend-on-finishing-your-basement#post-1800447 Wed, 06 Aug 2014 08:32:09 +0000 mrs. wagon 1800447@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Wow, thanks for all the quick feedback!</p> <p>@hellobeeboston: We're definitely going to seek out a few quotes, including one from the guy who did our kitchen demo/floors/walls/paint. I have no idea if he does bathrooms too, but he definitely does tiling. </p> <p>I am guessing the basement area that we'll want to refinish is about 1000 sq feet. The floor is concrete and level, and we have had zero water issues so far (moved in in March) other than our fridge water line leaking and flooding part of the basement that was directly below. Luckily, it leaked into the already destroyed bathroom. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-did-you-spend-on-finishing-your-basement#post-1800436 Wed, 06 Aug 2014 08:22:20 +0000 hellobeeboston 1800436@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Oh wow - that sounds like a big project. I would get a few quotes. It's great that you already worked with that one contractor though. </p> <p>I imagine the bathroom/adding heat/moving bulkhead alone will be quite pricey, plus paying for labor. How many square feet?? Do you have water issues down there?</p> <p>We finished our basement in our last house but did it ourselves with the help of my dad. Concrete floor was level, so that was good! Here was a rough estimate of our materials:</p> <p>Sealer to waterproof walls: $100<br /> Lumber to frame: $500<br /> Drywall:$350<br /> Trim: $150<br /> Window:$200<br /> Wood (bamboo) ceiling: $1000<br /> 3 doors for closets: $150<br /> Misc materials(sparkle, etc) :$300<br /> Recessed lights:$25/a piece x 12 + electrician:$450<br /> Carpeting: $900<br /> Paint: $50 </p> <p>Total: $4100-ish<br /> Basement was around 400sq feet - tiny!</p> <p>I think I am forgetting some things. I remember it costing around 4500 total so I'm a little short. Plus our time. This took us about 5 months of weekends. </p> <p>Our big expense was the bamboo ceiling. It was gorgeous and truly not that expensive and my dad put it up in like a day and a half. Our closets we left the ceiling exposed for access and we had extra wood in case we would ever need to get in there. I could prob find pics. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-did-you-spend-on-finishing-your-basement#post-1800429 Wed, 06 Aug 2014 08:18:18 +0000 woodentulip 1800429@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We spent about 25k at our last house--moved a wall, put in heating, put down new floors but used existing walls where possible as they were in good shape. Put in new lighting and new bathroom fixtures. We kept the drop ceiling just to have access to wires and stuff upstairs (I am a big fan of not having to put holes in our ceilings so somehow a drop one seems like it is a better option?).<br /> We want to finish our current basement next summer, but just had the exterior rewaterproofed...we were quoted 45k for this one, which is a lot smaller than our old basement! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-did-you-spend-on-finishing-your-basement#post-1800424 Wed, 06 Aug 2014 08:14:38 +0000 littlek 1800424@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Our basement is finished but we are planning on turning part of the unfinished storage space into guest room or exercise room. Cost will be about $5 - $8k. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-did-you-spend-on-finishing-your-basement#post-1800419 Wed, 06 Aug 2014 08:11:01 +0000 Adira 1800419@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm interested in this too! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-did-you-spend-on-finishing-your-basement#post-1800407 Wed, 06 Aug 2014 08:02:16 +0000 swurlygurl 1800407@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm interested to see responses also! We need to do ours, and it's a constant battle of trying to figure out DIY or contract it out. :( </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-did-you-spend-on-finishing-your-basement#post-1800406 Wed, 06 Aug 2014 08:00:02 +0000 Bao 1800406@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We just did half of ours but DIYed it. It's been about 1500 so far and that only includes two glass blocks, studding, carpet, drywall, carpet, electrical and paint. However!!! We had friends/family help so that saved us everything except supplies. Minus the windows which were professionally done through a company. We still have another half to go through, in the future. So long story short, contracting it out, a lot! Do you know anyone who could help with even part of it to cut on costs? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-did-you-spend-on-finishing-your-basement#post-1800403 Wed, 06 Aug 2014 07:56:38 +0000 ineebee 1800403@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Following also! :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-did-you-spend-on-finishing-your-basement#post-1800400 Wed, 06 Aug 2014 07:54:49 +0000 Smurfette 1800400@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Following! We need to do ours. I am scared how much it is going to cost. The bathroom is finished, so the plumbing is there but I want to redo the shower. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-did-you-spend-on-finishing-your-basement#post-1800399 Wed, 06 Aug 2014 07:52:17 +0000 mrs. wagon 1800399@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Anyone done a basement finishing job with a contractor? I'd like to have some reasonable numbers in my head before we start the process. One contractor looked and said $60K :shocked: but he also quoted a high number for our kitchen, and we ended up spending less than half. </p> <p>We have two large rooms, one small bathroom (plumbing is all there, but the room needs to be expanded so at least one wall needs to move), the staircase to the main floor, one hallway/closet area, and possibly the bulkhead and stairs to the backyard (ours are starting to corrode). I don't think there's any heating down there yet either. The floors are concrete and the ceiling is a cheap drop ceiling, so we'll need those as well. The walls are in good shape. </p>