Cost of basement remodel?

[Anonymous]

Unfinished basement needs bedroom walls created, closet, egress window. Drywall in entire basement, upgrade of bathroom from just a toilet to full bathroom, new flooring, lights, ceiling, paint.

Want to use the space that is completely stripped now but want to do as cheap as we can.

I had a quote from a couple of years ago for $68K plus materials like floor, tiles for bathroom, vanity etc.

How much do you think this would cost?

[Anonymous]

How big is the basement and are there any dampness issues? Any duct work and/ or pipes need to be raised for headroom?

[Anonymous]

We were quoted around $100K by three different contractors for our 1500 sq ft bathroom that has a rough in for plumbing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We were quoted around $100K by three different contractors for our 1500 sq ft bathroom that has a rough in for plumbing.

To clarify this was literally just the egress window, the bathroom, one bedroom with closet and a wide open space - plumbing, bathroom fixtures, walls, lighting, and flooring. That's it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How big is the basement and are there any dampness issues? Any duct work and/ or pipes need to be raised for headroom?

OP here-probably 900 sq feet, small 1953 colonial basement. Some moisture on the cement foundation after rain that someone said could have a sealent or something put on the cement. No duct work, no pipe changes. Mainly drywall, reframing of bedroom, separation of space, floors, bathroom but toilet already there and washer close too so have pipes

[Anonymous]

I think you could probably get it done for less than 100k.
Don’t forget that you probably need/ want extensive electrical work for decent lighting. We also splurged on nicer vinyl tile which made a big difference.

[Anonymous]

Get several quotes for your particular basement. It’s amazing how much the offers vary and ask them to itemize things in offers so you know what exactly is being proposed.

[Anonymous]

You will get estimates around $100k

If you do it piecemeal you can do it for around $40k

We had estimated of around $100-120k and we did it for around $30k. We played contractor and hired out various trades people. Used Home Depot for flooring, hired painters, and found an inexpensive contractor to do the bathroom and put up drywall.

The problem is that in UMC neighborhoods most people just accept paying $100k to finish a basement but you don’t need to .

Also it’s a basement so we were willing to save $70k and have it take a little longer as we found painters, flooring etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Get several quotes for your particular basement. It’s amazing how much the offers vary and ask them to itemize things in offers so you know what exactly is being proposed.

Most won’t do this because then it’s obvious how much you’re being ripped off.

For example I pushed for it and they likely thought I didn’t know better and one of the line items was $5k to remove one wall of drywall. $5k to have someone use a sledge hammer and pull off the wall. I could do this with gloves on a Saturday. I pushed on why it was $5k and they said they have to use a special brush to brush the exposed brick once the drywall is pulled off.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Get several quotes for your particular basement. It’s amazing how much the offers vary and ask them to itemize things in offers so you know what exactly is being proposed.

They won’t do this unless they think you’re poor and feel sorry for you.
I got a rather paternal contractor to help me control costs and they were charging 7000 to install vinyl plank flooring and 5000 to paint. We ended up doing that part ourselves and the materials were like 1500 total.

[Anonymous]

If you have efflorescence or dampness in the basement walls you cannot dry lock them as that will ultimately cause your foundation to deteriorate. You also should not drywall them in without a ventilation system as that will lead to mold. For the floor you will likely have to use a self-leveler before putting down hard flooring and be sure there isn’t moisture that will need to evaporate/breathe. The unevenness of basement floors is why they are so often carpeted.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Get several quotes for your particular basement. It’s amazing how much the offers vary and ask them to itemize things in offers so you know what exactly is being proposed.

They won’t do this unless they think you’re poor and feel sorry for you.
I got a rather paternal contractor to help me control costs and they were charging 7000 to install vinyl plank flooring and 5000 to paint. We ended up doing that part ourselves and the materials were like 1500 total.

This is why i suggested op do it. Some may, some won’t but it’ll give her an idea at least with broad categories. I understand they won’t go into details, but they can do this for broad items.

[Anonymous]

Call around and get some quotes.

[Anonymous]

How do you know if there is dampness in the walls? We put kilz on ours.

Anonymous wrote:If you have efflorescence or dampness in the basement walls you cannot dry lock them as that will ultimately cause your foundation to deteriorate. You also should not drywall them in without a ventilation system as that will lead to mold. For the floor you will likely have to use a self-leveler before putting down hard flooring and be sure there isn’t moisture that will need to evaporate/breathe. The unevenness of basement floors is why they are so often carpeted.

[Anonymous]

I think you can do this for less than 100K but more than your previous estimate. If you're in NoVA, I recommend Loudoun Basements. We've worked with them on multiple projects and Daniel (the owner) gave us detailed estimates (not super detailed but like $X for breaking down this wall, $X for painting, etc.) so we could assess them. I'm sure there's still some markup compared to if we do it ourselves (hiring contractors individually like the earlier poster), but I would never trust myself with doing that.