1. Use metal studs or wood studs treated for mold protection.
2. Do not use ventless fire place. They give off a lot of moisture and that is the last thing you want in a basement.
3. Make sure you select wood that can go over concrete if doing wood.m
4. Steam room would need to be ventilated.
5. Definitely put sump on battery backup
6. If you have a sump, you have a high water table, thus I would not suggest attempting to drop basement slab.
7. The price is reasonable. Make sure you have well defined scope of work and allowances for flooring/fixtures that are reasonable.

Make sure you have sufficient electrical capacity. If you've never "heavied up" the house, now's the time.

Yep, get the permits. If nothing else, too much of a hassle at resale time if you don't have them. Also, if you ever plan to refi, if it's not permitted, it will affect the appraisal. The appraisers go from public records, which won't reflect the improvements.

Battery backup for the sump pump is essential. A French drain is also a good idea. Now is the time you can build-in your waterproofing; you won't ever have the opportunity again without ripping up what you're building now. Instead of hiding the sump pump under a TV cabinet (which could never move), think about building a small storage closet where the sump pump is. More storage space never hurt anyone.

If you're putting in a bedroom, make sure it has legal egress. You don't want to build a fire trap.

I agree that wet bars are totally overrated and underused. I've never seen anyone use one in my entire life. They make rooms seem dated and like someone's trying too hard. Better uses of the space: more playspace for the kiddies; workout equipment for the grownups; bigger TV area; more storage; bigger bedroom; or bigger bathroom with a big fun tub. (Some people don't like those either, but we use ours.) A downstairs fridge or freezer is a handy thing to have (full size is even nice), but that doesn't mean you need a bar around it. Having it in a storeroom is fine.

Op- who's your contractor? We're considering a Reno and that's a great price.

Re: water in basement floor check into Arctek. (I think that's how you spell it) They are a water proofing co that puts down a barrier btw the concrete and your flooring that they guarantee. We are so glad we did.

To the bamboo poster -

We had bamboo floors throughout the main floor of my old home. Loved the look, but our large dog decimated them within a few months -- they scratched very very easily. It might just have been the quality of the bamboo we put it though.

Get the permit! If you ever sell, it will be a big help. Also, basements do tend to flood for variuos reasons....upstairs leak, water heater, etc. Wall to wall is not the best option. It makes a minor leak into a major hassle.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
What's the big deal about permits? If I'm using a licensed contractor why do I need the county to come in and look for issues? And they always find irrelevant issues that require another inspection. Seems like a hassle for me and a self-licking ice cream cone for the county.

Get the permit. If you put in living spaces and you don't have the permit to show for it, you may have trouble at the inspection or the closing, and gives buyer an out.

Well, building code compliance can be a pretty important safety check, from both a design and construction standpoint.

You may also have a problem with your homeowners insurance in the event of fire or other claim, and the insurer denies coverage because the work wasn't permitted or done to code.

Anonymous wrote:
What's the big deal about permits? If I'm using a licensed contractor why do I need the county to come in and look for issues? And they always find irrelevant issues that require another inspection. Seems like a hassle for me and a self-licking ice cream cone for the county.

Get the permit. If you put in living spaces and you don't have the permit to show for it, you may have trouble at the inspection or the closing, and gives buyer an out.

Retain some storage space.

Anonymous wrote:

4. Do get proper permits - this may mean not being able to do a kitchenette for zoning reasons, but your electrician can always add the extra capacity to complete later.

What's the big deal about permits? If I'm using a licensed contractor why do I need the county to come in and look for issues? And they always find irrelevant issues that require another inspection. Seems like a hassle for me and a self-licking ice cream cone for the county.

We are planning on a steam shower, but not a pre fab one. The ones that Kohler do are simple and modern. They sell the generator, controls and the doors. You will need a steam shower plumber/electrical person to install, and get advice on what types of tile are suitable for use in a steam shower.

Another tip is to make any door between rooms as larger as possible, double pocket door are great in basements as they open up the poorly lit space but one can still close it down for privacy when using it as an apartment.

Anonymous wrote:If you are planning to have recessed lights installed, do not have too many installed. We did and the room gets SOOO hot. Do 4 and have them spread out a lot. If it is too dim after construction, supplement with a lamp or two.

We have probably 12 recessed lights in our basement and no problems with heat. We use all CFL bulbs - maybe those don't get as hot? Are you using halogens?

I'm working on my basement. old dark paneling and drop ceiling. I don't want to spend a ton of money and the ceiling is not THAT bad for the intended use of this place, so I am just going to paint over the paneling and see how it looks. and then I am going to knock out another window to give more light to the area that is walk-out.

Anonymous wrote:If you are planning to have recessed lights installed, do not have too many installed. We did and the room gets SOOO hot. Do 4 and have them spread out a lot. If it is too dim after construction, supplement with a lamp or two.

NP here and thank you, this is not something I would have thought of. We're planning a reno and going to put in recessed lights and I was thinking more would be better; I did not realize there was a downside. Is this an issue in any room or is it more of a basement issue (low ceilings?)?