Finishing a basement

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amother

Tue, Oct 12 2021, 10:33 am

We are hopefully closing very soon and the house has an unfinished basement. We desperately need it for toys right away. Since we don’t have the house yet I’m not getting actual quotes just doing preliminary research. My friends say it will cost 30,000 to finish. But they priced it out with a bathroom and rooms. If we just want to finish it as a large open room, basically put up sheet rock, paint and put a floor down, will it really cost that much? Does anyone know around how much a basic job costs? NJ if that helps.

Chayalle

Tue, Oct 12 2021, 10:35 am

Bathrooms and plumbing are usually the most expensive part of a job. You can definitely knock off a few grand for no bathrooms. But consider that you will need, in addition to what you mentioned, lighting, and possibly heating/cooling down there.

mom!

Tue, Oct 12 2021, 11:11 am

Realistically, if that’s your playroom, you do need a bathroom down there.

amother

Tue, Oct 12 2021, 11:20 am

I don’t have the budget right now for a bathroom. The main floor bathroom is not far from the basement stairs. My kids aren’t going to want to play in an unfinished basement and I don’t have space to out their toys anywhere else.

amother

Daylily

Tue, Oct 12 2021, 11:31 am

How low down is the basement? Does it have windows? Safety wise.
Bathroom is not an emergency right now. But you need to make sure about safety.
Floors, walls, ground level windows, and lighting are probably what you need to consider right now. Also the air situation in regards to humidity.

amother

Tue, Oct 12 2021, 11:34 am

It’s a safe basement. It has proper windows. I think there is lighting already.

amother

Mauve

Tue, Oct 12 2021, 11:36 am

You can ask a contractor for a quote.
The price will also depend on the size of the basement.

Does it have insulation? HVAC set up? That'll cost too.

amother

Daylily

Tue, Oct 12 2021, 11:38 am

What's the air quality

Amarante

Tue, Oct 12 2021, 12:04 pm

The best way to find out is to contact recommended worker to provide you with an estimate.

Honestly unless you plan to have people sleep in the basement, you don't have to worry about windows and egress although you would want to make sure that it is a 'dry" basement that doesn't flood regularly.

For the kind of simple "finishing" you are contemplating, you might just do well with a handyman to put up sheet rock. Whatever kind of flooring you want can be installed by the flooring company and to the extent you need lighting, just hire an electrician to do some cans. You are looking for an inexpensive place for your children to hang out in and not elegant living situation in which you probably would want to use a GC and a decorator.

I would recommend at least pricing out a powder room downstairs. While bathrooms are expensive, they don't necessarily have to be if you use inexpensive finishes. Cost would depend on how the plumbing lines for the toilet and drains run but many people are able to add something by tieing into the preexisting lines in the home and situating the bathroom to take advantage. At the very least find out the cost because it would probably be a good idea to have a toilet and sink at the least downstairs where the children will be hanging out.

Last edited by Amarante on Tue, Oct 12 2021, 12:07 pm; edited 2 times in total

amother

Heather

Tue, Oct 12 2021, 12:05 pm

You can do it very cheap with no heat/air but keep in mind that if it’s very cold or very hot your kids may not want to play down there.

I know a few people who use unfinished basements because of financial constraints. You need lighting ...it can be lamps or cheap plug ins. And you can throw down a carpet or carpet remnant on the floor. That’s the basics.
I’ve seen very comfortable looking play spaces. With a carpet abs bookcase up against the wall or defining the space and a couch ...all very inviting.

Beyond that it depends on your budget. Yes it’s better to have a bathroom but it’s totally fine if you don’t.

amother

Cyan

Tue, Oct 12 2021, 12:29 pm

Are you interested in do it the cheep way?

A few years ago we got 3-4 area rugs from home Depot, brought the type of plywood Sukka boards are made out of-I think it is called Luann-Brought a light figure.

My DH and a friend spent one day nailing the plywood on to the ceiling to make a room. We put down the carpets on the cement and put the light figure in the ceiling. In the winter we got a heater that was kid safe to leave on the floor and a fan in the summer.

It cost us less then $200 but prices on everything has gone up, if your DH is not handy I know someone who hired a handy Boucher to do this.

Was it a finished basement? No, did my kids play in it for years? Yes they did. It was not the whole basement just a room at the bottom of the stairs. This is something to think about to do now you can always finish the basement latter.

amother

Chocolate

Tue, Oct 12 2021, 12:32 pm

We priced a simple paint, floor luxury vinyl tile around 8,000 with a contractor worker.. we offered to pay for home depot equipment/tiles / paint additionally to cut costs

(before this flood now we have to pay for sump pump and plumbing work so hopefully getting some insurance or fema money to help with it)

gingleale

Tue, Oct 12 2021, 2:04 pm

We did our basement with drains and sump pump and built in closets for the toys and games. Otherwise it is just one large room. We spent about 25k. It was 7-8 years ago

amother

Diamond

Tue, Oct 12 2021, 2:23 pm

Doing similar to that right now. Depends how many sq ft it is, mine is about 500 sq ft and is costing about $12000. Labor and materials included. In brooklyn.
New ceilings, walls, and tile floors. New front and back door which you may not need was about $600. Waterproof sheetrock for an existing bathroom is more expensive than regular. Paint for the new walls adds up. Our tiles are also extra expensive because they are waterproof in case of flooding.
Material has gone up recently. Good luck.

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