basement renovation

formerlyGDaisy09

I'm wondering if anyone has experience finishing rooms in the basement? I'm looking to add a 3rd bedroom to our house, Our foundation is build into a hill, so one end of the basement has a window that gets quite a bit of daylight.  I think we'd be adding roughly a 250 sqft room, square, and putting a closet in. I think our costs would be 2x4 framing, drywall, some insulation, a drop ceiling, paint, and carpeting. I have a nice bedframe, and box spring, so as far as furnishing the room as a guestroom we'de need to buy a mattress and linens.

Anyone with experience doing this? we'd hire an electritian to wire the room to code.  how much did the project cost you? any surprises along the way?

musictchr25

With basements, you will need to make sure that the window is large enough that the room will count as a legal bedroom.  Even if the room has a window, it wouldn't be a legal space for fire code purposes unless the window is at least a specific dimension, which will vary based on your location.  In terms of surprises, make sure that your basement is 100% waterproof before you do this, otherwise, there is a chance that your work could go down the drain if water were to enter your basement. Also, be prepared to find mold if you have had previous water issues.  

Is there heat and air-conditioning in your basement? You will need to run lines for this into the new space as well.  

Are you going to be doing the work yourself?

Here's a breakdown of cost estimates based on some projects I have had done previously -  if you were to hire out:

HVAC - at least $1000

Walls & Ceiling - $400 each for insulation, drywall, plaster

Drop-down Ceiling - $1000

Doors - $100 each

Door Hardware - $25

Moulding - $300

Framing - around $1000

Primer and Paint - $150

Carpeting - $4/sq.ft.

Mattress - $400 at least

Linens - $100

Costs are significantly lower if you decide to do the work yourself.  Also, costs may vary based on your location.  You should get a subscription to Angie's List, and search for different contractors - a lot of the reviews have the amount of money that the project cost, so this will be a huge help for you.  

All in all, I think that adding a 3rd bedroom to your house would be a great investment, however, make sure that it is done properly in order to get the best return on investment.

formerlyGDaisy09

Thanks, 

I've been checking in on town codes I think the window qualifys as legal, its the same size as the windows in the rest of the house. 

The house has forced-hot air heat, and central air(although we live in the northern part of the country and the basement might need A/C 1-2 days a year), the ducts for the whole house are in the basement, and there are several vents in the basement, so I assume we can easily use those for climate control. 

We plan to do most of the work ourselves (the exceptions being the elecrical work and probably the carpet instalation) 

It's a dry basement, and the house is on-top of a hill, not in a flood zone. 

so we're probably looking at $4-5K 

Thanks! that was really helpful!