redoing my basement how much ?

[s0nIc]

So basically were letting my wifes brother and his Wife move in .I dont mind They are taking my basement }: so no more media room.Hey its family they asked to stay for 2 years I said fine we talked about bills and so on.Heres the twist my basement has the wood flooring and Drywall done already.BUt the roof and the stairs and they told me if they dont mind us have a pro come out and fix the stairs and put the ceiling on and they would pick up the bill.
I sent a few request for an estimate but my wife feals like we should help out with half synce it is our house.My question to you guys is how much do you think something like this cost before I open my mouth.
Basically they want to close of the stairs and put carpet on it and close off the center pieces becaause of the baby.We would also need a type of ceiling we would be able to get to the pipes.

[DrinkMore]

From experience - be prepared for $15k on up to $35K. All depends on the size of the room and work needing to be done. Yeah, shocker huh.

What pipes do you need to get to? Looks mostly like HVAC. If your pipes are in new/good condition (PVC) you don't need access to them. Also, make sure there is HVAC downstairs for them too. Stagnant air is terrible.

BTW - nice that you are helping out family. It will come back 10 fold one day.

[Beta Man]

yeah.... depends on what you want to do with it...... you can spend $15k on a kitchen and have a nice kitchen...... you can spend $100k on a kitchen and still have an "average" kitchen for the neighborhood............

It really depends on how far down the rabbit hole you want to go.

I know you want a nice basement as a final product.... but don't over-price yourself for your neighborhood (at least not to the point where you won't get the return on it from your own enjoyment)

[Hammie]

You also need to look at a number of other things when considering finishing the ceiling in the basement...

- access to pipes and other cabling, etc. You do not want to have to rip down drywall to get to something you forgot you needed access to.
- lighting -- are you doing single lights per room, canned lighting, or just floor lamps
- HVAC -- adding additional registers and returns if there is nothing down there now

I would say $10K on the low end for just your basic drywall installation and finishing. Depending on who you talk to, that may or may not include painting.

You prices in NE may be drastically differnt than what we see near Washington, DC which is a good thing.

Good luck!

[My_Two_Cents]

If I understand you correctly, you are only looking at finishing-off the stairs and ceiling? If so, there's no way it's going to cost anywhere near $10K-15K+. You can install a drop ceiling for a couple bucks per square foot (materials), which would allow you to do the work with minimal to no movement of HVAC or other piping. Everything you have descibed needing done can be done by a DYI with minimal skill/knowledge. Sounds like you have folks to help, so I'd say do it yourself and save a bundle (relatively speaking).

[Deadset]

If you are looking for what it costs to do it yourself, I spent about 15-16k on mine, finished about 1200 sqft, with a wet bar, bathroom and open floor plan.

If you are talking just to finish the ceiling and stairs, it won't cost much at all. However, the type of ceiling tile you choose (if you do a drop ceiling) will vary greatly. I looked at one that would cost me about 3.5k, so I opted for sheetrock.

If you could list a detail task with area I'd be happy to throw out some numbers. I just spent over a year of my life finishing my basement.

see sig..

PM with any questions.

Good luck!

[DrinkMore]

Drop ceilings should be avoided when possible. They make the area "feel" like a basement and look not so appealing. When possible, drywall is the best choice. A little planning goes a long way. Drywall also looks much better and more professional.

I would also recommend can lights (recessed lighting). Keeps the occupants from feeling cramped as nothing is hanging down. It maintains maximum height in a room. Use daylight CFL's in them and it's like daylight.

If you have a concrete floor, use epoxy paint used in garages. Hard, durable surface and comes in many colors. Easy to clean and cheap. $250 dollars did 1200 square feet for us. You or they, can put down throw rugs when they move in. Plus, it's "GREEN" not having carpet down there for many reasons. Moisture is one.

As some have said, you can do most of this yourself. However, if you don't want to, get several estimates.