I've been responding to posts in the redflagdeals.ca forum and can see that others are thinking about finishing their basements too. Do it yourself and you will save money.
I just re-read through my whole blog and have some after thoughts that might answer questions.
Basement temperature
In March we still had winter weather and my basement was 67° with the lights off. The lights on at the maximum can bring the temperature up to 73°. It's pretty comfortable but next winter I will get an electric fireplace to speed up the warming process.
My basement window goes into my ceiling
This was the last thing I did before tape and mud because I wasn't sure how it would turn out. I ended up building a window box. It is crooked by 3/4" and was a pain to build, drywall and paint. Consider convering up the window altogether.
Ceiling tiles
I picked more expensive 2 X 2 regressed ceiling tiles and I think they look good. I think I could have stuck with plain looking 2 X 2 tiles and it would have looked good too. 2 X 4 looks a little too commercial in my opinion.
Carpet and underpad
I chose more expensive berber carpet (with a pattern) and more expensive underpad. I would not chose the same carpet again. The seems show a little and I think plush would have hidden it more. The underpad was worth it for the floor ... not so much for the stairs.
Tar paper
I didn't realize I needed it and it was a pain to install. I quickly switch from sealant to staples in order to fasten it to the framing. I would consider polystyrene insulation if I had to do it over again. I think if you use polystyrene properly (sealing and glueing) you can skip the one inch space, tar paper and vapour barrier... double check that though. FYI I think it's also the Mike Holmes approach but I've seen him use spay foam too.
Pocket Door
The pocket door was a great choice in my opinion. I can still use that corner. It was easy to hang. It looks pretty good too.
I'm sure I'll even have more thoughts and follow up posts.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Monday, May 11, 2009
Final Thoughts
It's been several months since I've been done and I would like to reflect back on my basement reno. Overall it was worth it! I extended the living space of my home and created a great man cave. I've been enjoying the NHL Playoffs and have found a place to play my guitar again.
It was a pain for about 4 months but the work I did saved me tons. And I really didn't get hurt, despite never wearing safety equipment. Who needs safety glasses when I can just squint. To be completely honest most of my work was done in the evening... my weekends were pretty normal. My accounting logs show 43 visits to either Rona, the Home Depot, Builders Warehouse, Canadian Tire, Walmart, Lowes and a Carpet vendor. I can safely double that number because I often went in and didn't buy anything.
Lessons learned
Use a nail gun
I was lucky enough to borrow one from a friend (thanks again Ron). It would have taken me twice the time during the framing phase... not to mention the injuries I avoided.
Plan ahead
I was pretty thorough with my planning and there weren't too many surprises. I read through all sorts of forums and tutorials... most of it wasn't useful but just seeing other construction pictures made me feel more comfortable with what I was doing. Make sure your plans are accurate. Mine weren't bad.
16" off center at all costs
In some situations I actually went closer than 16" off center and it made everything more difficult... especially during drywall phase.
Make sure its level
Most of my work was level except for the window box. It sticks out like sore thumb. Fortunately I placed the sofa facing away from it.
Have someone else tape and mud
Took them 2 days what would have taken me a week.
Give lots of time for contractors
I was waiting on both drywall and carpet contractors. It longer to line them up and schedule them in than I expected.
In store demos didn't help
Don't waste your time on those weekend courses at the Home Depot or Rona. The book I bought had better information and if I had questions I asked the people in the stores. The best time to get them was after 8pm on the weekdays.
Buy stuff on sale or as you go
I didn't get much on sale and some of the stuff I bought at the start I ended up returning. My lights went on sale the day after I installed them. The ceiling building material went on sale a few weeks before I installed it but I had no room to store it. Take advantage of the few sales that do occur.
Get your permits
They weren't all that expensive and there was only a few on-site visits. The one inspector was really nice. My insurance didn't go up after notifying them. I'm still waiting on my new property assessment... it will go up and end up costing me more in taxes. Now I'm covered if something happens downstairs and I will have no trouble selling my house later.
Put extra insulation around drain pipes
I hear the flushes, showers and dish washing. Not sure if it would help but my one main drain runs right by my sofa.
Get help hanging drywall
It doesn't look it but those drywall sheets are heavy. I did most of it on my own and dropped a few sheets. This might have been even more difficult for me because I had to fold every sheet in half due to the size of my stairwell.
Don't be scared of electrical
I was not going to do my own electrical at first but after reading more and more about it I realized that an electrical panel is fairly simple. I only had two new runs and re-routed one. That meant one double breaker and one new device. Follow the codes and be cautious. This is one industry that tries to discourage the DIYer.
Tell people about your project
Everybody was asking me about my basement and it kept me motivated. If you don't push through it you will never finish it.
Best part of all...
I completed almost all of my work before the big federal announcement about the Home Renovation Tax Credit. That means I just missed out on a $1350 tax refund. This is good year to do any home renovations. I might just redo one of my bathrooms... don't hold your breath for another blog. This one was enough.
It was a pain for about 4 months but the work I did saved me tons. And I really didn't get hurt, despite never wearing safety equipment. Who needs safety glasses when I can just squint. To be completely honest most of my work was done in the evening... my weekends were pretty normal. My accounting logs show 43 visits to either Rona, the Home Depot, Builders Warehouse, Canadian Tire, Walmart, Lowes and a Carpet vendor. I can safely double that number because I often went in and didn't buy anything.
Lessons learned
Use a nail gun
I was lucky enough to borrow one from a friend (thanks again Ron). It would have taken me twice the time during the framing phase... not to mention the injuries I avoided.
Plan ahead
I was pretty thorough with my planning and there weren't too many surprises. I read through all sorts of forums and tutorials... most of it wasn't useful but just seeing other construction pictures made me feel more comfortable with what I was doing. Make sure your plans are accurate. Mine weren't bad.
16" off center at all costs
In some situations I actually went closer than 16" off center and it made everything more difficult... especially during drywall phase.
Make sure its level
Most of my work was level except for the window box. It sticks out like sore thumb. Fortunately I placed the sofa facing away from it.
Have someone else tape and mud
Took them 2 days what would have taken me a week.
Give lots of time for contractors
I was waiting on both drywall and carpet contractors. It longer to line them up and schedule them in than I expected.
In store demos didn't help
Don't waste your time on those weekend courses at the Home Depot or Rona. The book I bought had better information and if I had questions I asked the people in the stores. The best time to get them was after 8pm on the weekdays.
Buy stuff on sale or as you go
I didn't get much on sale and some of the stuff I bought at the start I ended up returning. My lights went on sale the day after I installed them. The ceiling building material went on sale a few weeks before I installed it but I had no room to store it. Take advantage of the few sales that do occur.
Get your permits
They weren't all that expensive and there was only a few on-site visits. The one inspector was really nice. My insurance didn't go up after notifying them. I'm still waiting on my new property assessment... it will go up and end up costing me more in taxes. Now I'm covered if something happens downstairs and I will have no trouble selling my house later.
Put extra insulation around drain pipes
I hear the flushes, showers and dish washing. Not sure if it would help but my one main drain runs right by my sofa.
Get help hanging drywall
It doesn't look it but those drywall sheets are heavy. I did most of it on my own and dropped a few sheets. This might have been even more difficult for me because I had to fold every sheet in half due to the size of my stairwell.
Don't be scared of electrical
I was not going to do my own electrical at first but after reading more and more about it I realized that an electrical panel is fairly simple. I only had two new runs and re-routed one. That meant one double breaker and one new device. Follow the codes and be cautious. This is one industry that tries to discourage the DIYer.
Tell people about your project
Everybody was asking me about my basement and it kept me motivated. If you don't push through it you will never finish it.
Best part of all...
I completed almost all of my work before the big federal announcement about the Home Renovation Tax Credit. That means I just missed out on a $1350 tax refund. This is good year to do any home renovations. I might just redo one of my bathrooms... don't hold your breath for another blog. This one was enough.
Final Cost
I have two followers to this blog and one of them would like to see my final costs. I'm sorry for being so lazy but I've finally put together a detailed cost breakdown by phase.
Permits $248.00
Delivery $67.80
Framing $532.58
Electrical $430.48
Hvac $70.07
Insulation $333.92
Drywall $323.46
Drywall taping, mudding & sanding $750.00
Door $80.99
Ceiling $747.67
Finish $367.27
Carpet $1724.83
Installation of carpet $471.00
Extra $112.56
Plumber to fix cracked pipe $133.98
Tools $414.39
Grand Total $6,809.00
If you take away the extras and tools it was $6148.07
My initial estimate was $3,755.60 but keep in mind I did not include estimate for permits and drywall labour. That means my initial estimate was off by $1,394.47. Why? Here's a few reasons:
Electrical was off by $300
All the extra network cable and outlets were very expensive. But I'm a geek and I'm happy I have lots of places to plug in for a hardwire. That was the big overage.
Bought 6 extra lights
Worth it. They lights actually heat the room a little and bring it up by about 5 degrees when it's cold. Plus the extra six made it easier to space them out.
Bought a fancy dimmer switch
It was hard to find a 1000 watt rated dimmer switch. I found mine while travelling to Syracuse. Turned out to be $55.52CDN.
Bought more expensive ceiling tiles
I like them though.
My accountant tracked everything fastidiously and I am making by full cost breakdown available in xls format. Dave's Basement Reno.xls
I do hope to post pics with the room decorated but I've been having trouble getting it done. I've had difficulties buying furniture and I still have to accessorize. Hope this helps others.
Permits $248.00
Delivery $67.80
Framing $532.58
Electrical $430.48
Hvac $70.07
Insulation $333.92
Drywall $323.46
Drywall taping, mudding & sanding $750.00
Door $80.99
Ceiling $747.67
Finish $367.27
Carpet $1724.83
Installation of carpet $471.00
Extra $112.56
Plumber to fix cracked pipe $133.98
Tools $414.39
Grand Total $6,809.00
If you take away the extras and tools it was $6148.07
My initial estimate was $3,755.60 but keep in mind I did not include estimate for permits and drywall labour. That means my initial estimate was off by $1,394.47. Why? Here's a few reasons:
Electrical was off by $300
All the extra network cable and outlets were very expensive. But I'm a geek and I'm happy I have lots of places to plug in for a hardwire. That was the big overage.
Bought 6 extra lights
Worth it. They lights actually heat the room a little and bring it up by about 5 degrees when it's cold. Plus the extra six made it easier to space them out.
Bought a fancy dimmer switch
It was hard to find a 1000 watt rated dimmer switch. I found mine while travelling to Syracuse. Turned out to be $55.52CDN.
Bought more expensive ceiling tiles
I like them though.
My accountant tracked everything fastidiously and I am making by full cost breakdown available in xls format. Dave's Basement Reno.xls
I do hope to post pics with the room decorated but I've been having trouble getting it done. I've had difficulties buying furniture and I still have to accessorize. Hope this helps others.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Construction is done
On Tuesday and Wednesday of this past week I had my carpet installed in both the basement and my entire 2nd floor. And on Thursday I had my final building inspection and final electrical inspections. Both inspections went perfectly and I passed both.
THAT MEANS I'M DONE!
I'm working on furnishing the room and will some post some pics once everything is in place. So far I have my big TV down there and I bought a Lazy Boy reclining leather sofa. I'm also going to post some final numbers to give you an idea how much it really costs and I will include some final thoughts.
Here are the before and after pictures and videos.
Before
After
Before
After
Before
After
Before
After
Before
After
Before
After
And here are some extra pictures showing my quality work.
THAT MEANS I'M DONE!
I'm working on furnishing the room and will some post some pics once everything is in place. So far I have my big TV down there and I bought a Lazy Boy reclining leather sofa. I'm also going to post some final numbers to give you an idea how much it really costs and I will include some final thoughts.
Here are the before and after pictures and videos.
Before
After
Before
After
Before
After
Before
After
Before
After
Before
After
And here are some extra pictures showing my quality work.
Friday, February 13, 2009
Quick post
I haven't updated the blog in a couple of weeks because I'm waiting for carpet to be installed. The good news is carpet is going in Tuesday and Wednesday next week. It will take 2 days because I'm having the upstairs re-carpeted as well. I'm home next week so I will also have my final electrical and final building inspections too.
- patch concrete small floor cracks (not really necessary but I might as well do it while it's open)
- touch up paint in new rec room
- have carpet installed
- final electrical inspection
- final building inspection
In the next set of pictures the basement will be done.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Ceiling and Lights
Tonight I finished the ceiling and lights. It was pretty rewarding because I was the last big phase of this project other than carpet.
The room is looking good.
Here's what I have left to do:
The room is looking good.
Here's what I have left to do:
- paint one more coat on baseboards
- paint one more coat in hallway
- paint doors
- touch up paint in new rec room
- buy and install warm air vent
- install coax and cat outlets
- trim window and paint it
- have carpet installed
- install door hardware
I can't believe it's almost done. I can call to have the final electrical inspection now. After everything else is done I'll get the final building inspection. I will have some more posts when things are done. I'm going to post a summary of costs and a good lessons learned list.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Ceiling hardware is up
Monday night and Tuesday night I put up all the suspended ceiling hardware. It was kind of fun because it really wasn't that tough. And it looks good. Tomorrow night I should be able to get the ceiling up and the lights in. Tomorrow's pictures will hopefully feature a finished ceiling lighting a crappy concrete floor.
FYI I had picked out the carpet last week and I'm called in the order on Sunday. Now I'm just waiting for the installers to measure the room and schedule installation. I would to get it in on Friday.
FYI I had picked out the carpet last week and I'm called in the order on Sunday. Now I'm just waiting for the installers to measure the room and schedule installation. I would to get it in on Friday.
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