This article provides a comprehensive guide on how to finish a basement, covering the process from start to finish, from walls to flooring. The project can increase the value of your home and provide additional living space for your family. Before starting, it is essential to understand the key factors that will impact your basement’s functionality, comfort, and long-term durability.
The guide covers 10 steps to finish your basement, including finding inspiration, designing and planning your space, obtaining permits, and adding finishing details. Step 1 involves determining what you feel comfortable doing yourself in the renovation and what might require a contractor. Finishing a basement requires skill in carpentry, electrical wiring, plumbing, insulation, and more.
To finish your basement, follow these steps: Evaluate your space, choose beams and columns, waterproof your basement, and develop a floor plan. Measure your basement area and draw out your basement walls on graph paper. To avoid common mistakes, follow these steps to get the most out of a basement makeover.
A DIY basement renovation is cost-effective, rewarding, and fun. Follow these steps to finish your basement walls, including insulation, framing, selecting paint and finishing touches, and choosing materials and finishes. Home Designer software can be used to help create a great finished basement.
In conclusion, this article offers tips and ideas for those considering remodeling or finishing their basement to ensure a smooth project.
📹 Incredible DIY Basement Renovation Time Lapse (I saved $30,000 by doing EVERYTHING myself!)
This DIY Basement Renovation Time Lapse shows the entire process of renovating a basement from start to finish. This basement …
How do I budget my basement to remodel?
HomeAdvisor reports that the average cost of renovating a basement is $30 to $75 per square foot, depending on the materials used, the basement’s square footage, and if it’s a DIY project. To make your basement livable on a budget, consider implementing smaller DIY projects like improving a part, painting the ceiling and walls, incorporating an accent wall or ceiling, adding new lighting, including storage options, customizing the staircase, and getting creative with flooring. Break up open areas with furniture or dividers, add functional spaces, ensure ample seating, and decorate the space.
What is the cheapest way to put up walls in a basement?
In summary, there are various affordable basement wall panels available to enhance the aesthetic appeal and functionality of your basement. These panels can be made from various materials such as brick, stone, wood, rigid foam sheets, decorative panels, flat panels, board and batten, drywall, and wahoo walls. These panels should not only match your style but also withstand moisture-prone areas. Choosing the right panel for your basement is crucial, as it should complement your decor and be easy on your wallet. By incorporating these inexpensive options, you can make your basement more family-friendly and stylish, making it a more enjoyable and cost-effective way to decorate your living space.
What is the best free software to design a basement?
Planner 5D is a free online tool that allows users to create 2D or 3D models of their basements. It features a user-friendly interface, allowing easy drag and drop of walls, doors, windows, and furniture. Users can experiment with different colors and finishes to see their final design. The tool offers a basic version and paid upgrades. To design your basement, it is essential to accurately measure the space, consider its purpose, maximize natural light, and choose durable, moisture-resistant finishes.
Can I remodel my basement by myself?
DIY basement finishing is a cost-effective option, but it requires advanced experience to work around obstructions like heating ducts, water pipes, plumbing drains, gas lines, and electrical wires. It may be better to hire a professional design-build company for the project unless you are certain of your skill level. However, a DIY basement finishing guide can guide you through the process from start to finish, from cleaning the basement to installing the finishing materials.
The guide covers cleaning, conducting a moisture test, applying for a permit, choosing the right materials, and collecting tools. By following these steps, you can transform your basement into a new, appealing space that you’ll enjoy spending time in.
Can I turn my basement into a bedroom?
To qualify as a basement bedroom, it should have 70 square feet of floor space, 7-foot tall ceilings, and meet local building codes. It should also have heating and ventilation, a closet, and finished features. The layout of the basement is crucial for a simple and pain-free remodel. Placing the bedroom in a location that meets building code requirements and maximizes light is ideal.
Building and furnishing costs can be high, so it’s essential to manage them ahead of time. A basement bedroom only adds around 70 percent of the value of an above-ground bedroom, so many people opt for low to mid-range finishes to save money. Overall, a well-planned basement bedroom renovation can make a significant difference in the overall value of your home.
What is the best flooring for a basement cement floor?
Sheet vinyl is a fiberglass, cushion-backed flooring material available in various styles. It is suitable for basement remodeling or renovations due to the challenges of basements being slabs of concrete on grade, which can introduce moisture. Concrete slabs can be cost-effective but porous and can wick moisture from the soil beneath. Therefore, selecting the most appropriate flooring is critical for the success of your basement remodel.
The best flooring options for your basement include ceramic or porcelain tile, luxury vinyl plank (LVP), engineered wood, concrete, and laminate. Compare quotes from top-rated local flooring contractors for the best options.
What is the cheapest basement foundation?
Concrete slab foundations, typically 4-6 inches thick, are a cost-effective and viable option for construction on level ground or minimal slopes. They are the most economical of the house foundation types, with costs ranging from $4, 500 to $21, 000. Additionally, they exhibit resistance to termites and other insects.
Do I need planning permission to convert my basement?
Converting an existing basement or cellar into living space typically doesn’t require planning permission if the extension is less than 70 cubic metres. However, permission may be required if the conversion will change the house’s external appearance, such as adding windows or a light well. If you have a listed building or live in a conservation area, permission may be required even if the property’s external appearance isn’t altered. If you’re unsure if permission is needed, contact your local council’s planning department for advice.
Building regulations, such as ventilation, ceiling heights, damp-proofing, electricity and water supplies, and fire escape routes, may also be required. If the basement adjoins a neighboring property, an agreement under the Party Wall Act may be necessary. An experienced London basement company can advise on the project requirements and handle the details.
What is the most expensive part of finishing a basement?
The most expensive elements of a basement renovation are lumber for framing, insulation, drywall, and flooring.
How deep can you build a basement in the UK?
To create a high-ceiling basement in London, dig deep (4M-4. 5M) and install light wells and roof lights. This creates an incredible space that feels just as good or better than the upstairs accommodation. Basement conversions can result in various rooms and types of accommodation, such as a cinema room, kids playroom, games room, wine cellar, cigar room, gym, sauna, swimming pool, spa, massage room, sanctuary, nanny flats, bar, nightclub dance floor, bowling alley, recording studio, and luxury car park.
📹 Thinking About Finishing Your Basement? Watch This First!
Today we’re discussing one of the biggest subjects out there: BASEMENTS! If you’ve started a basement renovation, or are …
A possible suggestion for future time lapse articles would be to voiceover your commentary instead of typing it, and maybe slow down the speed of the clips. Maybe I’m just a slow reader, but I kept having to pause the article to read the caption before it jumped to a different clip, and I didn’t want to miss anything. The basement looked phenomenal when finished, Overall 10/10 great work and article!
Great work, man. Looks terrific. For anyone else doing this work, I would personally put down roofing felt on the concrete before the LVP. I know most of your LVP claims to have a built in moisture barrier, but I still think another one isn’t a bad idea. Sooooo much moisture will be coming out of that slab on grade that a dedicated barrier will help in my humble opinion.
Not a fan of basement renovation unless I know water isn’t coming in in the future. I used to install basement systems for water remediation. And have torn alot of these wonderfully built sculpted basements apart just to solve water issues. So a tip is to make sure exterior grading is perfect for water remediation and even having one inside before making these wonderful upgrades. You did such a wonderful project thumbs up to to the result.
It turned out great. How long start to finish? I did nine about 3 years back. Total cost roughly 10k lowest quote I had was 60k. Took 6+ months and a lot of YouTube University to learn how to build. Maybe a good series is a how to but start at step one. I found most people start at step 3 and expect you to have some knowledge of what you are tying to do.
Well done, I did the same thing in my basement. Some of the things that I noticed when I did mine is the tuck tape eventually loses its stickiness and comes off in places, so I ended up putting three layers of tape just for the extra protection. I also used foam gasket under the pressure treated to keep it away from the concrete.
As a guy who’s never had any interest in doing this sort of work I have also admired and respected those who do. This is absolutely mind-blowing, Andrew. That there are guys like you with skill like this is just so damn righteous. What an amazing transformation this was. I couldn’t wait for the finished product, and you delivered and then some. Be proud my man, be very proud. 💪
Looks awesome. Only thing I would have done first instead having experienced this is making absolutely sure the basement was water proofed. Our last house had a finished basement but with heavy rain we had water issues and had to rip a lot out and have drain tile installed and subtle foundation cracks repaired. We were able to get it put back together and have had zero issues since, but when we finish the basement in the new house I’m definitely doing the waterproofing part first
My husband and I have a basement just like your “before” basement. Concrete block walls, concrete floors, etc. We purchased our house with the intention/hope of being able to finish our basement into a gaming area and add more living space—and resale value—to our home. Honestly, the idea of trying to do it all ourselves terrifies us, but we’re either too brave or too dumb to listen to the fear so we decided that we’re going for it either way. Your article has provided not only a good example and inspiration, but also the reassurance that all of our ideas that we have in mind are actually possible. Thank you so much for sharing your experience with us. ❤
Always waterproof your basement before finishing it out. Once the reno is done, any interior Waterproofing requires the destruction of all this work. 2nd, DONT GLUE THE WALL INSULATION TO THE BLOCK WALL! Any hydrostatic pressure will undo that glue and you will lose all seal and insulation. Use siliconed concrete screws with washers.
this was an amazing article and honestly I don’t understand why I couldn’t catch on any other article especially with you moving the way you did !! it looks simple, but I know it’s not always putting water in a bucket lmao it takes time and practice !! for the tv and fireplace, when you drilled the hole in the “concrete” wall the plug fit through it ? And the electrical box was just on the backside of the wall, correct ? I like how the wires were hidden and not exposed being i have 3 toddlers ! great article my man amazing, work ethic 🙏🏼
As a young general contractor I gotta say that I was very impressed by this…. Man labor does cost a lot as well as permits/inspections etc etc Aside from that I generally prefer working by myself… the job itself isn’t hard but working with others with experience often delays production since you have like that one guy that say “no that’s wrong, this is how you do it” and another guy that says “no you’re wrong this is how you do it” The days of finishing on time is all but gone in construction as a whole but there are still some that can complete everything in a timely manner since they got peeps that don’t care and understand that most things have multiple solutions 🍺🍀
The only thing that made me cringe was doing the steps first. I’m in the middle of doing a MAJOR whole home rehab for a friend, and they’re getting stained stair treads going down to the basement, and I plan to to that very near the end of the project, so the treads don’t get damaged by everyone going up and down the stairs. Can’t argue with the results tho! Excellent work!
As someone who just bought a home with a dungeon basement, and zero construction skills, all I can do is dream of a day when I can afford to have someone do this for me. That said I’m impressed and happy for you that you can enjoy your talent and craftsmanship. Hope you’ve been enjoying your new living space and thanks for this article!
God love me a full finished basement u gets ALL THUMBS UP FROM ME AND 10000% AWESOME JOB!! IAM FROM ST LOUIS AND I AM SAVING ON BUYING ME A NICE HOUSE WITH A BIG EMPTY BASEMENT AND I WANT IT TO BE FIX UP JUST LIKE THAT. NOT TO BE PERSONAL BUT HOW MUCH A JOB LIKE THAT WILL COST INCLUDING ALL THE MATERIAL? JUST ASKING BUT Good JOB THOUGH.
Looks great, good call running 12/2 to the receptacles. Will be able to power a lot more appliance. If you’re holes for the wires are in the center of the stud, no nail plates are typically needed if you’re using regular sized drywall screws. If you have to drill in a funky spot and are very close to the edge of the stud, the nail plate will be needed (1 1/4″ from the edge)
Why is everyone on YouTube website for building a new computer and house shed workshop and fixing repairs and cleaning 🧹 articles always annoying fast forwarding and loud annoying music articles? And nothing but a hour long “advertisement”for a cleaning and house car computer repairs lawn mowing business 💔😭😡😠😤
Dude this is amazing work, I have a pretty similar basement to what you started with, but my basement has drains in the perimeter of the walls, they are like little metal holes in the bottom of the wall, going all around the perimeter. And in the other unfinished room there is just a gap between the concrete and the wall, some of it has this black guard looking thing around the perimeter of the bottom. I’ve only had this house for about 3 years. Have any idea what it is? Or if I would be able to do this? Is it drains?
Stop putting TVs above fireplace! In the long term it will be bad for your neck trust me (I took me several months to realize why my neck hurt so much during school/work. Requirements: 1. You will have to sit really far away from the TV to avoid neck strain which means you will probably not have space to put speakers behind you for extra immersion. 2. You will need to buy a bigger screen size to see details in the image because of how for you are.
Hi Andrew, congratulations on seeing such a fantastic project through to completion! Really appreciate your articles and website. Looking to do the same with my basement, so a question if I may… how did you find such low rates for waterproofing your basement and roughing in the basement bathroom? I’ve gotten a few quotes for ~98 linear feet of basement waterproofing (interior french drain) for where I live (Pennsylvania), and those rates are 4-4.5x higher than the rates you mentioned in your ebook. Perhaps prices have just gone up over the last few years? I’d appreciate your thoughts, if you have time. Thanks again so much for the articles!
IDK where you’re located or the layout of the house so I’m not sure if you really saved 30K. a man cave basement isn’t much of a plus for many houses. Don’t be a boomer and spend alot of money on things no one is going to want, the last renovation on the house i live in was in 1979 – early 80s when the previous owners bought it. still haven’t finished the reno, trying to fix all of their mistakes. Popcorn ceilings and peeling latex paint up and down the hallway, plus every room minus the kitchen/laundry/bathrooms had 40 year old never washed carper. Pretty annoyed they weren’t more upfront, could have gotten everything done for 4 grand by hiring a crew before moving stuff in (shy of 3K Sqft, vaulted ceilings). I wished I had a basement for storage, the sub basement is going to be too expensive to dig out and convert. On the flip side here i got more space than some people. Someone bought a shotgun shack lot and build a new 3b2b on a concrete slab. Didn’t bother to build a basement/sunken garage before setting the slab. barely any space to park, what’s left of the lot is at an angle slop towards the road with no space to (legally according to zoning) build a shed and their asking 180K. In comparison this part of the state, you can get older houses for under 100K or empty lots for 30K or less. Like my friend bought one half of a duplex for 59K, weird parking situation. big empty corner lot next to it, half sold for 6K before my friend bought the house. if they could merge, better options.
Good Morning Andrew, Good article, three things I would very much like to know… You showed us all this in just under 13 minutes… what was it in real time… a/ did you keep track or your actual hours ? ( I assume you did not do this full time straight through ) b/ over what period of time did this get done ? c/ What is the square footage of what was done in THIS article? You state that you saved $ 30,000, how did you come to that figure ? ( Not challenging it, just wondering ) Was it a figure that general basement companies charge ? Was it worked out on how many hours YOU spent do this ? Times what rate ? $$ per hr ? etc etc etc Thanks Bob
I don’t have a basement, but I turned my third floor attic into a loft and bedroom space. Finishing off the attic was similar but much simpler than finishing off a basement because there was no waterproofing needed and was easier to drywall. Also the roof already had insulation, attic trusses, stairwell, and subfloor. Having a outside door to the basement would make it much easier to remove stuff and bring in construction materials. When building a house, ask the builder to use attic trusses and put in a stairwell and subfloor to you can finish it off later. It’s a cheap way to add a significant amount of square footage.
Wow what a transformation! I was a little worried when you said you were doing drop down ceiling, I thought it was going to look like an office building or a middle school from the 2000s but it turned out great. Also do you always hand your drywall then cut out holes for windows, outlets, switches etc? Just asking because I’ve always cut them out first so I make sure I dont lose track of them
I refinished my basement last year. I appreciate the fact that you would have outsourced the drywall. It most definitely is an art but if you take your time, you can avoid a LOT of sanding. It was all new to me, but the challenge was welcome. Nice work, man! I used the same exact flooring. Did you have any problems with uneven subfloor?
This is amazing and extremely inspirational! You gave us footage from start to finish! As a content creator myself, just wanted to give you props for setting that camera up on the days you just wanted to do the work. That dedication is an amazing end result! There are some small projects around my house I want to do, and this article shows me, that it is more than possible with patience, preparation, and the right tools and methods!
This is amazing and extremely inspirational! You gave us footage from start to finish! As a content creator myself, just wanted to give you props for setting that camera up on the days you just wanted to do the work. That dedication is an amazing end result! There are some small projects around my house I want to do, and this article shows me, that it is more than possible with patience, preparation, and the right tools and methods! 🙏🏾
Wicked article. Im hesitant to do drop down ceiling as my basement is only 7 feet tall. At 6’5 I wanted to leave as much space as possible, however the trade off with the simplicity of the lighting, and design seems to be a better trade off. Will definitely use this article during my development! Thanks!
Nice but I see a few issues. 1. Never put wood directly against concrete, especially non PT. It will wick moisture over time. This is a very common mistake. You should have put a thin foam insulator between the two. 2. You didn’t have enough R value in the walls. You should have added batt insulation and then a vapour barrier for a warmer drier quieter mould free basement. 3. You should have had a moisture resistant foam underlayment under the click flooring to separate the concrete from the flooring and to provide a more comfortable cushion like floor. 4. No stair banister? No 3-way switch in the stairs? This doesn’t meet code. 5. I would have enlarged the basement window for emergency egress, more light and modern look. And added a push out safety window.
Great article, though a little TOO fast. I slowed it to 1/2 speed so I could read the captions. But very good. One tip that, for some reason no one ever does now is, when you’re sanding the mud on the dry wall, try using a wet-sanding method. There are special sanding blocks that are available at most hardware stores and they are like a sponge wrapped in sandpaper. What you do is wet it down (using a bucket of water) and just wipe. The moisture softens the dried mud just enough to take off any excess mud effectively. It’s much easier than regular sanding and the big advantage is no dust. The final round (there’s usually only two with wet-sanding) can be done using traditional methods. Try it some time, maybe on a small project. Pros don’t do it because they have all sorts of sanding machines but.. yeah. Especially when drywalling in your own house, keeping the dust down is so helpful.
You should’ve opened up the windows to be bigger like putting an egress window for at least 1 and just made the other bigger to bring natural light in. It’ll bring up your home’s value up if you have an egress window in the basement because the square footage would be part of the overall sq ft of your house. You the brick exposed and I’m sure after perusal this article, you’d be able to tackle that on your own. Over all it looks amazing. Great job.
Two mistakes I saw that made no sense to me. Your built a bullnosed stair treat for the stairs. Why not buy it already made. Then it is a single piece of wood with no need to nail a second piece to the first. This makes it structurally more sound. BTW you could have also used the same material for the window sill, again reducing work load. The second mistake was it appeared you directly mounted your duct cover to the duct. This is a bad idea as it creates leakage points in the ductwork reducing the efficiency of your HVAC system. You should have build a small frame around the duct, put in a layer of insulation around the duct work and then built your enclosure on the frame.
Looks mint, I’ll be honest. I have no experience in home improvement aside from putting up some drywall and that was years ago. I’m looking for a new to me house and these prices are ridiculous right now. Hoping one day I can be 1/10th of the diyer you are so I can save a ton of money not contracting jobs. Not having to rely on others to do your projects for you would be so nice. I just need my own space again and hopefully I can get there.
I hope you’re water table isn’t an issue. I used to work for a basement waterproofing company in Maine and you wouldn’t believe how many people either put this much work and care or that $30k into their basements without considering that almost all basements will eventually leak and have to rip it all back out.
Aesthetically, it looks great. Your work ethic and demonstration of skill were enjoyable to watch. I just think the basement is the wrong place to do so. Mother nature will have an effect on that foundation which is now out of sight. Necessary repairs of bowing walls and moisture encroachment will now be delayed and much more labor intensive. You’ll probably not even be in that house by the time this occurs; but it will nonetheless.
I like everything except for the fact that you put foam insulation on the exterior walls 1:00 but not on the floor 7:42 …you installed the lvp flooring directly on the cement, some sort of underlayment would be nice. Underlayment can help with a wide variety of issues, such as sound control in a cement floor application or cold floors in a basement for example like yours
My suggestion would have been to do the staircase last. These way you’re not ruining or damaging the new stairs with all the tools and products new and old damaging the new stairs. Just my suggestion but otherwise, awesome work! If that was a rental, you’d get an easy $1500 a month out of it and get a complete return on the cost in probably a few short months.