basement finishers? (Chicago: college, live, price)

[CQ52]

Originally Posted by mackenzy

Hi - I'm another in Joliet that is in sore need of basement finishing help. I've had Owens Corning and Euro-Tech out to quote a price on my 400sqft basement and they both came back at over $55 a square foot. This feels like a ridiculous price to pay when you consider that Im not getting a bathroom out of this, and it will ultimately be one big room.

Am I crazy or is this price reasonable? Im to the point where I'm willing to consider drywall....

I was interested in basement remodeling but I know I do not want to do drywall for I have seen three basements that had a slight flood which required removal of the dry wall and replacement. When we removed the drywall there was all this nasty mold behind the wall. Obviously to me it did not just happen with the flood. Two were relatives and one a friend. None of them smelled funny before but the mold had to be in the air, so I knew I did not want to do this. You mentioned the Owens Corning system as being very expensive but from what I understand they are the only system that will not allow mold to form. Have you found something else that does the same thing? I to am interested in saving money but when it comes to something permenent in the home I want to do it right.

SO did you ever finish your basement? How did you have it done and what was the cost? ANd is $55 per sq really to expensive?

[CQ52]

In the Oswego, western suburbs, is there anyone who has had their basement remodeled that addresses the Mold problem? When you do a basement is it not a good idea to have something that will survive a small flood without damage? I have seen a quote for drywall of $32 per sq but I figure the mold and one flood would make this much more expensive....course perhaps I can finish the basement cheap and sell the house....suppose the new owner would not realize the risk and be happy to pay me more for my house than the cost of doing the finishing....no I can not do anything that is not right in my home....I might be unlucky and keep my mistakes and live with them!!! LOL

[CQ52]

SO is anyone considering the fact that in a basement the concrete always expires moisture? If you cover it up with drywall and plastic (one mans answer is to put a vapor barier on the wall first) BUt where does that moisture go? I to would like a less expensive way than the Pink People but who has a way to address the mold issue? I had thought of having the Pink do just the exterior walls and I do the rest. Anyone do that? Does anyone have an answer to mold and moisture problem as I mentioned? 3 out of 3 basements that I helped demo because of flooding (one after 7 years from install another 10 and another 3) all had mold behind the walls. I am scared to have people in a basement with mold growing. Perhaps Dad was right.....just paint the walls, put in a drop ceiling and call it a day! He did put up one wall but not on the concrete, just a wall for his workshop and keep us kids out. With only two floods in 12 years we never had a problem because we had nothing on the concrete except paint. The interior wall was painted wood, not drywall, so it survived fine from a day in the water.

[ToriaT]

I hired a carpenter and created a semi finished basement for around 4,000. I didn't want to put a lot of money in it at the time and just needed a place for a TV and stuff for my teenage son. Here's what I did. I started from a concrete no frills basement.
1. Had the stairs boxed in with dry wall and created a closet behind the stairs.
2. Hired a painter and had him paint the concrete wall white with "basement" paint. Put colorful posters on the wall.
3. Left the ceiling unfinished. (Just rafters for now)
4. Installed vinyl tile on the floor.
5. Erected a wall (dry wall) to wall off the recreation part of the basement and to form a "furnance-laundry room area". This is to partition these areas away from the nicer part of the basement.
6. Had a dark brown tweed commercial carpeting installed on the stairs only.
7. Painted all the dry wall walls, three doors installed. Two to the laundry room, one to the under stair closet.
8. Bought a large polypropelene rug (an area rug) because basements are leaky and damp and mold growth is dangerous and unhealthy. I am very against wall to wall carpeting in the basement. Synthetic rugs inhibit mold growth and can be removed for cleaning.
9. Furnished the basement with tubular black metal furniture, the couch is a futon, a desk and an entertainment center can all stand up to water leaks.
10. Put an elfa shelf system on the wall to hold all my books.
I've had a few basements and eventually they all leak water. I'm done with putting anything good down there so everything is up on off the floor or metal.

This was inexpensive and can serve as a play room, hobby center or teen hangout. I also have a refrig and snack bar counter down there. Its fine for what it is and if I wanted to upgrade it with walls and ceiling it would be easy to do. I didn't sweat it when a puddle formed in the recent rains I just wet vac 'ed it up. I spray areas after the storm with Lysol spray to inhibit mold growth. The one thing I have learned is not to put wall to wall carpeting in a basement.

[ToriaT]

" Perhaps Dad was right.....just paint the walls, put in a drop ceiling and call it a day! "

Yes Dad was soooo right. After owning three houses and having each one leak or flood, and knowing its unpleasant being in a basement and not wanting to spend a lot of time there, I basically took a similar approach.

[Rockwell1]

some ideas/suggestions/info

If you are are worried about mold you can use steel studs, use paperless drywall, and a styrofoam insulation. With that system you will still need to open the walls to dry everything out. But mold will not grow on the material. After that of course you will still need to patch and paint. With the paperless drywall you need to use a high build primer or 2-3 coats of a good primer which will does raise the cost some.

You can also have a backup sub pump installed with a battery backup system to prevent issues with sub pump failure. If you are on city sewer you may want to have something put in to prevent anything from come up from that direction. Also, check your furnaces drain lines because they can get clogged and cause flooding.

I didn't see a mention of how large an area you are looking to finish in sq. ft. Also, if you are going to pull a permit or not will affect the price, ultimately the home owner is responsible for permits. In some areas if you finish a portion of your basement, by code, you have to add a fire escape window if there isn't one there already and that can raise the price a lot. There may be more code related expenses involved with pulling a permit, like hardwired smoked/CO2 detectors. But that can prevent any issues if you sell your homes or have a problem, like a fire, that requires insurance pay outs.

Most basements cost between $20-60 per square foot. If you do not have any above grade windows in your basement you will get a low return finishing your basement. Typically, it would only add 10-15k in value for a really nice job done in a large amount of square footage.

I would suggest using a drop ceiling in any area that you may need access to your mechanical (plumbing, electrical, HVAC).

Make sure you basement is insulated with atleast R-13 and that you have a good HVAC job to keep the area at a comfortable temperature.

Good luck with your project.

[thomaszink]

Originally Posted by giazma

Anyone have anyone they know in the joliet/plainfield area that finishes basements for a good price?

I can help you out I am an electrician w/ 14 years experience and I live in Plainfield . I have framed also so all you would need is a dry wall guy. Ill give you a good price call me 630-661-9008 my name is Tom ,Thanks

[thomaszink]

I can help you with it. I'm an electrician w/ 14 years exp. I have also done some framing and Know all the tricks of the trade call me 630-661-9008 Tom

[painter10]

for great house painting prices call Joes Affordable Painting who paints 2 rooms materials labor everything for $350

[painter10]

Joe at Joes Affordable painting is 815 530-0540