DIY guys get in here. finishing basement and garage.

[sniper7]

what about the man cave and the walk in safe

Nah...this house will end up a rental, I'll save that for the next one

[sniper7]

Where to begin, hopefully your water heater, furnace and sump pump are all close together that way you can frame 1 room around all of them and mame that a mechanical room. There is no such thing as a floated concreat slab, as it is not a part of the foundation, it is poured after the walls and right on top of dirt. I don't like the idea of hardwood on a concrete slab because if the concrete heaves at all your hosed, I would just do carpet everywhere except the mech. room. I did a drop tile ceiling so that way you still have access to everything that is up there, it look good and is not that much more than drywall. I hope some of this helps, I just did mine and love it( the basement) I framed houses for 10 years and did it all myself. If your not far from me I could come over a give you some pointers.

the water heater and furnace are right next to each other but on one end of the basement smac dad in the middle. The sump pump is in the corner but close to them. I was thinking a storage room and a little closet for the sump pump and the the mechanical room for the furnace and water heater.
Yeah I hear what you are saying on the cement and one reason that I question the hardwood.

[Great-Kazoo]

Where to begin, hopefully your water heater, furnace and sump pump are all close together that way you can frame 1 room around all of them and mame that a mechanical room. There is no such thing as a floated concreat slab, as it is not a part of the foundation, it is poured after the walls and right on top of dirt. I don't like the idea of hardwood on a concrete slab because if the concrete heaves at all your hosed, I would just do carpet everywhere except the mech. room. I did a drop tile ceiling so that way you still have access to everything that is up there, it look good and is not that much more than drywall. I hope some of this helps, I just did mine and love it( the basement) I framed houses for 10 years and did it all myself. If your not far from me I could come over a give you some pointers.

This

Use Steel Studs. Floating walls. Easier to move around if you decide during the build that part of your layout isn't working as you thought.

Steel doesn't rot or mold, since it's a basement and potential for leaks from above or perimeter drains.

As noted by Def90, blue tape the areas and see what you like.

My 2 cents.

And this. The only thing i would do instead of carpet would be a laminate floor. Solid / real wood flooring has minimal if any give, carpet is a nice insulator. However with either, seeing how you have a sump pump [which never fail} you can have mold issues if a water leak or flooding occur. The laminate is a litte hardier AND very easy to replace IF yo uhad flooding or movement in the concrete.

[gnihcraes]

Permit: I hate going that route, but you almost have to anymore. I had issues proving to insurance that my work was done to code, without proving permits were pulled and work checked by inspectors. Sometimes you cannot even sell a house anymore without proving the additional work was done with permits.

[twitchyfinger]

Permit: I hate going that route, but you almost have to anymore. I had issues proving to insurance that my work was done to code, without proving permits were pulled and work checked by inspectors. Sometimes you cannot even sell a house anymore without proving the additional work was done with permits.

Exactly!

How much is a permit and why is it required?

Cost depends on the expected value or cost of the job. In my case I bartered for the Frame work, drywall, insulation but paid $4k for the electrical. When I applied for my permit I claimed the cost or value of the job concervatively at $15k as it was about the value in goods that I did the barter with. The permit cost me about $500 and they give you plenty of time to complete.

Where I think it's a good idea is when you go to sell you have proof that everything was done to code. I had a big problem with my last house when selling it because when I bought it it only had electric baseboard heat and a wood stove. I had natural gas installed to the house and then bought a natural gas faux wood stove from the local dealer in Conifer who had a list of licensed installers to have it installed. After choosing one and having it installed I never knew or thought to get a permit from the county yo have the work done and the installer also never said anything about it either. When I went to sell the house the people interested in buying once we were under contract asked about any work that I had done to the house and if I had permits for the work. The gas stove that I had installed didn't have a permit fir the work done so I was required to have the stove and the work inspected and then had to pay to get it approved anyway. So I ended up paying a lot more in the end by not having a permit to have the work done in the first place!

A permit is also a huge plus for me this time because each step is being inspected by someone qualified to make sure my hired contractors are doing the job right, not cutting corners and using quality materials. Have a series of five inspections to get passed the first was electrical rough in, the second is framing inspection (free floating walls were required on anything not load bearing which I thought was overkill for being on top a granite mountain and not prone to frost heave), then there's an insulation inspection, drywall inspection, texture and paint are required before final electrical, and then a final inspection.

This basement finish is half the size of my house and a big job. Been at it for a month and a half already. The hardest part is getting contractors to show up when they are suppose to lol! Due to past experiences I don't think I will ever have another job done unless its permitted but laws are also different in different states and even counties. The kids I have doing drywall is from Alaska where no one does permits for anything ha ha!

[jslo]

Permit costs vary widely depending on jurisdiction. Some want total valuation while others don't include some "replacement" items. A permit for a basement finish in Denver might cost $500 but the same finish in Greenwood Village or Littleton would be $2000. Most all have permit fee schedules on their websites but be prepared to freshen up on your math.

[sniper7]

Thanks guys I'll check up on the permit. I am not sure if I care about the permit though as it is a bs cost to the .gov and I plan on keeping the house and renting it out. I will definitely check into it, but I am a cheap bastard and absolutely hate paying bs fees to the government.

I going to call in some people to just see what they would charge for the whole thing although I believe I can do most of it myself th the help of family and friends.
As to
the sump pump issue i will be installing a backup emergency pump that is connected to a deep cycle marine battery and a solar trickle charger.

[jslo]

Neighbors are the #1 culprit to turn you in. If you get along with them you should be good.

[gnihcraes]

A permit is also a huge plus for me this time because each step is being inspected by someone qualified to make sure my hired contractors are doing the job right,

but laws are also different in different states and even counties. The kids I have doing drywall is from Alaska where no one does permits for anything ha ha!

I'm not convinced of the "being inspected by someone qualified" part, there are schools now to just become an inspector, not knowing anything about actually doing the work. Opinions differed from inspector to inspector when doing my work. One would say "why did he approve that?" or "ok, not sure why he had you do it that way.." One inspector was not more than 20 years old, and didn't seem like he knew very much.

Most cities and counties are going by the international building code now, so most things are similar builds now. (electric, hvac, plumb)

It is a challenge to get through the process sometimes.

[twitchyfinger]

Totally understandable Sniper7 and yeah I'm a cheap bastard too! The assessed value I claimed for my permit is less than half of what it should be compared to the usual industry standards. I was able to get it down that low due to bartering for services and materials. Some of the materials I am also providing myself. Figure out a budget and how much you plan to do yourself. The cost of your basement finishing project can vary depending on the finishes that are chosen and the amount of space to be finished. Industry standards state that the average cost to finish a basement is $30 per square foot but that price also varies greatly depending on location and how much you are willing to do yourself. The price per square foot would cost much more in lets say New York or Hawaii!

Here are a couple of other examples for project comparison that shows how this benchmark also may or may not hold true:s

Project A: 750 Square Foot Basement with Basic Finishes
Assume that Project A is a Denver basement finish that consists of finishing 750 square feet of space, including 1 bedroom and 1/2 bathroom. The finishes chosen are basic including entry level carpet, paint-grade base trim and doors, and one paint color throughout the space.
This particular basement could roughly cost $26,000 with basic finishes, which puts the price per square foot at $35 ($26,000 divided by 750 square feet).
Next, let's assume that the home was purchased for $310,000, and has 1700 square feet of space (excluding the basement), which puts the price per square foot of living space (excluding the basement) at $182.
What's the bottom line? The advantage to finishing the basement in this example is that the price to finish the basement is $35 per square foot, which is quite a bit less than the cost of finished living space in the home at $182 per square foot.
In this example, the cost of finishing the basement is close to the industry standard of $30 per square foot, and the project also allows the homeowner to acquire more living space in the basement at a rate less than purchasing another house with more square feet.

Project B: 1600 Square Foot Basement with Top-of-the-Line Finishes


Assume that Project B is also a Denver basement finish, but this one consists of finishing 1600 square feet of space including 1 bedroom and 3/4 bathroom. The finishes chosen are more elaborate than Project A, and include elaborate custom-built entertainment niches, a home theatre, and stain-grade base trim and doors, drywall cutouts and a tray ceiling with enhanced lighting.
This particular basement could roughly cost $90,000 depending on the finishes chosen, which puts the price per square foot at $56 ($90,000 divided by 1600 square feet).
Next, let's assume that the home was purchased for $500,000, and has 2700 square feet of space (excluding the basement), which puts the price per square foot of living space (excluding the basement) at $185.
In this example, the cost of finishing the basement is well above the industry standard of $30 per square foot, at $56 per square foot. However, the homeowner still stands to gain a significant advantage by finishing his/her basement because the cost of finishing the basement is far below the cost to buy a different house with more square footage.

The key to any basement finishing project is to ensure that you have a very clear grasp of the costs ahead of time, and have realistic expectations about the finishes that will be provided. Ask potential contractors you decide to have work done than you can't or do not want to do to provide you with line-item details in their bids, along with examples of the finishes they have assumed to build their pricing.






t finishing project can vary depending on the finishes that are chosen and the amount of space to be finished.Industry standards state that the average cost to finish a basement is $30 per square foot, but the following project comparison shows how this benchmark may or may not hold true: