4 Things to do Before you Finish your Basement

There's 4 things you can do before you finishing your basement that will save you money and won't cost you any money.

1. Why
2. Needs vs Wants
3. Budget
4. Floorplan.

[nancydyck]

Chalk on the cement floor was what our designer used to help us make a plan. It was easy for me to visualize walls when lines were drawn.

[ccwnoob]

I would add one thing ... #5 Wait n "Sea" ... ie wait to check for water issues. I waited over several years and checked for water seepage and humidity. Once I saw there were no issues, I finished the basement ... and still put in wall vents, adequate spacing, ran humidifiers, and consistently checked for mold just in case. Also used a drop ceiling with those fancy looking plastic "ceiling tiles" instead of the finished sheet rock ceiling.

[jamiecrichton]

Great advice Coach Bill!! Following this process helped me when I started to finish my own basement, his advice has been excellent! Definitely worth a watch for any DIY’er

[rodneydangerfield]

Thank you, Basement coach, for a well-explained strategy in updating my old basement!

[JodiJames]

I really appreciate this! This is the video I've been looking for. Can't wait to watch the rest of your videos. I was feeling very overwhelmed and this process seemed impossible for us. Thanks so much!

[junonzephyr]

Very helpful and informative video.
Thanks.

[jisc]

Great content. Thank you for putting this together.

[PradeepJayaraman]

wow! Great advice and what I was looking for in a video. Thanks!

[SciaticaDrums]

I'm doing a half basement. 280+ square feet gain. Will cost less than $15k, that includes labor and this guy is an expert.

[timothyroe]

Bill, thanks for the channel. Just found it and I have watched almost all of the content already. I am having a new house built and will be finishing the basement. It comes with a plumbing rough in for a full bath. The basement is 29 x 20 ft. I plan to do most of the work myself and sub out some of the bigger stuff like drywall. I hate doing drywall. So my plan is to cut it into two spaces. 1. Man cave 2. Workshop. I asked the builder to put in a 60 A sub panel (that was a guesstimate on my part) to basically run the workshop. Thinking was 1 circuit for table saw, one circuit for dust collection, another circuit for receptacles and lights. I figured i would not be using the table saw and my router station at the same time so they can occupy the same circuit, same with my joined etc. I never considered a subfloor but am now after watching your content. Any advice you have would be appreciated and keep up the content. I know it takes extra time to do it but I just wanted you to know it is appreciated.

[vishalnavalkar]

Very useful video for a beginner like me

[daguarsan]

I bought a house with a finished basement but unfortunately, whoever did it, did not consider moisture. I found mold growing behind the drywall. Alot of the diy basement videos don't say if it was newer foundation and it gets so confusing. I have an older house so I think this is a definate consideration if one is thinking about finishing their basement.

[sushi]

Excellent. Please keep videos coming :)

[catesosa]

Do I take out the basement insulation wrap that was put by the builder?

[janicelindegard]

Budget is a chicken and egg thing. If you have no idea what it costs to do the ideal basement, you have no idea how much money you need, or what you should aim to save up for.

[Sean-Aviation]

I'm considering finishing our basement. it has all plumbing and electrical ready so not much there. do i need a permit for a basement? i don't like the fact i would need to pay even more annual tax for the house which is already very high.

[colfrankslade]

"you're buying a new Toyota Corolla" ...lol.
Yes. if you're doing a basement you should plan on spending at $15-$50 grand.
At least. The more extravagant the higher the cost.
Plumber, Electrician, HVAC, Carpenter/Framer, Drywall/handyman, Painter, Carpet....each of those
will cost between 3 and 6 grand (in most areas).
No one is going to do it for "free" and if they agree to do it for far less, they're not going to be A- very good B-insured C-not motivated to get
the job done right or in a timely fashion.
The more of those jobs you can do and will do yourself just saves you that much...but you'll still need to budget for the rest.

You're improving the space of your home for your own use and the use of those after you. Do it right.
Spend the money, especially if you're young (under 35) as this house will pay for itself over time.

[bazilchuk]

Would love to chat about this with you

[zendoc]

Total waste of my time, it s like a wedding planner giving advice on why of the marriage rather than the details of the ceremony

[nate]

Why do i want to do it. Man cave to get away from screaming kids so i don't kill myself