We’ve been walking you through our finished basement project. In this post we will discuss our quality checklist for the mechanical rough-ins. Since we are adding a theater/rec room for our finished space, we don’t have any plumbing to inspect. If you have these in your new basement design, now would be the time to […]
Five Tips to Save Money on Your Finished Basement Design
0 Comments | Posted by armchairbuilder in Basement Finish, Save Money
With the state of the economy today, people are looking for ways to save money. Many people have moved in with relatives until they can get back on their feet. So what is the least expensive and quickest way to add finished space to your home? Finishing your basement is the quickest, most cost […]
Frame Quality Issues, Finished Basement
0 Comments | Posted by armchairbuilder in Basement Finish, Quality Check
The most important element in creating a quality finished basement is the framing. All of the finishes you see when the project is complete are affected by the rough carpentry quality. So what kinds of things can go wrong if the rough carpentry in your finished basement is done in an inferior fashion? Ugly Tile […]
If you’re planning on finishing your basement as an owner-builder, it’s a good idea to have a written schedule. This schedule lists each activity in the order they are to be completed and shows the time allowed for each. In this post we will discuss why you need a schedule, the critical components and time […]
Getting Bids for Your Finished Basement, Part II
1 Comment | Posted by armchairbuilder in Basement Finish, Save Money
We’ve been talking about how to go about finishing your basement as an owner-builder. In our last post (Getting Bids for your Finished Basement, part I) we discussed the importance of the bid package and how the bid sheet gives your subcontractors a specific format for submitting a bid. This format allows you to easily […]
Getting Bids for Your Finished Basement, Part I
0 Comments | Posted by armchairbuilder in Basement Finish, Save Money
We have been talking about how to go about finishing a basement. In this post, we will discuss how you go about getting bids from subcontractors. You will send out bid packages to a minimum of three subcontractors per activity. So, you will send out a package to three different drywall companies, three different trim […]
Checklist: Keep Moisture Out of Your Finished Basement
0 Comments | Posted by armchairbuilder in Basement Finish, Quality Check
If we are going to put time, effort and money into finishing our basement, we need to make sure we take steps to keep the moisture out. There is nothing worse than having to remove new carpet, drywall, and insulation because water made its way into your home. Here is a checklist I use whenever […]
Creating The Finished Basement Plan
8 Comments | Posted by armchairbuilder in Basement Finish, Cool Design
Hopefully you were able to watch our last video in our basement finishing series titled Pre-Planning for Your Finished Basement. Now you are ready to move on to creating the plan for your new space. The plan is necessary to allow the subcontractors and suppliers to properly estimate material and labor quantities. So, this plan will […]
On any construction projects that require plumbing, electrical, HVAC or structural work, always obtain a permit through your local building department. There are some headaches involved with getting a permit and subsequent inspections, but the benefits definitely outweigh the costs. Why are Permits Required? Believe it or not, there are a few trades and contractors out there that don’t […]
Finished Basement Pre-Planning Checklist, Part II
1 Comment | Posted by armchairbuilder in Basement Finish
So you’ve decided you want to finish your basement. Yesterday we posted Part I of a series of videos to make this an easy project for an owner-builder. Today, we posted a new video titled Pre-Planning for Your Finished Basement, Part II. In this video we review all of the things to consider before you […]
