How much to finish a basement?

Question

Hello BP. Has anyone ever finished a basement. I am looking at a house with an unfinished basement and I am  thinking that I could add to the square footage by finishing the basement.

About how much does it cost to finish a basement? I know it depends on several factors and I will eventually get an estimate from a contractor, but I just want the gist right now. The basement is ~250 sq.ft.

Shannon Elam · Answer

Thanks guys. That doesnt sound bad at all.

Roy N. · Answer

@Shannon Elam

There are many, many variables here.

We did one last summer (~620 ft^2), but we also rewired the house, replaced the old cast-iron sewer main, moved the basement stairs & a wall on the main floor, and installed a new HVAC system (heat pump) while we were at it ... so, our total bill was close to 28K.

If I pro-rate the electrical and plumbing work to just that needed to finish the basement and not include the new HVAC, we are left with creation of three rooms (each with an egress window), a 4-piece bath, a laundry area and a kitchette (both with new appliances) for about 14K (about $22/ft^2)

This includes applying 2.5" of closed cell spray foam insulation to all the exterior walls and levelling of the existing concrete pad, before installing an insulated sub-floor.

Of that 14K, ~5 of it went into the bathroom.   If you are just finishing a 250 ft^2 basement for a rec room (i.e. not bathroom) you should be able to pull it off for $1-2K on the cheap or 3-4K if you are going to insulate well and put in egress windows.

Ryan Shuchman · Answer

for that size put in extra lights, paint the walls, and carpet. 1k and call it a rec room