basement buildout - Pricey!

[dpalme]

Had a local designer / builder/ developer come out today and take a look at my basement to determine if we would be able to build it out including family room, bathroom with shower, bar and area for brewing. Envisioning something along the line of Kal's buildout but with my own taste and flavor (John Deere Theme).

He changed it around completely from side to side but his ideas do make sense....then it came to getting an idea of what it would cost...
$65k LOL I didn't flinch but I'm thinking I have another barn to build, a machine shed that I need erected and those are gonna cost around 30k each... wow....

Not sure if SWMBO is going to go for it or not but what the hell, the worst she can do is say no!

He did offer to sit down with us, show us a 3d model of how it would look and once we had it the way we like it he'd design the plans including wall buildouts, electric etc. for $500.00. I didn't think that was too bad.

I'll let ya'll know how it goes...

 

[dpalme]

The builder that is erecting our barn thought the 65k was high too, he suggested we do the plans for the 500 but hold off having him do the work. He said he'll give us some recommendations on some companies that do basement renovations.

 

[Dcpcooks]

How big is your space? That price seems high to me. I'm just north of Chicago and I have a quote for 1300 sq feet at 32k which includes another 160 amps of service, 2 30 amp gfci breakers, three dedicated 15 amp lines for fermentation and fridges, a full bath, wet bar, storage space, family area, a brewery room sealed with spray foam and a vapor barrier with a hood and fan with a full dry wall of the space and an overhead sanitary sewer retro fit. It includes an epoxy floor, can lights, insulation and vapor barrier two boil coils and two blichmann top controllers. I'm not going crazy on trim or upgrades but it's got some stainless backsplashes and subway tiles.

I'd get a few more quotes. I've found breweries tap rooms have tradesmen in attendance

I'm lucky with my swmbo, she wanted the downsize and we planned this build before we even listed our old house. I told her to buy what ever she wanted as long as I had a nice two car garage and at least a 1000 sq feet in the basement for my man cave

 

[dpalme]

Total basement space is 37x32 approximately. My barn builder is actually a custom home builder and one of the best in the area, so I know what I'm getting with him and if he thinks its high then its REALLY high LOL. The original developer offered to do the plans for $500.00 which Darryl (Barn guy) said was a good price; so with that, we'll probably have him do the plans and then have someone else finish it out.

[edit]
Oh and the 65 didn't include anything inside the brew room as far as sinks or tables, etc. I had already planned on getting those myself, but the more I look at his numbers the worse it gets for him

 

[Dcpcooks]

Yikes that's really pricey for 1200 sq ft. That's the per sq ft price of a foundation around here.

Good luck!

 

[LarMoeCur]

This is exactly why I'm going with one of these. 3 grand for the lofted barn cabin, another two grand for power, I think I can finish the inside for another grand. So for six grand, I've got a brewery/bar/hemanwomenhatersclub house in one building.

 

[dpalme]

LOL nice pic...

 

[JONNYROTTEN]

GC the job...Youll save a **** ton of money if you get the right contractors.

 

[dpalme]

I'm thinking of doing just that Johnny. We are going to put up the rigid board ourselves, I need to find a contractor that will stud the walls out for me. I figure that shouldn't be more than 5 grand to stud the walls. Plumbing will be the biggest issue for me, hooking in to the existing drain and finding a stack to tie into for the brew room.

 

[Dcpcooks]

I'm putting the bathroom near the brewery. I'm hoping I can tie into the ejector pit and snag a floor drain.

 

[mongoose33]

GC the job...Youll save a **** ton of money if you get the right contractors.

I'm thinking of doing just that Johnny. We are going to put up the rigid board ourselves, I need to find a contractor that will stud the walls out for me. I figure that shouldn't be more than 5 grand to stud the walls. Plumbing will be the biggest issue for me, hooking in to the existing drain and finding a stack to tie into for the brew room.

Some of this depends on the state and local laws in Missouri, but depending on how quickly you need this done, doing it yourself--or generaling it--in stages could save a ton of money.

If you're willing to pay $5000 just to put in stud walls, I'd like the contract.

I finished my basement with a little help. I put up the interior walls (walls against foundation were in place, insulated and vapor barrier on both sides). Here's where you might rethink this and see if it makes sense for you:

I bought a Makita 12-inch Compound Miter Saw for cutting the studs to length. Bought a powder-actuated power hammer to fix the treated sole plates to the concrete floor. Those two items cost under $330.

And away I went. The key, as I saw it, was getting quality tools with which to do the work. Better yet is borrowing quality tools, and maybe you could rent them, but even with buying them, I was miles ahead.

I don't know what your layout will be, but imagine it takes as many as 300 8-foot studs to do this. At $3.33 per stud, that's $1000 in studs. Add some nails (power nailer maybe?) and there you are. I used drywall screws to fix the studs in place, and nailed to support them. Figure $50 in fasterners.

(I installed the top plate to the joists above, the treated sole plate to the floor, and then added the studs one at a time. Usually people will build the stud wall on the floor and tilt it up, and you could do that too, using shims to make up the gap above the sole plate necessary to be able to tilt the wall into place).

And at that point, you're putting in stud walls, framing rough openings for doors, etc. for $1500, and pocketing the other $3500.

I wired it myself--I can go from the panel out to the outlets and light fixtures quite easily. Once wired, I put up drywall myself. As this was a project that took me some time, I kept my eye out until I got a deal on drywall. I then added doors in the rough openings, cut trim to finish (the miter saw still coming in handy for that).

I had a contractor mud the walls for me, and he added priming and painting the walls as well for cheap--about as cheaply as I could have done it myself. It wasn't much more expensive since he was there there doing the mudding already, and with their spray equipment it was FAST.

Then I added a drop ceiling so I could access piping and such above, had someone add kanga-backed carpet, and voila! Finished basement.

I'm with Johnny above--you should consider being the general contractor yourself. There are plumbing issues with your setup I didn't have at the time (I had a bathroom roughed in when we built the house, but didn't finish it off until several years later). And maybe somewhat more complicated electrical to accommodate the 30-amp circuits as well as exhaust vent.

Maybe you know an electrician friend whose labor in installing electrical might be traded for, you know, homebrew? Same with a plumber?

Anyway, these are some ideas which may or may not work for you in your situation.

 

[JONNYROTTEN]

Some of this depends on the state and local laws in Missouri, but depending on how quickly you need this done, doing it yourself--or generaling it--in stages could save a ton of money.

If you're willing to pay $5000 just to put in stud walls, I'd like the contract.

I finished my basement with a little help. I put up the interior walls (walls against foundation were in place, insulated and vapor barrier on both sides). Here's where you might rethink this and see if it makes sense for you:

I bought a Makita 12-inch Compound Miter Saw for cutting the studs to length. Bought a powder-actuated power hammer to fix the treated sole plates to the concrete floor. Those two items cost under $330.

And away I went. The key, as I saw it, was getting quality tools with which to do the work. Better yet is borrowing quality tools, and maybe you could rent them, but even with buying them, I was miles ahead.

I don't know what your layout will be, but imagine it takes as many as 300 8-foot studs to do this. At $3.33 per stud, that's $1000 in studs. Add some nails (power nailer maybe?) and there you are. I used drywall screws to fix the studs in place, and nailed to support them. Figure $50 in fasterners.

(I installed the top plate to the joists above, the treated sole plate to the floor, and then added the studs one at a time. Usually people will build the stud wall on the floor and tilt it up, and you could do that too, using shims to make up the gap above the sole plate necessary to be able to tilt the wall into place).

And at that point, you're putting in stud walls, framing rough openings for doors, etc. for $1500, and pocketing the other $3500.

I wired it myself--I can go from the panel out to the outlets and light fixtures quite easily. Once wired, I put up drywall myself. As this was a project that took me some time, I kept my eye out until I got a deal on drywall. I then added doors in the rough openings, cut trim to finish (the miter saw still coming in handy for that).

I had a contractor mud the walls for me, and he added priming and painting the walls as well for cheap--about as cheaply as I could have done it myself. It wasn't much more expensive since he was there there doing the mudding already, and with their spray equipment it was FAST.

Then I added a drop ceiling so I could access piping and such above, had someone add kanga-backed carpet, and voila! Finished basement.

I'm with Johnny above--you should consider being the general contractor yourself. There are plumbing issues with your setup I didn't have at the time (I had a bathroom roughed in when we built the house, but didn't finish it off until several years later). And maybe somewhat more complicated electrical to accommodate the 30-amp circuits as well as exhaust vent.

Maybe you know an electrician friend whose labor in installing electrical might be traded for, you know, homebrew? Same with a plumber?

Anyway, these are some ideas which may or may not work for you in your situation.

All good info except screwing in every stud...I think I'd shoot myself LOL
Get a small compressor and framing gun.
Framing is not hard and can be a DIY job
Same with doors moulding paint
Hire a sheetrock spackle company. They bang it out in no time and generally do a much better job than DIY'ers....visable seams everywhere ruins the entire project
I hate drop ceiling in a basements. Double figure your plumbing needs, make sure it doesn't leak and sheetrock with high hats class the basement up. Makes it feel like your not in a basement

 

[wyowolf]

All good info except screwing in every stud...I think I'd shoot myself LOL
Get a small compressor and framing gun.
Framing is not hard and can be a DIY job
Same with doors moulding paint
Hire a sheetrock spackle company. They bang it out in no time and generally do a much better job than DIY'ers....visable seams everywhere ruins the entire project
I hate drop ceiling in a basements. Double figure your plumbing needs, make sure it doesn't leak and sheetrock with high hats class the basement up. Makes it feel like your not in a basement

Thats pretty much what I am doing. Only thing I would add , a drywall lift is worth its weight in gold...

 

[mongoose33]

All good info except screwing in every stud...I think I'd shoot myself LOL

That was just to hold them in place. Have a good screwgun and it's easy. I just don't like the tendency for those joists to move while I toenail them in. Remember, I attached the sole plate to the floor, the top plate to the joists, and added the studs one at a time. I usually used a quick-clamp to hold the studs in place while I attached them.

I hate drop ceiling in a basements. Double figure your plumbing needs, make sure it doesn't leak and sheetrock with high hats class the basement up. Makes it feel like your not in a basement

To each his own. The space above a drop ceiling in a basement is a treasure-trove of storage space. I keep all kinds of things up above the drop ceiling.

Here's a pic that shows the general idea--you put cleats at the bottom of the joists, cut little shelves to fit, and voila! Tons of usable storage space.

 

[thehaze]

With 65K dollars I can build a 100 square meters house where I live! AND I think that is too much.

So 65K dollars for your project is a lot!

 

[JONNYROTTEN]

That was just to hold them in place. Have a good screwgun and it's easy. I just don't like the tendency for those joists to move while I toenail them in. Remember, I attached the sole plate to the floor, the top plate to the joists, and added the studs one at a time. I usually used a quick-clamp to hold the studs in place while I attached them.



To each his own. The space above a drop ceiling in a basement is a treasure-trove of storage space. I keep all kinds of things up above the drop ceiling.

Here's a pic that shows the general idea--you put cleats at the bottom of the joists, cut little shelves to fit, and voila! Tons of usable storage space.

View attachment 414672

I would have never thought of storing stuff up there... Good place to hide your guy stuff from the wifey....3 squares over two squares up

 

[dpalme]

GC the job...Youll save a **** ton of money if you get the right contractors.

That's what I think I'm going to do in the end. I was backtracing some of the existing wiring last night, making note of some things that will need to be changed. Including ripping out an old phone system (ATT partner system) that is unplugged and just hanging on the wall. I know we could stuff most of it in the ceiling and forget about it, but I don't want to do that. I want things as clean as possible.

 

[dpalme]

I'm putting the bathroom near the brewery. I'm hoping I can tie into the ejector pit and snag a floor drain.

The suggestion from the original GC was to move the brew room so it is just off or rather in front of the area with the water softener, pressure tank, sump pump. There is an existing floor drain there that we can tie into. Drawback is no stack but according to the BIL, I can install a loop stack in the wall and that will suffice. That solves that issue.

I'm hoping to rearrange all of our junk in the basement over the next few weeks and get the south and west walls sealed. In the meantime I'm going to start laying out the design. I'll share things including pics once I have the area sort of cleaned out. I'm sure nobody wants to see our junk

 

[dpalme]

Some of this depends on the state and local laws in Missouri, but depending on how quickly you need this done, doing it yourself--or generaling it--in stages could save a ton of money.

If you're willing to pay $5000 just to put in stud walls, I'd like the contract.

I finished my basement with a little help. I put up the interior walls (walls against foundation were in place, insulated and vapor barrier on both sides). Here's where you might rethink this and see if it makes sense for you:

I bought a Makita 12-inch Compound Miter Saw for cutting the studs to length. Bought a powder-actuated power hammer to fix the treated sole plates to the concrete floor. Those two items cost under $330.

And away I went. The key, as I saw it, was getting quality tools with which to do the work. Better yet is borrowing quality tools, and maybe you could rent them, but even with buying them, I was miles ahead.

I don't know what your layout will be, but imagine it takes as many as 300 8-foot studs to do this. At $3.33 per stud, that's $1000 in studs. Add some nails (power nailer maybe?) and there you are. I used drywall screws to fix the studs in place, and nailed to support them. Figure $50 in fasterners.

(I installed the top plate to the joists above, the treated sole plate to the floor, and then added the studs one at a time. Usually people will build the stud wall on the floor and tilt it up, and you could do that too, using shims to make up the gap above the sole plate necessary to be able to tilt the wall into place).

And at that point, you're putting in stud walls, framing rough openings for doors, etc. for $1500, and pocketing the other $3500.

I wired it myself--I can go from the panel out to the outlets and light fixtures quite easily. Once wired, I put up drywall myself. As this was a project that took me some time, I kept my eye out until I got a deal on drywall. I then added doors in the rough openings, cut trim to finish (the miter saw still coming in handy for that).

I had a contractor mud the walls for me, and he added priming and painting the walls as well for cheap--about as cheaply as I could have done it myself. It wasn't much more expensive since he was there there doing the mudding already, and with their spray equipment it was FAST.

Then I added a drop ceiling so I could access piping and such above, had someone add kanga-backed carpet, and voila! Finished basement.

I'm with Johnny above--you should consider being the general contractor yourself. There are plumbing issues with your setup I didn't have at the time (I had a bathroom roughed in when we built the house, but didn't finish it off until several years later). And maybe somewhat more complicated electrical to accommodate the 30-amp circuits as well as exhaust vent.

Maybe you know an electrician friend whose labor in installing electrical might be traded for, you know, homebrew? Same with a plumber?

Anyway, these are some ideas which may or may not work for you in your situation.

The exhaust vent will be something that I'll have to have a contractor come in and take a look at. The BIL (Brother in Law) is a remodeler and although I'm not hiring him for the entire job (let's just say some things he doesn't do right) but he knows the basics and can do the things I can't or don't want to contract out. Hanging drywall is a pain, I can tape and mud, I just really hate doing ceilings... we will have to drywall the ceilings not enough clearance for drop. I'm thinking though for the brew room if we tile the ceiling, don't have to tape it possibly...

 

[dpalme]

Well we have finally started getting serious about the build out. I'm not paying 65k though. Here is a pdf of the basement layout as its exists today. The Utility Area for the well head and sump pump is not enclosed at this time, those are proposed walls along with the 13x11 brewing area. If I do it this way, I'll have to leave the stairs open underneath for a walk through area.... not sure if I like that idea or if I trim the brew room down in size....

 

[nrjones89]

Damn, things get expensive when you're not the DIY type...

my college loans are about 65k... I'd build it for you if you paid them off lol

 

[dpalme]

Damn, things get expensive when you're not the DIY type...

my college loans are about 65k... I'd build it for you if you paid them off lol

LOL No doubt....yeah that's what he quoted me for the full buildout. Of course he was talking about a granite bar top, etc. which I would not want anyway....

I got a quote for 700+/- to switch out the electrical panel from 100 amp service in the basement to 200 amp. I don't have enough spares in the existing box to wire everything in. Most of the wiring, aside from the box I can get my B-I-L's dad to do for me or at least help...

First things first, I finally got SWMBO to start going through boxes in the basement and cleaning crap out. the rest of it I'm moving to the other side so I can finish sealing the wall and prepping that area to begin putting in studs.

 

[Dcpcooks]

Congrats. I finished most of my build. Mine is 13x9 and it works nicely.

You may want to consider making the back sump space wider. I have a 13x6 space I use for the pit and ejector pump plus the sink and floor drain. It’s nice to have a little extra space for cleaning.

 

[dpalme]

The back sump pump / well head area will be closed off from the brew room. I plan on putting tile on that wall separating the two. It's wide enough to allow for replacement of the water softener or pressure tank and access to the sump pit.