Calculating Basement Remodeling Costs

A basement remodeling job is a great way to add a lot of additional space to your home. In most homes the basement is the same total square footage as the first story. This means in a one-story home you can potentially double your square footage. A basement remodel, however, is not an easy job. It involves a lot of materials and a good deal of time. You need to count in the time and materials necessary to complete the job in order to determine how much it will cost.

Materials

There are a wide variety of materials which may play into the basement remodeling cost. Some of these materials may not be necessary. Much of what will determine which materials you need is what you plan on doing with the room. A simple family room or play room will require far fewer materials than an apartment.

Wood: You will need to build framing for any walls you need. If your basement has standard 8 foot ceilings then you will need to build a standard framing structure with a 2 by 4 on the bottom and top and studs in between. Figure on placing the studs every 16 inches off center. You can do 24 inches off center but this is not as sturdy. This means for a 30-foot wall you will need 29 2 by 4s. The average cost for 2 by 4s is around $3 per.

Drywall: Drywall comes in sheets which are 4 by 8 feet. This works well in most basements because it will go up to the ceiling with each sheet. Using the same 30-foot wall if you put drywall on one side then it would require 8 sheets. If you put drywall on both sides you would need 15 sheets. The reason it is not exactly doubled is because you would use half of a sheet on each side. The average cost of drywall is around $8 a sheet.

Plumbing: If you will be installing a bathroom, bar or sink then you will need plumbing. Typically a basement has plumbing available but you will still need to run it to the location. PVC will work well for this. PVC comes in 10-foot polls. If you have to get 30 feet, you will need 3 PVC pipes and a T coupler. PVC piping averages around $9 per and a T coupler will cost around $1. You will also need to factor in if you need to also go down the wall. This will require an L coupler which costs around $1.

Flooring: Concrete works well for a basement but not so well for a usable room. To use the room you will need to install some form of flooring. Tile and laminate are relatively inexpensive options. They average between $1 and $7 a square foot. Carpeting is also a good idea. It averages between $3 and $12 a square foot.

Electrical: To install electricity you will need to install a new breaker in your panel to supply the basement. This will run around $25. You will also need to run electrical wiring and install receptacles and electrical boxes. Standard electrical wire runs around 33 cents a foot. Receptacles are around $4 per and an electrical box is around $2.

Putting it All Together

To truly calculate the whole cost you will need to take a lot of measurements and determine exactly how much of each material you need. You will also need to factor in any tools you may need to rent or buy.