Help... cost to finish a basement

i want to finish my basement. it is approx. 1200 sq ft, with 10foot ceilings.

we live in new york and my builder is suggesting some product as a sub floor which has an air gap , along with 3/4 oak on top.
the walls and the ceiling will be insulated and sheetrocked. we will tap of the existing boiler for hydronic heating, and add its own airconditioner and air handler. there will be a full bathroom (the waste lines were buried when we poured the foundation).

my question what should be the 'approx' cost per foot. everything is pretty straight forward, except the ceiling which has ductwork for the 1st floor, as well as various piping/waste pipes/etc , some of which hangs below the i-beam, which means a bit more framing.

keeping in mind it is 'new york' and prices are usually higher then elsewhere , what should the pricing be.

thanks

 

Your question is really hard to answer. The reason being basements are not usually figured by the square foot to finish off.
There are a variety of works that are to be done, and usually they are priced by the pice of work being done. For instance. Your insulation is one price. Your ceiling another. etc. Your bathroom will be a couple of thousand. New construction or additions are figured by the sq ft, but not basements. Any amount we would give would only be a guess. Why don't you ask your contractor. He would know better then anyone. Good Luck

 

jack.. thanks for the reply. i got a figure from the contractor... 80 bucks a foot, or $100k..

and this is just for heating (tapping off existing boiler), seperate a/c unit, full bath, sub floor and 3/4 oak on top, electric , and walls,ceiling rocked , nothing else

seems way/way too high to me.. i was figuring 1/2 that amount.

thanks

 

Nothing surprises me any more when it comes to contracting prices in the big apple.

I regularly talk with guys that live & work in the area on other web forums and what they charge would get me run out of town around here. I agree with Jack tho, I've finished alot of basements here in the midwest & I don't bid them by the s/f. But 100K to finish a basement?!? I finished up a new house last month, 4bdrm, 2 1/2 bath, on a full basement, if memory serves it was just under 2000 s/f of living space, whole place cost about 100K to build from the ground up.

I know prices are high out on the right coast, but I'd get some more estimates.

 

Paris 401: I noticed something in your answer about the work the contractor is going to do for $80.00 sq. ft. This is exactly what I was talking about. It items you listed to be done are the most expensive ones. Throw out your bathroom and a/c and you will see the figure your looking for. Bathrooms are very expensive and have you priced floor oak recently ?. I would tell you about $45 a sq ft. plus bathroom, a/c and oak floor. Then you could add on the extras if you wanted them. Another thing to look at. Take the sq footage of your home. Lets day it is 1500 sq ft. How much would it sell for ? Now add 1200 finished sq ft to it and and another bath and now how much would it sell for ?
Good Luck.

 

jack- thanks for the reply. if we take your number of $45 sq ft, for 1200 sq ft that will equal 54k, the bathroom he is giving me is 5k (same as over my garage), a/c, maybe 5k, and oak floor , lets say 10k- that totals $ 74k. thats a long way from 100k

i did some quick figures for materials only

based on 1200 sq ft

sub floor of dri-core at 2 bucks a foot 2500
oak floor at 4 bucks a foor 5000
2t a/c 5000
heating (tapping off existing unit) 3000
bathroom 2000
electric 1000
sheetrock 120boards x $40 per board
installed 5000
studs/strips/wood 3000
insulation 1000
paint 1000
--------
28500

add

plumber 3000
tile 1000
painters 1000
--------
5000

i might be off on my numbers somewhat, but i am coming up with 33/34k-

if i am 50pct off, that bring the price to 48/50k -

needless to say the contractor needs to pay his people + his profit, but at 100k or even 75k, there seems tobe an awful amount of 'fat' in this job.

?????.... thanks

 

Around here, 3/4" solid #1 red oak in 2.25" wide strips, nailed down, sanded in place, and finished with three coats of Glitza is $7.50 to $8 a square foot, materials and labor included. For about $5 a square foot, with your own labor, you can install 3/4" solid #1 red oak prefinished with an aluminimum oxide finish.

 

john. my contractor is giving me #2 oak... from my checking around, thats a lot cheaper the #1, but i can live with #2, as its just a basement.

 

I live in Washington DC area. The cost of living here is relatively high too. My basement is 1176 sq feet. I finished it myself after I took a "Finishing your Basement" course twice. This is one of the adult education courses provided by my county (Fairfax, VA). I also read a lot of DIY books and watched DIY videos and most important, a lot of instant advice and instruction from this forum whenever I needed. I framed, insulated, roughed a 10x8 bathroom in a corner, boxed the air handler and water heater and a storage area under the stairs, built a partion wall that separates the laundry area from the computer/study area, run 6 new circuits for 22 recessed lights and 16 receptacles, hanged about 110 sheet of 5/8" (ceiling) and 1/2" (wall) sheetrocks, primed the ceiling and walls and wallpapered all of the walls. I think I spent totally less than $7,000 and that include $1,000 (for bathtub, toilet, cabinet, vanity top and vanity) and $1,550 for 1200 sq. ft of ceramic tiles (reg. $3.29, on sale for $1.29 sq. ft) that I did order and intend to lay them next week. BTW, everything I did either meets or exceeds Code requirements and looks just like it was done by a pro. I passed the concealed inspection the first time.
All I want to say is that there is other option if the money is a problem and I you have free time.

 

mimimimi- thanks for the insight of the 'actual costs' of the materials. dc and ny, just about on the same level ref prices.

money is not the problem... its time.. and more important... i don't have a clue about contruction. i could take 100 courses, and still be stupid.. no, i have to have others do it, and pay... but i do not want to get 'raped' in the process.

i am still waiting for for contractor to 'get back to me' with a 'new' price.

i'll let u guys know

thanks for the help

 

further to my last.. the builder has come back, lowering his price to $ 70k.. from the info i got here on the board and another friend, this price is still 20k too high...

i think the best course of action is to have him finish the house, leaving the basement unfinished. once he completes his work, i'll get a couple/few estimates from a couple of contractors that i have been recomended.

 

"money is not the problem... it's time"
"this price is still 20k too high"

You'll have to decide for yourself which of these two statements is more significant to you. I've heard countless horror stories about basement finish projects gone awry after the contractor agreed to a lower price than he felt was necessary for a good job. If you squeeze the contractor, he may take every oportunity he can to cut costs and corners. A project such as this involves making a million cost/quality tradeoffs, and most will not be specifically spelled out in your contract.

If you have time, read "House" by Tracy Kidder.

 

john.. i agree 100pct.. i've decided to seek a couple/few other quotes once the main house is finished.

over the course of the now 16months in building this house, not once have i ever questioned/hassled the builder over the cost of extra's... not once.. and the extra's have been huge..

i have no problem with someone making money... that's what u are in bizz for, but i feel with this quote of 100k, now 70k, the builder was trying to stick it to me... not a little... but a lot.

thanks

 

Write down just what you want and get 3 bids for the same job ED

 

Back when I was contracting, I would give 2 bids if the customer was concerned about the price---- $100,000 if I did it using all top quality materials, or $70,000 if did the job using some of my cheaper subs and "warm bodies" as we called them to do the work and shaved as many corners as possible on materials.

Point is, make sure of what you are getting for what you are paying. I can put in a complete full bath for as little as $5,000 but would you be happy with a tinny tub, 3 piece plastic tub surround, paper thin vinyl floor, and pressboard vanity?