This story actually started about 12 years ago, when the previous owner of our home decided to DIY his basement. Fast forward to 2011, when we bought the house. The PO had done the framing, electrical, plumbing, and drywall. And did everything wrong. Literally. The plumbing was sloped the wrong direction and was undersized. The electrical consisted of single conductors (our area requires EMT, so no Romex) run through the walls, the ductwork had been crushed in several places in order to allow higher ceilings, the corners had more mud than drywall, etc.
Aaaanyway, after I demolished all of that shoddy work, our basement sat unfinished for the next 8 years, while I iterated through countless floorplans. Finally, at Christmas a year and a half ago, we decided we could afford the money and I could find the time to finish it, and in May 2019 the work began in earnest. I did all the framing, HVAC, and electrical myself, including rerouting a significant chunk of ductwork to enable higher ceilings. I did all the grunt work for the plumbing as well (cutting the slab for the underfloor stuff, all the concrete work), and hired a plumber to actually run the lines.* I *did* hire out the drywall, which was worth every single penny. I bought a used airless paint sprayer and did all the paint and trim myself.** I used a contractor friend's carpet guy and got a screaming deal on a roll of ridiculously luxurious carpet that had been mis-ordered for another client. I saved several hundred dollars by buying used bathroom fixtures.
Total finished square feet: about 1,200, including a bedroom and bathroom. I am particularly pleased with the layout we settled on, and glad for all the time I spent on the details. The bedroom, although under 100 square feet, holds a queen bed comfortably, with room for night stands on either side, and the door does not interfere with any walking paths. I put fiberglass batts in the walls and ceiling around it, and it's fantastically quiet. Plus, it has a walk-in closet. The 3/4 bath is small, but again, does not feel cramped at all. Together, the bedroom, closet, and bathroom only take up 175 square feet. I get a 14x16 workshop with its own 20A circuit. I added doorbell chimes so that if the whole family is downstairs and someone comes to the door, we can hear it. There's a great storage/play space under the stairs, and a nook around the corner where we'll put a desk for sewing and crafting. The living area is big, open, and contiguous. Five of the seven posts are hidden inside walls. We have lots of outlets, split among several breakers. The lights are on three-way switches, placed for maximum convenience. The windows are set deep enough that our kids can climb up and sit on the sills.
And the ceiling...well, DW didn't want a traditional suspended ceiling, and I didn't want drywall, so we settled on large MDF panels, each hinged on one side. That part was a lot of work. But now it's done. Most of the ceiling is over 8' high, and the lowest point (under beams) is 91". Our all-in cost is a bit under $16k.
Since we can't invite anyone over to enjoy our new space, I want to brag. Here it is. Sorry about the poor angles on the bedroom and bathroom--I don't have a wide-angle lens, and the efficiency of the layout doesn't allow for very good angles.
* Next time, knowing what I know now, I'll do all the plumbing myself.
** There's nothing quite like painting 200 linear feet in half an hour!
