How Long Does It Take To Finish a Basement? Reasons & Timeline

The basement is a room that often gets neglected in your house. While this room seems like a dull, boring space that doesn’t inspire you in any way, it has a lot of potential. Once you learn all the things you can do with your basement, you will be excited to start remodeling and finishing it.

Before you begin any sudden and spontaneous projects, it would be wise to plan your project on time so you don’t encounter any difficulties. During this time of approximately 4 weeks, your home will be occupied every day. Even after crafting a remodeling plan, remember that many things can go wrong, causing a delay, so prepare yourself with a lot of patience. In the article below, we’ve gathered some information that may help you along the way.

Why It Is Important to Finish Your Basement

Added Value

Whatever you decide to turn your basement into, it can become an excellent asset and add more value to your home. When you remodel your basement and give it the finishing touch, it attracts potential buyers and creates a more welcoming and functional space. Bringing life into another part of your house opens the door to potential buyers or even renters of that particular extra space.

More Storage Space

Most people know what it’s like to constantly battle with the lack of space in your home for things you don’t use daily. Other than having a closet, a pantry, or an attic, there can never be enough space for storage.

Once you finish your basement, a good idea would be to put up shelves and organize an additional storage space in a way that can be accessible to you at all times. The storage possibilities can be endless—from storing last season’s clothes and Christmas decorations to storing old boxes, cleaning supplies, and extra furniture.

Additional Room

Finishing the basement gives you plenty of options and ideas to consider when it comes to the use of this specific space; you could make it into a guest room, game room, personal gym, home office, or wine room. Depending on how far you want to go with remodeling, you can create an entirely separate apartment with multiple rooms and a bathroom. Once you advise your contractor of the best ways to utilize this given space, think about your options and find a way to make this room practical, functional, and livable.

How Long Does Finishing a Basement Take?

Basement Finish Timeline

Framing

The first and crucial step of remodeling and finishing your basement will be all the work necessary to add to your basement’s overall shape. The contractor will begin by setting up the framing as bulkheads, covering the existing structure. This process takes about 5 days to complete.

Electrical / Plumbing / Insulation

Once the workers complete the framing, an electrician will add outlet boxes, install desired lights throughout the basement and run the electrical wires to the box locations. The plumbers begin by adding water lines to a potential bathroom or kitchen and doing any work necessary to run these pipes down to the basement.

The insulating process can start only after the City Inspector approves all the rough-ins done so far. Most frequently, homeowners and contractors go for the batt insulation, followed by a vapor barrier for insulating all exterior walls. All electrical, plumbing, and insulating work will take up to 4 days to complete.

Drywall

Before putting up the drywall, the workers will first put up the sheetrock. Then they will install the drywall on the ceilings and the walls. The drywallers then mud and tape all the seams on the drywalls. Applying three coats of mud on the seams is necessary, and each coat takes about a day to dry. After sanding the walls, the homeowners get to decide on their texture; either the orange peel texture, the knockdown, or the classic, smooth texture.

With this final step, the entire process of installing the drywall takes about a week to finish, making it the longest process in finishing the basement.

Trim / Paint / Floor Installation

Once the drywall is complete, the next step is to install the doors, door casings, trim around the basement windows, and baseboards. After painting, the whole space will start to come into shape and liven up.

When installing flooring, one of the most popular choices for basement flooring is laminate floors and tiles in the bathroom or the kitchen.

Final Inspection

Once you finish with all the work and the final touch-ups, the city inspector will come in and ensure everything is up to code. The inspector will take a last look at the space and ensure that it is in a livable condition.

What Can Cause a Delay?

Many things can affect the speed of this entire process. Mainly depending on the size of your basement, you can usually get a pretty good estimate from your contractor of how long the whole project will take. Always be open-minded to any delays or deadline extensions that may be out of your control or the contractor’s control. Patience, tolerance, and understanding of other people’s time are of importance, and also keeping in mind that there may be a few things that won’t go as planned.

How Much Does It Cost to Finish a Basement?

Depending on how far you go with remodeling your basement, the average cost is $25 to $50 per square foot. Many factors go into this price, such as the size of your basement or its current state, but the average estimate of the overall price is $30,000 for finishing the entire basement. It is essential to plan your remodeling and to consult your contractor. A professional is always the best solution for larger projects such as this one.

Final Thoughts

Whether you are remodeling the already finished basement or constructing it from scratch, finishing a basement can be a lot of hard labor. It takes around 4 weeks to finish your basement, which will only increase if you work with a larger area. Construction work such as this can take up a lot of space, money, effort, and time, so making a flawless organization can help you make this entire process much more manageable. It is essential to plan your project and to arm yourself with patience.

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Featured Image Credit: Jason Finn, Shutterstock