Excellent site on Basement Remodeling - Link
Here's something a little more interesting. We would LOVE to finish our basement and we want to do it ourselves! It's a great space for entertaining especially since we do not have an eat in kitchen or a garage for storage. Engineers and contractors have always had this little passive aggressive tug of war. Engineers hold the pen, but contractors do the building. I never wanted someone to say to me that I only sit in an office and design, but don't know how to build, so that's why I want to DIY our basement. I helped do my parents house, so it's not completely foreign to me.
I'm learning a new software (Revit 9.1), so I used the basement as practice. It's easier to learn new programs when you're doing something you enjoy. I have to add this note: This drawing is for personal use only and not meant to be used for construction.
Planning: This is the most important step before doing anything!
First we made a ton of measurements and put them on paper. Note all existing utilities, piping and ductwork. I drafted up the demo drawing of what our basement looks like as of right now and where everything is. Then for fun, I drafted up a new drawing of what I would like it to look like. We still need to go through the process of getting a permit. Who knows if we can even put a bathroom in the basement. That's usually a no no. Also, keep in mind there are certain codes that you have to abide by IE. there has to be a clear path to the water meter so the meter can be read by the water company. There has to be enough room around the heater to get it out if/when it needs to be replaced. Hallways need to be at least 21" wide in case of an emergency. You can find all this information on your local township/borough website as well as IBC.
Materials: I'm going to draft another drawing showing stud placement, ceiling tiles, light fixtures, etc. From that I can estimate the building materials I need for the basement. It's a great way to get a rough cost of this project, so you can budget accordingly.
Here's a really rough 3D model. I'm still learning the program, so it's not as "nice" as my usual work. I still haven't figured out how to do stairs yet. Notice, the 1/2 bath goes through a window. Sadly our water heater is there so we can't put a partition to include the window into the 1/2 bath. We might fill half the window in and replace it with a small window. It would be a shame to lose the window entirely to the storage room. I also thought it would be nice to angle that wall leading to the bathroom, so it isn't so isolated from the living area.
Since I have the plans and estimate down, if I feel overwhelmed with finishing the basement myself, I can contact someone to finish it on a per hour basis.
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