To have builder finish the basement or not

[Zarfman]

Hi everybody
First post here - great board very useful

Got pricing today from Barhaven new home builder to finish (with 3 pc bathroom/regular bedroom/family room) total of approx. 600 sq ft basement of a bungalow with nothing fancy, normal carpet etc. $ 21,000

Other than the benefits of it being covered by New Home warranty and included in the mortage is that a fair price ?

Any input appreciated

Zarfman

[momof4]

It seems like a good price to me compared to quotes I've got for something a little larger.
I'm sure you could find someone cheaper after close but my opinion is that the convenience, ability to roll it into mortgage, warranty can be looked at as huge advantages to having the builder do it. It all depends on your circumstances and needs/wants.

Good luck!

[England]

Probably won't trust builder to finish the basement, judging by the kind of shady work some of them do on the main floors. You probably want to wait for the foundation to settle and then fix any cracks in the floors

just my 2c

[ephori]

Originally Posted by Zarfman

Hi everybody
First post here - great board very useful

Got pricing today from Barhaven new home builder to finish (with 3 pc bathroom/regular bedroom/family room) total of approx. 600 sq ft basement of a bungalow with nothing fancy, normal carpet etc. $ 21,000

Other than the benefits of it being covered by New Home warranty and included in the mortage is that a fair price ?

Any input appreciated

Zarfman

I was quoted $50/sqf by our builder, so in this view, your price seems reasonable. However, if you are a handy person, don't even think of this as a good deal. If you are not, and like things done by somebody else, than I would go for it, due to several financial benefits as well as convenience. By the way, shady workmanship is everywhere: I do not think that the builder is better or worse than any contractor after the closing. They employ a lot of contractors themselves.

[mom2philip]

I think that's a great price and for the headache go for it. We're in the process of doing ours now. 750 square feet: we have a bathroom, bedroom, theatre room, mini bar/games area and it cost us $22,000 ish to do ourselves so far. Of course we have many more upgrades now than we would have had if the builder had done it.

[golfer]

Originally Posted by Zarfman

Got pricing today from Barhaven new home builder to finish (with 3 pc bathroom/regular bedroom/family room) total of approx. 600 sq ft basement of a bungalow with nothing fancy, normal carpet etc. $ 21,000

Probably the single most important question...How are they insulating the basement walls? This will determine whether your basement is comfortable in the winter or not.

[mom2philip]

New energy star homes have great insulation by default. They have to to pass the test in order to get the certificate. So although a bunch of people think that the insulation is less than ideal. It's still a million times better than basement insulation was even 5 years ago. Our last home; built by Urbandale had a builder finished basement. It was like any other room in the home. Didn't smell like a basement, wasn't damp and was the same temperature as upstairs.

[BCN]

My builder finished basement is fine also. In winter it is maybe a degree or two cooler, but thats it. It's just as comfortable as any other room in the house, just a bit cooler, which is quite normal for a basement.

I would have the builder do it. Who wants to do all this work after moving in. And how much money are you going to save after factoring in all the time you are going to lose. Time with my family is way more important than a few thousand dollars.

[Zarfman]

As expected great feeback
Thanks for the tips and comments

Zarfman

[Trepex]

Originally Posted by BCN

My builder finished basement is fine also. In winter it is maybe a degree or two cooler, but thats it. It's just as comfortable as any other room in the house, just a bit cooler, which is quite normal for a basement.

I would have the builder do it. Who wants to do all this work after moving in. And how much money are you going to save after factoring in all the time you are going to lose. Time with my family is way more important than a few thousand dollars.

But there are other issues to keep in mind, such as letting the basement dry out before you close it up. Moisture will collect behind the vapour barrier and that insulation will be soaked. Regardless of how you want to insulate the basement, there's little question that you should replace that stuff at least.

Even the builder strongly advised us to wait a year or so before finishing the basement, rather than paying them to do it.