My husband & I want to finish our basement! Does this price sound about right?

Question

This independent contractor we met! Gave us the price of 35K to finish our basement. Is it accurate or bs? Here's the list!

Bargain Basements, Inc. proposes to finish approximately

1420 s.f. of basement- a turnkey price of $34,900.00. Included in this price are the following:

• All labor and material to frame, drywall, trim and paint approximately 1420 s.f.

• Frame trey ceilings in all rooms except bathroom to maximize ceiling height.

• Frame closet in hallway.

• All electrical wiring per local building code. Includes 2 phone and 2 cables.

• Baseboard, door casing, window casing, and doors to match 1st floor of existing home. 1 piece 4”crown molding inside trey ceilings.

• 1 trim color, 1 light base flat wall color and 1 ceiling color.

• Door hardware to match 1st floor of existing home.

• ½ “ drywall to be installed on walls and ceilings.

• Full bathroom including steel tub with tile surround and chrome faucet, elongated white toilet, 36” white vanity with cultured marble top

Answer 1

That does sound reasonable but did you get a second or third quote to compare pricing?

Answer 2

The price is not unreasonable.  But there are some things missing that you need to get clarified:

- There is no mention of wall insulation.

- There is no mention of heating, air conditioning, or exhaust fan for bathroom.

- There is no mention of number or types of light fixtures.

- There is no mention of floor coverings (carpet? vinyl? ceramic tile? bamboo, engineered hardwood or laminate flooring?)

- If any of the rooms are to be used as bedrooms, each must have an egress window large enough to meet building code.

- Drywall beneath a stairway must be 5/8" thick (not 1/2") and smoke alarms are needed to meet fire code.