Yes, I know I'm sort of interviewing myself here. This is a new type of post I'm trying out. Let me know what you think. Do you want to read more stories from other people who've finished their own basement? (leave a comment below)
Name and General Location:
Jason - Ashburn, Virginia
Basement Size :
Roughly 1300 square feet
Main Rooms:
Kids Play Room (future pool table area), Living Room, Office, Game Area (air hockey, pinball), Full Bathroom, Storage Area
What Phases Did You Do Yourself?
Permits, Framing, Electrical, Trim, Painting
Finishing my basement was.... A complete shock to me. I never expected I would do it and I surprised myself when I started. In the end I absolutely loved learning all of the trades and seeing progress each weekend.
Preparation
Q: What is your normal day job?
I'm a former computer programmer who now manages digital marketing and media.
Q; What type of previous DIY experience did you have?
Well, I could sort of hang a picture straight. Honestly, not very much. I'd really never used a mitre saw or a nail gun. I once tried to replace a light switch in our dining room with a dimmer switch and I ended up knocking out the power to half the house. So.... not much.
Q: How much did it cost you to finish your basement yourself?:
About $13,120 all in.
Q: How much value do you think you added to your home:
Around $35,000
Here is my basement family room just after drywall. That rolling shelf on the back wall, awesome, made it so easy to move stuff around while I worked on different areas.
MOTIVATION:
Q: What made you want to start finishing your own basement?
The dead of winter and 3 kids made me want to start. Or at the very leastthey made me want to nail something into wood. Honestly my wife bought me a miter saw for my birthday (in Jan.) and I just started to mess around. I built a tool area and workbench in a corner of the basement - the project grew from there.
Q: When did you feel like, yes, I'm actually going to do this?
After I did my test wall I framed in a second wall about 20 feet long. Once I finished that and saw that it was straight and met the code requirements - I knew that at the very least I would frame my own basement.
Q: What was your favorite tool?
Hands down the framing gun. I also bought the braid nailer and a staple gun, those were fun as well. And a table saw - that was a very close second place. I became a bit of tool junkie. I ended up getting a concrete angle grinder, a door set jig, a new sump pump - all kinds of stuff.
Q: Man Up! Which part of finishing your basement made you feel like "dang, I'm feeling kinda manly right now" ?
One day in particular I remember wearing my leather tool belt weighted down with a hammer, tape measure, and some of those giant carpentry pencils (why in the world do those things look like they were made for Fred Flintstone?).
Anyway... The sun was streaming in and there was a lot of saw dust stuck to my arms because I was starting to sweat a bit. I was cutting and framing this long span of wall near the door. I had the nail gun in one hand when Jenn came downstairs and brought me a glass of ice tea - I'd say right about then, I felt pretty manly.
That framed wall in the back is my favorite that was my first real wall. Once I put the insulation in the noise from the HVAC was really reduced, the whole basement felt quiet.
Just Doing It
Q: Tell us about wood
Did you know you can fit about 35 eight foot studs in a Honda pilot and still shut the door? I was scared to put wood on the roof rack at first because I wasn't confident that I could tie it down correctly? Is that crazy or what? I thought I just needed 1 shipment of wood, ended up eventually with 3, plus several Home Depot runs. You always need more than you think.
Q: What was the hardest thing to learn (for you) about finishing a basement?
Probably framing basement walls. Specifically framing around ductwork and framing in soffits. Now that I know how to do it, it would be easy, but I can distinctly remember banging my head against the wall trying to visualize how you're suppose to do it.
Q: Did you do your own electrical for your basement?
Yes. Honestly though, I really didn't think I could at first. In fact I had planned on hiring it out but my budget just couldn't support that. Plus I wasn't 100% sure what I wanted where. I started by just installing a few pot lights onto an existing circuit and from there I just learned a little bit more each weekend.
Q:Did you do your own drywall or hire someone? How did that go?
I hired a company to do my drywall. For me, this was the best decision of the project. They knocked it out in about 7 days, did a great job and did it for less than what I could have on my own. Mainly because they could buy drywall a lot cheaper than me.
Q: How long would you say it took you? When did you typically work?
From true start to finish I would say about a year. I mostly worked weekends but I would usually plan, read and buy supplies on the weeknights leading up to the weekend. I skipped a few weekends for family events, vacations. If were to do a second basement - I could do it in 6 months.
The tiling around my basement shower took quite a while but to me it was worth it. By awhile I'd say a month and half of weekends and prep. Remember, I'd never tiled anything before.
Accomplishment
Q: Describe what it feels like to accomplish a project like this ?
It really surprised me. I felt great each week where I made progress. It was a real confidence booster. I didn't even realize that I needed a confidence boost but you get so caught up in your day to day world - you forget that you have these other skills inside of you that need to get out once in awhile. You're not just a computer. It felt great!
Q: Which room in your basement are you most proud of?
For me it would have to be the workshop. This was the first wall I framed and wired. I've always wanted a tucked away workshop. I can't wait to see how it evolves over the years as my family grows.
In my mind someday it's a cool, tucked away, guy hang out room or a guest bedroom where relatives stay and relax over Christmas break. Or it's just another storage room like it is right now!
Q: Who was most surprised that you had tackled something like this?
I would probably have to say my wife. I think she thought I was crazy or would seriously injure myself. I don't blame her though, given my lack of track record on home improvement projects - finishing a basement wasn't something I even expected to be doing.
Q: Is there anyone you want to thank for helping your along ? Family / friends?
My brother in law Brandon for helping me with the bathroom and teaching me how to frame soffits. Mark and Tom for stopping by to review my work and giving me the confidence to get started. AND! My wife Jenn, for putting with the noise and distractions despite our new baby boy Cameron.
Here's a cool shot of my bathroom. Those two blue boxes are for the sconce lighting I put on each side of the mirror.
Encouragement for Others
Q: What would you say to a complete stranger who was thinking of finishing their basement on their own?
I would say... don't think about it anymore. Go and do it. For this, don't be a spectator, don't wish, don't hope, don't dream and plot... just start. Resolve to only spend time actually making progress.
If you've finished your basement I'd really like to share your story on this blog. Leave a comment below or email me.
If this interview has inspired you to get started - subscribe the newsletter for a weekly email with great basement finishing content.
Cheers - Jason
Jason -
I think having a subsection of your website where others can show pictures of their before/during/after basement finishing will only enhance your website more! Kinda like a guest blogger? I think we're going to need a bigger bo... website.
I would A) Love to see others pictures and B) Love to submit to you pictures of my own finishing project.
I am just getting started, however, I know I am already doing things a little differently in a couple aspects.
1. I am using waterproof paint to seal my concrete walls. I don't recall seeing info on your site about this. It will act as a great vapor barrier for the basement.
2. I am going to be using the rigid foam to insulate the walls prior to framing. I believe you only have a link to another site with this. But some pics on your site of this process would be good too.
Feel free to get a hold of me if you would be interested in something like this.
Adam - IL
Adam - You're reading my mind. I definitely have plans to add a reader content area or perhaps a membership type section where everyone can hang out while they're working on their basements. I've already learned a bunch of things from readers that I wished I'd known when I was finishing my basement.
Yes, waterproofing and water control is a big section that I'm missing. I'm looking for a guest writer to create 20-30 articles on that specific topic. My own experience is limited to sump-pumps and exterior drainage. I'd really like to find someone who's done a good bit of research and has personal experience with the moisture / basement smell issues.
I appreciate your offer to share some pictures and your experiences, I'll absolutely be reaching out. Just got back from a week at the beach so I'm stilling swimming in emails from this site and my regular job.
Good luck with your basement finishing project!
Jason
After moving into my 88-year-old home I had everything upgraded by hiring professionals, however, finishing off the basement by myself has been a dream that blogs and articles like this inspire me to attempt. My day work and research revolve around academic stuff and although I enjoy needlework and baking and other creative things women typically do for downtime, tackling the basement reno would feel like a wonderfully practical project. I'm off to Home Depot !
Jason,
It was about a year ago I started reading your posts on this site. About 7 months ago I started adding a bedroom to the basement. I just passed my final inspection on the bedroom. It's about 250 square feet in size including a walk-in closet with massive built-ins, a desk area with more built-ins, and a media center with even more built-ins. I built it for my teenager since his current room was pretty small. I took your advice on using LEDs and used 7 6-inch HALOs, 3 wall sconces (on a dimmer), and a fan/light combo. Next up I'm getting a permit to add an adjoining bathroom which is going to require moving the rough-in...I'm kinda excited to do it myself considering a plumber quoted me about $1500 to move it a couple feet. It's definitely take a LOT longer to do this than I thought, but since I can only devote my weekends to the project I guess it isn't too bad...and I paid cash for everything so I was able to budget over that time. I'd be happy to share pictures...or even share my Facebook album on your Facebook page.
Thanks for giving me the courage to start this project.
Jon
Oh, I forgot to mention that I live in Colorado and one thing that is done differently here is you have to "float" your basement walls due to the soil. You can't frame walls the way you've described or ANY of the basement finishing books describe. Floating basement walls is completely different.
Jon - Ahhhh floating walls, so weird but I have heard of them before. I don't suppose you'd want to write a blog post about installing floating walls? I'd like to get some first hand tips from someone who has actually done it. - Jason
I'll see if I can put something together.
That's awesome Jon! So excited to hear that the blog inspired you. I'm going to send you an email off-line - I'd love show some of your photos on the Facebook page and as a blog post. Especially pics of all the built-ins, I love those! - Jason