# Cost of Refinishing Basement



## Fisherman30 (Dec 5, 2018)

So a lot of you have probably seen my threads discussing our desire to move to a different neighbourhood with more space, a bigger house etc. Well, as it turns out, that is unattainable for under $600 000. With realtor fees for selling my house, paying land transfer tax on the new place, and CMHC insurance, I would be looking at $49 000 just disappearing into thin air for these various fees. In addition to higher property tax, heating bills, etc. 

So now, we are considering finishing our basement. We have an 1150 sqft house already with 3 bedrooms on the main floor. I just got a rough estimate today that it would cost easily $80 000 or more to finish the basement. They said a bathroom alone would be about $40 000. I was kind of hoping to stay under $50 000 for the whole thing. I understand building materials have gone up a lot over the last couple of years, but I was hoping to get some input as to whether or not $80k is unreasonable. It is probably the most reputable basement developer in the city, and they do quite high-end work. 

Also, is it financially worth it to spend this kind of money finishing the basement?


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## Beaver101 (Nov 14, 2011)

^ Yes, since you need more space and can't get a bigger house. Financially-wise, you can sell you house easier and for more $$$ with a finished basement.


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## ian (Jun 18, 2016)

Costs can really vary. Depends on the level of finishing that you select. $40K for a basement bathroom seems steep to me but I do not know the issues.

One thing for certain....do not finish to a standard that is higher than your main floor, higher than the standard of other homes in the neighbourhood.

One thing that we do not regret doing when renovating a kitchen a number of years ago in a prior home was speaking with a neighbour who was an experienced realtor. She gave us some good insights of what to do and what not to do vis a vis the level of finishing that would provide a return on investment.


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## Money172375 (Jun 29, 2018)

Seems expensive. A basement bath could be had for under 10k. I wouldn’t spend more than 40-50 tops on a basement and even that’s a lot. I did the labour myself on our first home. Don’t think I spent more than 10k on materials. This was 20 years ago though. 

figure out how much wood, drywall, flooring, paint and bathroom fixtures you need. That will give you a good idea. There are lots of websites that can determine your material needs.


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## Ponderling (Mar 1, 2013)

As other say, depends. 

Maybe all new sewers to fit the bathroom so saw up the floor, hump dirt out, fresh gravel and concrete in. $$$
Maybe perimeter interior subdrain around the outside walls to deal with dampness. $$$
Move the washer, dryer, laundry sink, water heater to put into one area $$/
Hydroponic heating under sub floor and hydroponic boiler $$$
Rearrange heating ducts to gain useful head room $$
New basement stairs to reflect now a finished space $$-$$$
New external entry or enlarge a basement window if need to satisfy second exit to satisfy fire code.$$ to $$$
Larger windows to improve basement natural lighting woth larger window wells $$ to $$$
Larger electrical panel if needed to accommodate additional power circuits that go with the basement finish out $$$

So 80K sounds high, but it might be reasonable if you are asking for the moon.


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## londoncalling (Sep 17, 2011)

Agree with the posters above that prices will range based on geography, age of house, and desired finishes. with a young family it may not make sense to go with high quality finishes. Pets and children can quickly make a new area look old in a hurry. Bear in mind high end finishes and reputable buillder don't necessarily go hand in hand. In this case it amy be true but one can find a good builder that will do quality work for cheaper in cheaper areas. You have to decide if the primary purpose of this renovation is to improve resale value or to become a longer term home as they rarely are one in the same. As it pertains to resale you rarely want to have the nicest home on the block. Location is more important.


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## TomB16 (Jun 8, 2014)

Fisherman30 said:


> So now, we are considering finishing our basement. We have an 1150 sqft house already with 3 bedrooms on the main floor. I just got a rough estimate today that it would cost easily $80 000 or more to finish the basement. They said a bathroom alone would be about $40 000. I was kind of hoping to stay under $50 000 for the whole thing. I understand building materials have gone up a lot over the last couple of years, but I was hoping to get some input as to whether or not $80k is unreasonable. It is probably the most reputable basement developer in the city, and they do quite high-end work.


Renovation costs can vary from low to infinity. It is impossible to understand the problems and work involved from text or even pictures, most times.

Did the contractor suggest relocating the bathroom, perhaps closer to the stack, to save cost?

There are so many potential problems, they are impossible to list. The key to renovation is to keep in mind that anything that is touched has to be brought up to code. Sometimes this involves a lot of expensive work for relatively low gain. Often, you can save a lot of money with some minor redesign.


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## nobleea (Oct 11, 2013)

That seems a ridiculous price. Our basement is 1500 sq ft, with 10' ceilings. We have pricing in the 40K range for 1 BR, full bath, rec room, gym, storage, and massive home theater (no electronics included). When I did a couple spec homes a few yrs ago, a basement development on a 1000 sq ft basement was 20-25K all in.

40K for a bathroom is not realistic for a basement.


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## HappilyRetired (Nov 14, 2021)

I'd never spend $80k on a basement, well maybe if I won a lottery.

If the plumbing is already roughed in a competent DIYer can build a half bath for $2k or less. As to a finished basement, it all depends on how far you want to go. You can frame the exterior walls, a bedroom, and storage area, drywall, put up a suspended ceiling, and put in LVP flooring for $10k - $15k or so if you're handy.


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## Faramir (11 mo ago)

That seems excessive. We turned a large bathroom into a laundry room / bathroom. Where the LR was we built another bedroom. That was about $18,000. We did use someone who was a fellow just working for himself in retirement. You kind of get what you pay for. He didn't do the best job with the bath tub tiling.


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## Eager Beaver (11 mo ago)

$80K seems high however the employees gotta make a fair living. The cost of living is riding so fast.

My wife loves renovating. She does all her own work. I get in the way. She renovated 1200 sq feet in our basement about 18 months ago. Created a 2 bedroom mother-in-law type suite. She built a kitchen from scratch including a new fridge and double sinks. Taps. All cupboards. Hand built cabinets. Counter tops. Ect. Updated a bathroom. New flooring throughout . Installed exterior french doors. Shiplap on walls. Lighting. Ect. She did all her own labor but spent about $25K on materials. You could easily double that if you have to pay for labor. Then add all the price increases in materials and labor costs since then. I can see how it would cost $80K today.


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## Retiredguy (Jul 24, 2013)

Vancouver area.... 5 years ago my relative had 2 quotes to gut and redo a basic 5 x 8 bathroom. The quotes were 18000 & 18500 from established companies. He ended up buying all the materials and fixtures, hiring a plumber, drywaller and tiller and did a few things himself. He also added in floor heat. All in he did it for $5500.


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