# Basement Suite Design



## Jimmyrigconstruction (Jan 22, 2015)

Hello, 

I'm meeting with a draftsmen and contractor today to being designing and building a basement suite in my home. The suite is on the bottom (ground level) of a 3 story character home. The space is 1400 sqft, but I'd like to keep about 400 for our own use. We want the suite to have nice features, a large and bright bathroom, and to be incredibly sound proof. 

I'm wondering if anyone can share some ideas on designing their basement suite? I'm looking for any "must-haves," or anything you did and regret? We're hoping to spend about $60-$70,000 on the suite ( I know this can be done for cheaper etc, but I'm not into building it myself or using cheap items). I want this suite to last long enough that I can move in when retired-type thing. 
Thanks!
-Jim


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## Just a Guy (Mar 27, 2012)

If you really want it to last, don't rent it out. 

Tenants are hard on their places more often than not. 

I'd also make sure there was no direct access to the other portions of the house. 

Having been a landlord for years, I'd never want to have a tenant have access to my stuff or my family.

That being said, make stuff modular if possible. At some point you're going to need to upgrade cupboards, appliances, paint, fixtures, Etc. Make the walls, plumbing, wiring, etc top notch. Everything on the other side of the walls make functional and easy to replace. 

Don't skimp, buy quality paint. I also like laminate flooring, but put tile by the entrance way as wet footware will wreck laminate. Avoid carpets.


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## Rusty O'Toole (Feb 1, 2012)

First of all, is this legal where you are? If not, better forget it. Also, having such a suite will not increase the value of the property at least, not as much as it costs.

Most tenants are not that interested in their homes, that is why they prefer to rent. Expensive quality features are a waste of money. If the place is clean and in good repair you will have no trouble renting it. Good quality laminate floors, Moen plumbing from Home Depot, and similar standard hardware countertops cupboards etc are fine.

Think of the standards you would expect of a good hotel.

This assumes it is for a rental. If it is for your mom that is different but you didn't say.


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## GaryJS (Mar 11, 2015)

I can probably help you, been a owner/operator in small construction and renovations since '92. Just to clarify, is this the basement of the house? You stated 'ground level', which to me means main floor or first level. It is important to distinguish between the two if you are planning on renting.


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## nobleea (Oct 11, 2013)

Assuming you can't modify the floor above you to lay some gypcrete down, definitely blow in insulation between the joists once all the wiring is done. Then maybe hang the ceiling drywall from resonant channel. And go with a second layer of drywall with green glue sandwhiched between them. If you really want a soundproofed place, give it it's own heating system. Sheetmetal ductwork is horribly noise conductive. A small minisplit will probably work, plus give them the option of AC.


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## Cal (Jun 17, 2009)

Separate entrance would be a must for me....


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## tygrus (Mar 13, 2012)

Sorry if this is a little harsh, but you are planning on living above a renter for a number of years, then moving to the basement yourself in a number of years and presumably living below tenets above you? This sounds like a circle of hell to me. Have you ever had a tenant before? They are a huge pain in the *** above or below you. You should never live in the same quarters as a tenant.

Why not consider a different approach, convert the entire house to rental and then you move out to peace and serenity.


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## Jimmyrigconstruction (Jan 22, 2015)

Thank you for the thoughts everyone. 

A few things:

1)This is a legal suite in the City of Victoria. The whole thing will be done with permits and inspections and modern code. 

2) The basement of my home is at "ground level." So the tenants will not be below ground. This should increase the value of the suite as there is a lot of light, and the windows overlook some nice gardens. 

3)I plan on using good quality materials, but not expensive high-end. Thank you for the ideas that everything should be designed to be replaceable in 5-10-20 years as tenants lead to more wear-and-tear. 

I'm planning on using a resilient channel to soundproof the suite, double 5/8 drywall, insuite laundry, and as much sound proofing as possible.


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## balexis (Apr 4, 2009)

Sounds like you have a good plan. I don't agree with Tygrus that you should never live in the same quarters as a tenant. It is a risk of course, that one can calculate and minimize. You have to be ready emotionally to deal with the worst situation possible, ie ending up with a violent/aggressive tenant that screams at you whenever you come and go to/from your *own home*. You need a good screening before leasing to someone (look for a landlord association -- they usually offer very good screening services that are worth every penny). With this risk comes a reward can be interesting financially, if you get your numbers correct. Have you checked how much a similar unit can he rented in your market, to see if the suite costs will provide proper ROI?

Looks like you know your stuff regarding sound proofing. Resilient furrings, 2x 5/8 gypsum (go for the heavier Type-X aka Firecode gypsum) is pretty as good as it gets for an affordable amount of money.

There is some nice documentation from the CMHC about soundproofing:
https://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/publications/en/rh-pr/tech/90246.htm
https://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/publications/en/rh-pr/tech/90247.htm

Ideally, plan for a separate electrical panel. Its just easier than to renting "all included" which can lead to abuse.

My 0.02$, good luck!


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## nobleea (Oct 11, 2013)

balexis said:


> Ideally, plan for a separate electrical panel. Its just easier than to renting "all included" which can lead to abuse.


There are some pretty inexpensive submetering options nowadays. $600 gets you a revenue-grade metering system with online tracking and billing for gas, water, and power ($600 covers all three).


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## tygrus (Mar 13, 2012)

As a former reluctant landlord, I cannot warn you enough about tenants. They suck, period. There is a reason they are renters, they have no money hence they have no responsibility, and no care about your place. On top of that, you appear to be relying on this renter for your retirement income. What happens when the place is unrented for 3 months or worse yet, your renter doesn't pay for a couple months and it takes you 6 months to toss their *** out all while they flaunt it in your face. That happened to me and by the time I got them evicted, I was down $6,000. 

Better to buy a REIT with that money and DRIP it until you retire. 8% hassle free monthly income sounds absolutely dreamy. Dealing with deadbeats that live with you sounds like hell.


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## Jimmyrigconstruction (Jan 22, 2015)

I know a lot of folks have had problems with renters, but I truely believe this can be avoided with good screening, a respectful relationship with the tenants, and a very nice suite. 

I rented my old home for 5 years (4 sets of renters) and did not have ONE SINGLE PROBLEM (if you can believe that). All of them were fantastic individuals who were too young to buy their own place, or had different life values ( I don't blame some people for not wanting to spend $500,000 on a home here in Victoria). 

I can rent a 2-bedroom suite here for $1500, which is $18,000 (before taxes). This equates to a 18% return on a $100,000 investment. Far better than what a REIT can pay.


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## Sherlock (Apr 18, 2010)

What about smells? If you have a tenant who loves to eat garlic, you will smell it every time the heater blows. A separate heating system sounds like a good idea.


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## Jimmyrigconstruction (Jan 22, 2015)

Thanks! Yes, the suite will be heated by baseboards and will not be connected at all to the main home's heating/ventilation system. I will ensure the suite has a strong kitchen fan and bathroom fan to ensure all humidity/smell from cooking/bathing is removed from the home.


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## CharlesF.Donahue (Jan 7, 2015)

There are having several tips which will work great for your basement suit design, remodeling a basement is no small feat, most of the houses are equipped with basement and their are some houses which we can built by planning, there are many websites are available who are providing the ideas for remodeling the home like here is basement. Basement is just the area which we used for keeping the some stuffs of home. You just get a nice inexpensive ideas from this pre-defined websites.


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## GPM (Jan 23, 2015)

*Best Thing I Ever Did*

I live in Victoria. Lack of tennants is not a problem. Poor tennants can happen but people rent here because they HAVE TOO. Housing is out of reach. Want a dog, you can't buy a condo, so a rental house is the only option. This isn't Saskatoon where if you can't afford a house, you are already a poor rental risk. Join ROM's. Landlord BC I think it is called now. They teach you how too screen, rent, evict, go to court, they have custom rental agreements and any other necessary forms specific to BC, as well as call in support. They also do credit checks. Phone second previous landlord as well as employer to check them out. BC is the most rental owner friendly province there is. Screening tennants and sound proofing is the key. You can do more than drywall and insulate. There is sound proofing material like felt (we have) or you can put a type of barring between the drywall to dampen noise (sorry, I'm not a buildier). We can only hear base if it is cranked up high enough to vibrate the walls. It's a home suite, so no over head to cover. Therefore, if you lose a tennant, who cares. You are losing spending money. We did it as practice for buying rentals and the leverage involved. Also great for aging parents. I left it empty until I did ROMS so I knew what I was doing within reason. It raised the value of my house double what it cost to do. I love laminate personally and hate hardwood , but we sprung for a tile floor in bathroom, expensive counter top (seriously, it's small so the extra cost is negligible), and put in bamboo flooring-not much more than laminate and looks way better. Allowed us to raise the rent a bit to get rid of the riffraff. Tennants for 5 years. Don't go two bedroom in your house. It invites families or buddies. You want a single professional or responsible person. Also, you're finishing you're basement. If you hate renting, turn it into a rec room and spare room. As mentioned above, modular pieces are ideal, but help in this situation. We used ikea and Canadian Tire. Looks beautiful. Higher quality fixtures stand up better to rougher clients, just like an office. Don't allow pets, especially cats. They stink. Electric wall heaters with fans are quiet and provide heat more evenly and more quickly. I would have put in two suites if I could have! Happy renting.


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## CharlesF.Donahue (Jan 7, 2015)

Well, Few designers were able to design the best basement suite. Unique architectural features and positive accent color make your basement awesome. You can take reviews or search designs related to basement on the internet.


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