Everyone has their own reasons for remodeling the basement. Whether it’s to add an additional bedroom or simply expand some of the liveable space in your home with a new living room, you’ve got your reasons. But what exactly can you expect when using a remodeling contractor? If you are using the GC to do a full remodeling project, then at minimal you would expect them to handle everything from start to finish. This should also include design, engineering, plans and drawings, attaining permits, before and after inspections, demolition and removal, and all the work involved. However, if you have never been down this process before, here’s what you can expect to happen as kind of a general rule of thumb when looking to hire a basement remodeling contractor.
Step 1: Phone Consultation – This is more introductory than anything but it should be used to discuss your basement remodeling needs. Let them know your thoughts on what you have currently and what you are expecting out of your project. This will help lay the foundation and give the contractor a general idea and guideline to work from so they can come prepared for the next step in the process. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Any reliable contractor will take the time to answer them and if you are not satisfied, just stop there and move on to the next one on the list. But be sure to use this time to kind of get to know them and see if they might be a good fit for your project.
Step 2: Site Visit and Inspection – As a follow-up, the contractor should schedule an initial visit with you to give the basement a good inspection. At this juncture, expect the contractor to start taking measurements and talking about different materials that will be used to get the desired results. General shop talk is over. It’s time to start getting into the specifics and details about the scope of work your project is going to require. This will likely not be a short visit. Expect it to take some time. Again, ask questions and be comfortable with the answers.
Step 3: Basic Estimate – The basic estimate is pretty much a “rough draft” provided to you based upon the information up to this point on your remodeling project. It should be high-level, but to avoid any surprises, it should include at a minimum a written list of everything that’s going to be a part and included in your project. It should also include any references the contractor may have, their insurance policy and a general overall timeline. You should give them at least 24 to 48 hours to get this back in your hands. That will give them ample time to really think about the remodel and go over all aspects in an attempt to uncover anything they may have overlooked. You want to be able to use this to get an accurate bid.
Step 4: Your Approval – Up to this point, it’s been all in the contractors hands. But now that you’ve got the estimate in your hands, it’s your turn now. You shouldn’t feel pressured to give an approval to continue to the next step, if you are, then that’s a good indication that you might not want to be working with that contractor. Up to now, everything should have been free of charge. Once you start getting into the next steps, expect to start opening up your pocket book a bit. Basically once you are saying here now is that “yes, I agree with what’s been stated up to this point and would like to proceed”. By this point, you should have received 2 or 3 other estimates from insured contractors to get a good feel and compare what’s being offered. You’ll need to narrow them down now and make a choice. Cost is a big decision but it shouldn’t be your only one as most of the time, you end up getting what you pay for. Here’s some other things to keep in mind. Keep an eye on what all is included. See that the bids include all labor, materials, permits and any other necessary items. If you discover that there are pieces missing from ones that are included in the others, either ask them to include it so you can make a viable decision or simply use it as a discard and focus on the complete ones. It’s the little things that are missed in the inclusion process that can end up hurting your bottom line overall later. Things like flooring and fixtures. Also, you may want to check with your local Better Business Bureau and call on some of their references to see what kind of history the contractor may have. It’s big picture time.
Step 5: Detailed Bid – Once you’ve picked your contractor, expect to receive a detailed bid. This will now list all the details including materials with quoted costs that will be your final price for your remodeling project. At this point, it may be required to have some construction drawings. If this is the case, expect that you will have to pay to receive them. The detailed bid itself should be part of the service and not be charged.
Step 6: Acceptance – After you have reviewed the detailed bid, you will need to give written acceptance of the project. Most times this is simply your signature on the contract. Once signed, your basement remodeling project will get scheduled. You should receive as a part of that, a specific timeline and final copy of the contract for you to keep and review. You’ll also likely be presented with a payment schedule and be required to produce a deposit so initial materials and supplies can be purchased. You should not be required to pay in full up front.
Step 7: Project Start – Everything is signed, sealed and delivered and the project is ready to get under way. It’s now time for the dust to start flying and your contractor will begin all the site preparation work. As part of that, they should be taking measures to protect your home as well to minimalize all the construction going on in your home. Just be aware that sometimes things happen. If something is uncovered or changes during the actual construction process like you adding a new feature or the contractor doing something a little extra, it should be brought to your attention through a change order. That work should not commence until you have reviewed and accepted and both the contractor and the home owner has signed the change order.
Now that you know the 7 steps for hiring a basement remodeling contractor and what you can expect, let’s have a little more general talk on what you can expect surrounding cost and timelines. As a general rule of thumb, and probably more on an average, what you can gauge for the cost of a basement remodeling project at this point while trying to get a ball park figure is around $35 per square foot. Quality and price can vary from project to project, just beware of the low-ballers. The next thing you’ll want to know is how long a basement remodeling project takes. Depending on what you are having done and the extent of work involved, this type of project takes some time. Expect and prepare for your project to take anywhere from 6 to 12 weeks as demolition has to occur, materials have to acclimate, and work and finishing take time.
