Basement Remodeling: How Long Does it Take?
Basement remodeling length entirely depends upon the basement’s size, what the homeowner wishes to involve, and how he shall organize it.
A simple renovation of a 90 square meter basement involving building and finishing walls, installing a drop ceiling, and you can do the flooring in a matter of 3-4 days with 230-250 staff hours.
However, converting a basement into a fully functional living area with a kitchen and a bathroom consumes much more of your time and can take up to a month to complete.
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Average Basement Remodeling Length
A basement is a blessing in the form of an extra room and has the capability of becoming anything you wish to make it- a game room, a private bar, a home theatre, and much more!
The time span for a basement finishing project depends on several factors—the project size, the contractor’s reliability, etc.
An average of 1000 square feet of basement takes around four weeks to finish. To get a better sense of your basement remodeling length, we will put down each step of the remodeling project, along with the time frame for each phase of the project.
1. Framing the wall of the basement takes around 2 to 3 days to finish.
2. The electrical work in the basement takes 2 days to finish.
3. The Drywall Installation in the basement takes 3 days to finish.
4. The Mudding and Sanding of the walls take up to 6 days.
5. Painting the Walls of the basement takes about 4 days.
6. The flooring takes about 3 to 4 days to finish.
7. The Trimming and Baseboards take 3 days to finish.
Contractor or DIY?
You can also do these things on your own or hire a contractor who will do it for you. The contractor can be an owner-operator, or he can have subcontractors working under him. To shorten the time duration of the process, contractors try to do things simultaneously. For example, if one wall of the basement has finished framing, the subcontractors start the electrical work on that wall while beginning to frame the other wall.
What we have mentioned above are the average timelines for the steps in the whole process. But any project rarely gets finished on time.
There are many variables mentioned before that affect the timeline of the process. Here are a few reasons or factors that may delay your basement remodeling project.
Professional Contractor
People today go to two extreme ends. Either they try to save up on the money going DIY for their remodeling projects, or they approach remodeling companies to help them with it. What you really need is a reliable and efficient contractor or company that understands his needs and desires, as well as their budget constraints. Any trustworthy remodeling company would tell you that a basement remodeling length is of around a month’s time and guide you through it.
Number of Workers
A factor that majorly affects your basement remodeling length is the number of workers working on the project. If you plan to DIY, it will take you forever to finish it since you may not be as well aware of the nitty-gritty as a professional contractor.
If you need your work to get over on time, you need to hire someone with a workforce. Working as a team finishes the work much faster than a solo worker. And not to forget, the experience of the worker matters too!
Size of the Basement
One of the most significant factors extending the basement remodeling length is the size of the basement. If your basement is less than 500 square meters in size, the finishing time may be just 2-3 weeks, compared to a 1000 square feet basement that may take double the time to finish.
Your contractor needs to measure the size of the basement before starting any demolition. The reason is that this will prepare the homeowner for the amount of time it will take for the remodeling project to finish.
After the measurement, the contractor can give you an average timeline, but you must consider the timeline longer due to unexpected delays.
Quality of Finishes
As the project comes to its end, it is time to focus on the finishes that the homeowner plans to have in the room.
Finishes for the doors, windows, paint, flooring, hardware, etc., have several different options for each. Depending on what options you choose, it will take more or less time to install.
One good example is flooring that you put after everything is over, such as carpet or laminate. This would take a maximum of 2 days to put. Engineered hardwood can take around five days to install in the same-sized basement. These factors differentiate the timeline.
Adding New Rooms
When you plan to make minute changes such as new floor installation, fresh paint, better finishing, etc., it may not take a long time to finish the basement remodeling project. However, if you plan to add an extra room, bathroom, or kitchen, the job’s timeline substantially increases.
Bedrooms, closets, and other separations may take a few days. In contrast, bathrooms and kitchens may take longer because of the extra plumbing, different flooring, and additional tiling work. It may either push the timeline or increase the working hours.
Unexpected Issues
It is not always that once you hire a contractor, your basement remodeling project will go effortlessly. Several unexpected problems arise and hinder the process, and it rarely ever goes smoothly.
Don’t worry that is entirely normal! When it comes to a basement, everyone knows that it is the house’s most neglected room. Therefore, it is bound to have cracks, water leaks, mold, and mildew. These things are not mentioned in the renovation cost and are dealt with separately.
A lot of times, material deliveries can delay the job by a considerable amount of time. If they do not deliver your materials on time, you cannot start the job. Therefore, you must order your materials well in advance.
There are also other problems, such as delayed inspections. Every structural change in the house needs a permit and approval for the building. These approvals and permit grants could take a while.
Inspections in the middle of the project may also delay the process if you cannot get an appointment with the inspector. This is why you need to select the right, professional contractor to care for all this.
Delay in Payments
When you hire professional help, there will be stages of payment. Usually, the process starts with a deposit and initial cost for the contractor to begin the job. The charge continues as the process goes on, and they must begin to order the materials.
If you are efficient in your payments to the contractor, you will not have delays in the process. However, if there are delays in payment from your side, the work is bound to get delayed. Some contractors stop the work till they do not get the pending cheque.