Design Stage This is where it absolutely must begin! Ideas, Ideas, Ideas…that you will turn into your new awesome living space! But…before you can build anything, you need to Design your new finished basement. During this Design Stage you will be putting together your “working floor plan. You will use this floor plan as your “blueprint” to build from.This “blueprint” will keep you from getting of-course during the project.
Layout Stage This is one of the most important and critical steps of the project. Basically…what you’ll be doing during the layout stage is transferring all of the wall lines on your floor plan to the concrete floor. You’ll be using your “chalk box” to do this. You are then going to build your new basement walls directly on-top of these lines you are making. So these lines have to be right-on!
Framing Stage This is when you actually begin the hands-on stages of the project. You will turn a pile of 2″ x 4″ stud lumber into all of your “framed” exterior and interior walls during this stage. You will really see the project take shape. Get ready for some saw action, nailing action and even some gun powder and smoke during the framing stage!The tools you will be using for the framingproject are some of the coolest!
Electric Stage Me do electric you say!? Yep your going to do it and your going to love it! After your walls are all framed and finished, it’s time to “wire” the project. Electric is not hard to do! So if your a little intimidated by it…DON”T BE! It’s actually a lot of fun and it’s a BIG MONEY SAVERI’ll show you how to wire all of your outlets, switches and lights…you’ll be famous!
Plumbing Stage Got a bathroom, Wet Bar, or Laundry area in your Design? Well you will be installing all of your rough-in plumbing for these areas during the Plumbing Stage. The drain line system and the water supply line system get installed at this stage.
HVAC Stage The HVAC stands-for Heating, Ventilation and Air-conditioning, and your basement needs these elements to stay healthy! During this stage you will install your HVAC “Feed runs” and Return-air runs” which feed and return the heating and air-conditioning to your new finished areas.
Insulation Stage This is the final stage before Drywall is hung. You will be insulating all of your exterior walls during this stage. You may even be insulating a few interior walls to create a sound-barrier for certain finished areas. Properly Insulating is a critical element in maintaining comfort and energy efficiency in your new finished spaces.
Drywall Stage Here’s where the basement really takes “form”…it starts to look like real living space after the drywall is hung. All of the framing, wires, pipes insulation disappear and rooms appear! This is the most labor intensive stage of your basement without a doubt!
Painting Stage Next you will be painting your way towards the finish-line when you paint your new drywall! Your new walls, ceilings and soffits will get there new colors during this stage. I also paint my trim and doors before I install any of them during this stage. It’s so much easier to paint the doors and trim before they’re installed…much less “cutting-in” work once the trim and doors have been installed!
Trim Stage Once your all painted-up it’s time to begin my favorite stage of the project…the trim. Trimming is like the putting-on the “crown jewels” of the basement project. All trim, stairway banister railings, possibly even some crown molding and chair-rail, base trim and other trim are all installed during this stage. Your basement “jumps to life” during the trim stage and really starts to look “finished”! Also…if your building a custom bar or kitchen area, I like to install all of my cabinetry during the trim stage.
Hardware Stage This is the “final touches” phase of the basement project. Items like closet shelving, build-in bookcase shelving, door knobs, door stops, smoke detectors, outlet and switch covers, recessed light trim rings, etc. all get installed moving the project towards final completion.
Flooring Stage This is when your carpet and padding are installed by a flooring contractor…you won’t be doing the carpeting! Everything else at this point of the project is 100% completed. All construction debris, tools, excess building supplies, etc. are all cleaned-up and removed from the job-site.
The basement floor has had the shop-vac run over it really well removing any remaining project dust. Your now ready for the “carpet guys”…it’s time to “roll out the red carpet” or whatever color your carpet is! Carpeting is always the very last item installed because you do not want to ruin your new rugs with construction debris!
