Looking for a Contractor
myjaxon July 26th, 2009
So Jesse and I are looking at our finances and we’re thinking we’ll be able to start finishing the basement this fall. I’m so excited! Actually, I’m scared of the end result simple because it’s going to reduce the size of the main living area in the basement, but it’ll make a lot of people happy. So, this is what we’re thinking of doing.
Jesse will finally get his office. Originally, Jesse was designing his office in a way that would work best for him. And while that is what we should do, I also wanted it to be designed in a way that would sell as a second bedroom. Jesse’s plans really didn’t have that in mind. So Jesse is getting a slightly smaller office than he originally envisioned, but it’s still the size of the master bedroom upstairs.
Ian is going to get a playroom in the guise of a spare bedroom. Eventually, my office will move into that room, but that’s after we transform my current office into a dining room (we will never use it as a bedroom since there’s a door right next to the back door). But for now, Ian will have his own room to play in, and if we ever have another kid, we’ll need a place for all the toys they’ll accumulate.
The previous owners started putting in a second bathroom downstairs, but only got as far as installing the plumbing. So we’ll be finishing that project. It’ll be another full bath, with a shower, sink and toilet, but the shower will be a stand-up stall only. For being a basement bathroom, I really don’t see the point of a tub. Plus, I’m not a fan of tubs since I really can’t fit into one comfortable.
As for the main living area, if you’re wondering what that green line is, that’s Jesse’s projection TV. I’m not crazy about that idea, but it’ll take up less space than a regular TV, so I’m not arguing against it. We’re also going to put in some built-in media shelves in the area under the stairs. It’ll be a great place to store all the DVDs and other media equipment we’ll have.
We’re also talking about having the stairs redone. We’re not sure if they are still up to code and we’re going to price it out. I would like to get the stairs recarpeted and Jesse wants to change how they dump into the basement, but that’s all going to depend on how much it’ll cost. Plus, we’ll have to put in some kind of banister/ledge between the stairs and the rest of the basement since there isn’t one there already.
As for the storage room, that’s going to be another major project for later on. We’ll be sectioning that area off and putting in some shelves around the north side of the house, but the area with the washer/dryer is going to get completely gutted. I can’t stand having the dryer and washer separated, so they are going to be moved next to each other. Plus we have one of those old crappy solid concrete double sinks and I want to change that out for a single one and actually hook it up to the plumbing. I also have dreams of cabinets and a counter down here with more shelves and a closet under the stairs.
So those are our plans for our unfinished basement. Now the real fun comes and we start the search for a contractor. We’re not sure if we’ll end up using a contractor, but we want to make sure our floorplan is actually feasible before attempting it. Either way, construction won’t start until September, but that only gives us two months to get some estimates and find out what will be easier – us doing it with some help from the fathers or getting a professional in here. Jesse and I are pretty sure we’re going to have a contractor come in and redo the stairs, but aside from that, we’ll have to see.
So if anyone knows of a really good contractor who’ll give free estimates, let me know, will ya?