Check Out My "Man Cave" in Juice Magazine!

**cowboycurtis** · 01-21-2009, 11:27 AM

I am looking at getting my basement done in a year or so. the problem is, my 1970 ranch style house sits on part of a 1930's basement. so when i say redo the whole basement i mean we are having the basement completely dug out from underneath the house and all new concrete floors and block walls with tile to keep it from getting wet.

it is going to be a large project but should be great when done. the only thing is it will take most of the summer just to get the foundation with new plumbing finished. i know of very few people who have done this but it seems to work.

has anyone had experience with type of work? i am not looking forward to living with all the crap in the basement, upstairs for the 3-4 months.

**TheHelgo** · 01-21-2009, 11:49 AM

hey, this 'do it yourself' vs. 'hire it out' conversation is without option #3, which is the option I chose: Buy a house with an already finished basement that appeals to you. Of course this option only applies to those who are looking for a new house.....

**Wesley** · 01-21-2009, 11:51 AM

Originally Posted by cybsball20

Ceiling is too low and would get in the way of some physical Wii games...

If you have 8'-0" or more ceiling, it works....you might be surprised how little interfrence with overhead plumbing and wiring for using a projector.

**CY ST8T** · 01-21-2009, 11:55 AM

Couldn't disagree more with the 95% of people that do it themselves look just like that unless I am reading that wrong. There are at least 8 different friends of mine or relatives that did their own basements themselves and they look better than the upstairs done by a construction company. I finished my 720 square foot basement last year and hired nothing done. I get comments that it looks better than the upstairs and I definitely saved a ton doing it myself putting down Pergo floors and recessed lighting along with lots of little things I added myself in the process.

**Bubbahotep** · 01-21-2009, 11:58 AM

When you do it yourself, even the smallest imperfections are annoying, that's why my projects look better than what a contractor can do.

**CubsnClones** · 01-21-2009, 12:08 PM

Originally Posted by cybsball20

My Man Cave was featured in Juice Magazine this week...
http://dmjuice.desmoinesregister.com...UICEARCHIVENEW

Nice pad Mark. Now, you need to get that arm back in shape so you can play ball with the Oaks again next year..

Signed,

Your Beloved Catcher

**dmclone** · 01-21-2009, 12:09 PM

Originally Posted by Wesley

If you have 8'-0" or more ceiling, it works....you might be surprised how little interfrence with overhead plumbing and wiring for using a projector.

I think what he's saying is that when you play games like Wii Bowling you have to stand in front of the screen. When you stand in front of the screen the image will be on your back instead of the screen itself.

**2forISU** · 01-21-2009, 12:21 PM

Smile man. You look like the typical ISU fan...depressed.

How much do you charge an hour? Need some work on my rental properties.

**cybsball20** · 01-21-2009, 01:06 PM

Originally Posted by 2forISU

Smile man. You look like the typical ISU fan...depressed.

How much do you charge an hour? Need some work on my rental properties.

Haha, kinda a hike, don't you think? Beleive it or not, I have gotten job offers because of my work in that basement and the rest of the house...

**cybsball20** · 01-21-2009, 01:24 PM

Video tour is up on the main page... I'm going to try and embed it...

**Iastfan112** · 01-21-2009, 01:36 PM

Originally Posted by dmclone

I looked at doing it myself but the guy I hired was cheap and I probably would have spent months/years on the project and spent more on tools than he charged me. Everyone has different budgets, skills, timelines, etc so it's hard to generalize.

The only thing I did was paint and wire the A/V gear.

The months and years parts can be very true. From when I was about 5 years old to when I went to college my Dad and I worked on finishing our basement. Very professionally done but since we did all the work ourselves it took a long time to finish the whole area. I love it though, has my room and the gaming/entertainment rooms down there. I'm very glad my dad had me help him as I learned a lot about wiring, plumbing and drywall in the process.