Right on the heels of Hot Unsettled Summer, I give you the season of basement finishing: Expensive Entrenched Autumn. We are committing to the current house! We are making improvements! We are spending a lot of money!!
As of this week we’re officially in the “plans and contract” phase with a contractor we found and love, but–like most things this year–it was hard to get there. Turns out my expectations on cost were more vibes-based than reality-based, so when every bid we got came in double what I was expecting, I freaked out.
I had about four days of thinking I could DIY everything, but I started reading about concrete leveling and venting a bathroom to the exterior and taping drywall and getting permits and I had to admit that doing major construction is beyond my current skill set, especially with a job to do and an aging cat to watch like a hawk every waking moment and people to cook for. (Did it kill me to admit that? A little.)
But you know what made me feel a lot better about spending the money to have someone else do the basement? Looking up the average cost of a wedding. For the price of one night of dinner, drinks, and venue for 75-100 of our nearest and dearest, we can get a whole extra bedroom and bathroom (and I can skip to the fun part of looking at tile and vanities and wallpaper).
As Doc said, “A basement is forever!”