YMC ConstructionBasement finishing · Chicago
Basement remodeling
A basement finished in the 1970s, 80s or 90s is often the hardest kind to update well. Paneling, a drop ceiling and carpet on the slab can hide damp, tired wiring and work nobody permitted. We open it up, find out what is there, and rebuild it properly.
What is involved
Remodeling a basement that is already finished is a different job from finishing a bare one. The old walls have to come down before anyone knows what is behind them, and what is behind them decides the price.
We look for the things that matter before the design: staining or rot at the bottom of the old walls, carpet pad that has been wet, wiring that was added without a permit, and posts or beams that a new layout has to work around. Then we put the scope in writing, with the unknowns named rather than buried.
Basement ideas
Design examples for Chicago area basements. Open any photo for a closer look.
Planning notes
Old basement walls were often built straight against the foundation, with no break between the wood and the concrete. If the basement ever took water, the bottom of those walls is where it shows. We pull a section early so the scope is based on what is really there.
The same goes for the floor. Carpet laid straight on a slab holds moisture, and old vinyl or tile can need care to take up. We tell you what we find and what it changes before the new design is locked.
A lot of older basements were finished without a permit, by an owner or a handyman. Extra outlets run off one circuit, a bathroom drain without a proper vent, or a bedroom with no way out are common.
When we pull the permit for your remodel, that work comes into the open. It is better to deal with it now, on your schedule, than to have a buyer find it at inspection.
A drop ceiling gives access to valves and cleanouts and costs you height. Drywall looks better and gives back an inch or two. Where a valve or a cleanout has to stay reachable, we add an access panel rather than a whole grid.
Steel posts carry the beam above them. They can sometimes be moved or removed with a new beam sized by an engineer, but wrapping them is usually the better answer. We tell you which before you plan the room around a column that has to stay.
Common questions
Usually, if walls, wiring or plumbing change. New paint and new flooring on their own often do not need one, but the line is drawn by your town. We check your village or the City of Chicago list and pull whatever the job needs in our name.
Sometimes. A steel post carries the beam above it, so removing one means a new beam sized by an engineer and a permit. Moving a post a few feet is often simpler than removing it, and wrapping it is usually the best value.
Keep it where you need access, lose it where you need height. A drywall ceiling gives back an inch or two and looks finished. An access panel covers the valve or the cleanout that has to stay reachable.
Free estimate
Fill out the form and we will call to set a time to look at your basement. The estimate is free and there is nothing to sign.
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