Remodeling a Chicago Greystone Basement

Renovating a Chicago Basement.  The Windy City is known for its Bungalow and Greystone homes. Bungalows can be found throughout the city’s South & West Sides. These single-family, low-pitched homes have full basements. On the other hand, Greystones are found near the North Side and these homes posses full basements with corridors and low-ceilings.

Since Greystones are fairly old dwellings, many of the homes have wooden-pilings on top of the concrete foundation. This is great for water-absorption, but it decreases head-room while standing.

What’s the difference between finishing and remodeling?

Refinishing vs Remodeling Your Basement. Renovating a basement is a major task, but most people can’t differentiate between refinishing and remodeling. Refinishing is all about sprucing-up the area by adding drywall, encasing the pipes/duct work and adding a floor. Remodeling is more about infrastructure since you’ll be implementing the plumbing, adding electrical wiring and rearranging walls.

Things To Consider:

If you’re in the refinishing process, then you won’t be making any major changes because the project is strictly superficial.

If you’re in the remodeling process, then you’re basically “gutting” the area for optimal performance.

Types of Flooring

When it comes to basement renovations, the options are vast. Since hardwood isn’t a typical-preferred sub-flooring, homeowners can use a substitution like:

Laminate Flooring
Carpet
Ceramic Tile Flooring
Rubber Flooring
Engineered Wood
And more

Finishing Your Basement In Chicagoland

Most of these wonderful flooring-types are designed to handle humidity through moisture-resistant plywood cores, epoxy coating and vapor-barrier sheeting. If you’re residing in “Chicagoland,” then Home Fixology flooring-contractors can hook-you-up with top-rated contractors in the area.

INTERVIEWING BASEMENT CONTRACTORS IN CHICAGO

Basement remodeling contractors are highly sought after professionals because they can do the entire job rather than one job task at a time. Therefore if you take your time to interview local experienced remodeling companies it will pay off. Basements offer a great return on investment and are very attractive for potential home buyers should you ever decide to sell your home.

EXPERIENCE FINISHING BASEMENT IN CHICAGO

Ideally you want to work with a basement contractor who has the experience necessary to complete your project on time and on budget. Professional contractors also expect things from you the homeowner. Be up front with any questions or concerns you have. They will appreciate the opportunity to address your concerns.

How long have you been in business?

Do you have a contracting license?

Do you work with a dedicated team?

What if I decide to add additional rooms in my basement can you accommodate this as well?

CHICAGO BUILDING PERMITS

When finishing a basement you may need permits. This includes all proper building inspections during the process and after the project is completed. Additionally, each specialty trade, such as electrical or plumbing, has its own permit.

Will you include the cost of all required permits into my contract?

Do you have experience in my local municipality pulling permits?

CONTRACTS

Basement Remodeling Contracts are important. Negotiate the items you want included.

How do you provide a description of the work?

How are you paid?

Can you add “start and end dates” into my contract?

How do you address changes to your contract if I need to change something?

How do your Grace periods to rescind work?

Can you add language into my contract that removes any liens?

JOB SPECIFICS

Get an understanding with how the basement finishing contractor will run your project. Are they responsive, what does a typical day look like? How Responsible are they?

What is your working day like?

What are the approximate start and end times during construction days?
What items do I need to remove around the construction site?
How much noise can I expect?
Do I need to be at home during construction?

How do you cleanup at the end of the day?

How will you protect my property?

How and where will you store tools?