Home-Work

So I am planning a basement remodel project to create an efficiency-style apartment that could be used by my kids as they are in college, and just to add value to an unfinished space. Here are some things to know:

• The basement is wet. Drylok paint to seal walls and floor will help.
• There is damage to an interior wall where my Golden Retriever dug his way out one stormy night while I wasn't home. That's an easy fix - sheet-rock repair.
• The old garage door is in terrible condition and will have to go. The garage is too narrow to use effectively anyway. Replacing that with french doors to let in light seems like the right idea.
• The concrete floor is cracked, but that can be (and has partially been) patched.
• It needs more outlets - there are very few electrical outlets in the basement, but I think we can expand that circuit to add about three more, which should do the trick.
• The soil-stack comes down nearly to the floor in the back corner. I think a bathroom could be put there fairly easily. I'll need to build a form and pour a raised concrete floor for the space in order to have a drain line for a shower, and I think a rear-flush toilet would work admirably, especially one of those industrial-type high-pressure flush toilets.
• The space is eleven feet wide. The original area I considered remodeling (garage) is 11x24. But! If we put a door in the back wall, we could create the sleeping space and the bathroom in the rear corner of the basement. A bit more work, but much more value added to the house.

I've had several ideas for the area, but these are the ones that have stuck with me. Painted concrete floors, drylok painted walls, will help with moisture control. A dehumidifier will also help. The walls are cinder block (mostly), but there is some interior drywall as well. The entry will be through the french or sliding doors at the front. That immediate area can be set up as a living-room, with a TV, sofa, and coffee table. Next, the space can be made into a small kitchenette. A 42" cabinet base with a small sink and countertop for a microwave and toaster oven should be sufficient. Upper cabinet or open shelves for storage of dishes can hang above the counter. An under-the-counter fridge can go in this area as well, along with a cafe-sized table and a couple of chairs (maybe a fun, metal patio table). Here we come to the dividing rear wall - a closet for storage can be built into this area. We can install a door or just an open doorway into the bedroom/bathroom area. Another wall, perpendicular to the divider, would be built out to enclose the space for the bedroom. Across the back corner, a small bathroom with toilet and sink - and maybe shower-stall - could be built in.

Materials List:

• 2x4s for framing closet and wall
• Concrete backer board 
• Patch kit for cracks in floor
• 10-20 gallons Drylok for surfaces
• Interior wiring roll
• Outlets and light-switches
• Bifold closet door
• French door or sliding glass door (source used from salvage or wholesale outlet)
• Rear-flush toilet
• Pedestal or wall-mount sink
• PVC piping and glue
• Quikrete or Sakrete

I already have solid-wood interior doors that can be used. Might be able to use a large one for the closet as well. I think the biggest expenses will be the paint, the toilet, and the exterior doors. I'm going to try to source most everything used or salvaged and hope to bring this project in under $1000.