Another option you have is to purchase modular basement wall panel systems that are made of concrete board. The benefit to the wall panel is that it is more water resistant than drywall. If you choose to use modular basement wall panels, you will need the following tools:

• Tape measure & pencil


• 3" x 3" x 1/2" wood spacers


• Level


• T-Square


• 2" Tap con concrete screws


• Electric drill


• Masonry drill bit


• Circular saw or hand saw


• Jig saw


• Portable work bench


• Pull bar


• Hammer or rubber mallet


• Wood tapping block


• Safety glasses


• Approved dust mask


• Work gloves

Helpful Resources: informaton on how to finish/remodel a basement This site is full of great information on how to best finish or remodel your basement. It offers good information on tips for making your basement clean, safe, and moisture free. saving money on home remodeling This site offers some advice on how to save money on home remodeling supplies. It helps you to remodel or finish your basement for a great deal less than you would spend otherwise, even if you shop around. saving money on home improvement This site teaches you how to save money on a home improvement project. It helps you find ways to finish your basement for less. It offers handy tips that allow you to finish your basement for a given cost. green remodeling This site offers information for green remodeling. It teaches users how they can finish their basement for less while building a green home that will cost less in the long run and be eco-friendly. how to make your basement great This site offers information on how to remodel and finish your basement to make it a great part of your home. This site is going to allow you to not just have a finished basement, but one that the family will use and love. learn about remodeling This is a great article that will help users learn about remodeling a basement family room and creating a place that will be both comfortable, fun, and affordable to create. It is a great site for finishing your basement. directory to local contractors> This site is like a directory. It allows people to learn how to find local basement remodeling and finishing contractors. It is very useful for those who want to pay for someone to finish their basement. corning basement finishing systems This site takes you to a place where you can learn about corning basement finishing systems. These are systems that will help you finish your basements for less. Also offers useful tips for basement finishing. remodeling basements This site offers information on how to remodel your basement. It gives ideas as well as a step by step guide for remodeling your basement and/or finishing the basement in your home. finding building materials and supplies This is a great site that allows people to find the building materials and supplies you would need if you were to refinish a basement. It shows prices, goods, etc. It also offers the ability to order online.

Depending upon the size of your basement, your wall panels will vary. The cost of all the supplies, including 20 sheets of wall panels is about $1,500 from Lowes. You will need to purchase a book on how to install the wall panels, as it is quite extensive.

Now that you have nice panels on the wall, you will need to paint them to make them look decent. Depending upon how picky you are, you can purchase a 5 gallon bucket of paint from Lowes for $25.00 for basic white. Take a look at their miss-tint section; you may be able to get a pretty decent color for a cheap rate.

The most expensive part of your basement remodel will be the flooring. Carpet can be pretty expensive, especially if you plan on having it professionally installed. A cheap way to finish your basement flooring is tile. What you will need is about 100 pieces of ceramic tile, this can be purchased at Lowes for $0.94 a tile (basic white 4 ¼ x 4 ¼ tile). The cost for all the tools and to install the tile floor yourself will run you approximately $200.00. If you choose to install carpet, you should plan on about $1600.

Wiring your basement with electricity can be a bit of a challenge, especially if you haven't done it before. To have an electrician install the wiring and recessed lights, you will spend about $1200. You can do all the electrical wiring yourself for half the cost, but you will need to find out your local building codes before you can begin working on your electrical system. It is good to idea hire an electrician to come and check the electrical work that you have done if this is your first attempt at wiring. Most electricians will charge you about $50 to come out and test your wiring to make sure you don't have any problems.

To have your basement finished with walls, paint and power, and carpet you will spend about $3325. To reduce this cost, you can install tile instead of carpet. Carpet is a nice feature to have in a basement, so you can reduce the cost of the electrician by installing different lighting. Standard lighting with cheaper fixtures can easily save you that $325 that you are over budget with.

Here is how you can finish your basement for less than $5,500.

In order to finish your basement for less than $5,500 you can do all of the same things you do for under $3000. In addition to this you would want to do these as well:

After the electrician has done his job, you should consider installing a fireplace. A fireplace is a nice addition to a basement and it will help keep it warmer in the winter. You can purchase a pre-made fireplace for about $1500. It is wise to purchase a pre-made fireplace that also has professional installation. Like the electrical work, gas fireplaces also require a different set of skills and without proper training; you could wind up blowing up your house. The Home Depot sells pre-made fireplaces and will install the complete unit for $2000.

Once you have your fireplace set and the walls are prepped to be painted, you can decide if it is worth the investment to hire a professional painter. Most professional painters will run right around $400 to prep and paint your walls. If you think this is too expensive, you can paint the basement yourself for about $150. Keep in mind that a basement already has limited access to the sun, so you want to use lighter colors. A basement shouldn't have a dark feeling. By using light yellows or white, your basement will look fresh and new instead of old and dingy.

The cost to finish your basement with drywall, professional wiring, professional fireplace installation, paint, and professional carpet installation will cost about $5450.

Here is how you can finish your basement for less than $12,000

The average basement can be turned into a nice home theater room for less than $12,000. Here are some "extra" features you can add to your basement construction project to make a nice home theater:

• PJ - Infocus SP 7200 - $2700


• Receiver - Yamaha RX-V2600) - $1100


• DVD - Yamaha DVD C950 - $350


• Speakers - Axiom Audio Epic 60 with Epicenter 500 Sub (6.1 set) - $3025


• HD, DVR - DirecTV, HDDVR - $599


• cables - $350


• Screen - $150

You can frame and drywall your basement for about $500 if you choose to do it yourself. A professional will charge you anywhere from $1500-$3000 to do the drywall work to your basement. If you are installing a home theater in your basement and want to create a certain look, then you should probably have your basement professionally done. Many home theaters are built to look like the inside of the Millennium Falcon from Star Wars or other movie themes. If you are choosing to finish your basement with a theme like this, you need to plan on spending around $10,000 for the construction cost, not to mention the electrical wiring and all the home theater equipment.

A basement can be painted for a minimal cost of $150 if you do it yourself, if you hire a professional painter, you are looking to spend around $400. Before you paint, you should consider framing bookcases into the wall to store movies and gaming devices. To cut and install bookcases, you will spend an extra $300 or so if you do it and $600 if a professional installs them.

The electrical work in your basement can vary depending upon the style of lighting you have. If you choose recessed lighting (which is common in basements); you can plan to spend $1200 for the complete wiring of your basement and the installation of the lights. Of course, you need to shop around when dealing with an electrician as their prices can vary dramatically.

The flooring in your basement is another area you can play around with. Some basements can have a higher flooring area to allow for seats so you can watch a movie or television without the people in front of you blocking your view. You can also have higher flooring in some sections to divide the room. On one section of flooring you can place a pool table and keep it separate from the movie area. Depending upon how large your basement is, you can have one, two, or three different levels. The bottom level should always be where the television is, it makes it easier for everyone to view. To have your basement floor built with different levels, you will spend roughly $2500 with a contractor. If you choose to do this yourself, you will need to purchase the necessary tools and cement mixture.

Carpeting your basement is the best option. Prices to carpet a basement can vary, especially if you have elevated flooring. Lowes and the Home Depot both offer carpeting services. The average cost to carpet a standard room without elevated flooring is around $1600-$2500. The prices for carpeting will also change with the style of carpet you select and the thickness of the pad.

The cost to finish your basement with a simple home theater is approximately $12,624. This cost includes the use of a professional electrician and the installation of the higher end of the carpet. You can reduce the costs on your lighting or on the style of carpet to get below your budget of $12,000.