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djiivillamil another pic

djiivillamil bump, any suggestions?

elklaker Are you planning to do this yourself or hire a contractor? A good contractor will give you options/suggestions based on what you have.
Keep us posted.

Interiors International, Inc. This is definitely not a DIY job.

djiivillamil Maybe I need to start small. What parts are DIY. Is framing the walls against the foundation a decent DIY job.

jmiaromero We rented a paint sprayer and primed and painted the walls and ceiling of our unfinished basement. It is so clean and bright down there now. You can DYI in a weekend. Also some can lights would really brighten it up.

lauriecann My husband and I are in the process of finishing our basement. It's really similar to yours. We painted our ceilings black so we wouldn't lose any of the height with drop ceilings and soffits. It gave us a really nice look. Since our basement is underground, we'll be acid staining our concrete floors next week. It can be a DIY project, but you should definitely know your limits. My husband did all of the framing by watching YouTube videos. We decided to contract out the drywalling. Just seemed too big of a job for us to take on. Our basement is 800 square feet. I can post some pics if you'd like.

phorwich Before you do any DIY or pro remodel, check for radon if you haven't already. If your reading is >4, hire a radon contractor and install a pipe for sub slab depressurization with active air removal. This would should cost ~$1,500 or so, perhaps less.

As for the remodel... Leave the ceiling exposed. Paint it white first with a primer coat to block would stain, and then a top coat of white ceiling paint. The white paint will make everything printer for sure. A good luck is to soffit around the air ducts first before painting with framing and drywall.

For flooring consider an epoxy coating with color chips. Nice look and great sealant. Use area rugs around furniture for that comfort factor.

Exterior Walls are tricky. I am not a fan of painting concrete in a basement. Never have heard of a good outcome on this in the long run. Plan your budget to stud and drywall or breadboard the walls for a finished look.

Build interior walls to isolate furnace and other utilities. Keep the mechanicals out of living space.