We have put in several basement suites this year and Garth`s numbers are almost bang on. 40/ft totally unfinished, ~30 if plumbing and electrical are already in place and it`s just refinishing and moving the odd wall around.
QUOTE (GarthChapman @ Nov 15 2008, 12:34 PM) I agree with the post above on the 2 to 1 ratio of labour over materials, for a typical renovation.
But I think I am reading that this is new construction of a suite in an unfinished basement. In that case I`m thinking you should expect to spend around $40 per square foot, assuming all new materials for the kitchen (that`s a big cost item in this job, cabinetry and appliances are expensive). If you were just `finishing` a basement you would be in the $30 per sq ft range.
I think the ratio, based on what I described above, would be around 1 to 1.
You can save lots of money by purchasing used kitchen cabinets and really shopping around for the flooring and plumbing fixtures - those are the big ticket items in this project.
Hope that helps,