The 30 day basement challenge part 2 - is this a DIY project or do you need a contractor

The tight time line of our basement project left little time to seek multiple bids - by the time we would have been able to get contractors in to get prices, we would have lost too much time to get the job done!  We basically had four weeks to do the job, and that was about 22 work days.  Each working day we needed to get about 5% of the job done.  Hiring crews that could not deliver was not an option.

Fortunately we have some good guys willing to work on our schedule, and given the recession the trades are definitely looking for work, so we had good accountability to our schedule throughout.  Notable highlights on this job was having the drywall hung and the first coat of taping done on the same day.  Never before have we had that kind of service, it was great.  Mainly this is the advantage of small jobs, you can really schedule work and have it done according to the plan, with little deviation.  This has not always been true for our larger projects.

Many homeowners would wonder what it would cost to develop their basement, and if they could do it by themselves.  I can answer this question in a general sense.  For a simple basement it could be done in a month and cost less than $20k, for the individual capable of financing and managing the job full time, and who has all the right contacts to get professional quality work done on time.  For the average homeowner, a basement is probably too large to tackle without some assistance.   It is highly unlikely a homeowner has contacts with every trade necessary, we used:

1. drafter (changes to plan)
2. framer
3. plumber
4. plumbing supplier (shower, taps, etc)
5. HVAC sheet metal mechanic
6. electrician
7. central vacuum installer
8. drywall boarder
9. drywall taper
10. drywall sander
11. ceiling texture crew
12. painter
13. finishing package wholesaler
14. finishing carpenter
15. spray crew (same as painter in this case but usually different)
16. cabinet shop/designer
17. cabinet installer
18. tile wholesaler
19. tiler
20. stone counter shop/install
21. carpet shop
22. carpet install
23. glass shop install crew mirror and shower door
24. cleaner and trash removal dump runner
25. general contractor (this was us, integer homes inc)

Looking back on this list of 25 companies, individuals and tradespeople,  we were surprised by the number of people involved in just this one small project.  It is no surprise that without someone acting as crew chief, this would be total chaos.  Given that we have worked with every individual on this list (and we have alternates) although in this case we used our A team of preferred trades, we have their phone numbers, and we often have a good working relationship with them, it is no surprise we could manage the job effectively and get it done in 30 days.