How Long Does It Take to Develop a Basement?

The short answer is that a Calgary basement development project should take around eight weeks. This should allow enough time for a standard development and also allow for some time between trades, material delivery, and inspections.

There are a few things that can add to that time frame:

The first would be adding the plumbing rough-ins or performing extensive alterations to the plumbing groundwork. This will add another city inspection, extra plumbing and concrete repair steps, and approximately an extra week to the project.

Next, extensive built-in cabinetry or custom bars can also add to the timeline depending on the scope and supplier chosen.

At ReImagine Basements we take every step to minimize the variables and ensure the project progresses as quickly as possible without sacrificing quality.

One of the main things we do in this regard is to make the material selection process as easy as possible. Once the project contract is signed, we encourage our clients to start making selections as soon as possible, intending to have them all selected by the end of the rough-in phase of the project, which is generally the first 7-10 days of the project.

We then start ordering all the materials at the beginning of the drywall phase to ensure everything is ready to go as needed.

The drywall portion of the basement can take upwards of two weeks, allowing for proper dry times. Be careful of contractors who want to rush the drywall portion, as not allowing adequate dry times can lead to cracking down the road.

Once the drywall is complete, the finishing, tiling, and flooring will take around two more weeks.

The painting stage and final finishing will generally take another week including the final electrical, final plumbing, and lockout.

Finally, we always allow a week at the end for touchups and deficiencies.