Basement Interior Space Designer

[tung tied]

Do any of you have experience with hiring either a Space Designer or an Architect for obtaining floor plan and feature options. Is a (assumed) higher price architect necessary? Does anyone have experience with the online designer services?

Or would you all just like a GoogleSketch of my empty basement and have a go at it yourselves?

[mschrank]

My .02

It depends on a lot of things I suppose. If you aren't doing anything structural, then there's no reason you can't plan it yourself (and if you are doing anything structural, you'll probably need an engineer).

When we decided to remodel our kitchen, almost all the research I did recommended hiring a "certified" kitchen designer. But I think most of those recommendations were written by CKD's.

If you feel up to the task, then go for it. You're the one who really knows how you want to use the space. If you have more money than time, then hire a designer. But even then, you'll need to spend a lot of time with them if you want to be happy at the end.

Give yourself plenty of time to think through everything (door swings, electrical, heating/ductwork, phone/network jacks).

I probably spent a couple hundred hours of late nights playing with Sketchup to design my kitchen...I'll let you know in a few months if I got it right.

One thing to keep in mind is to not over-customize your space...keep in mind that you might want to sell your house someday.

[siliconbauhaus]

If you know what it is you want then by all means do it yourself.

The point of hiring a designer or a architect (like myself) is "we" will generally think of things that you may well overlook or not even consider.

The other point of using a architect is job running. If your project is such that you will be hiring a GC to do the work, the architect is usually there to make sure that the GC is doing what he supposed to and keeping an eye on costs. Many people end up getting burned by dealing directly with a GC and have problems trying to resolve issues.

[scorrpio]

Give a wide berth to any 'design' magazines. Fine Homebuilding, Workbench - those are the magazines to look at instead. Books on space design also a good idea - as long as they are 'How-to', and not 'idea' books. I.e. a Kitchen design book that is just a photo gallery or very expensive artsy kitchens could be nice to page through, but you really want a book that talks in depth about work triangles, traffic patterns, clearances, lighting, codes etc.

If your basement work does not involve any structural elements, you should be able to design it yourself. Just define what will be the purpose of the finished basement, what will it be used for, what things will be needed there to support that purpose, and create a desgn that incorporates those things well.

[ejs1097]

When we redid our kitchen, we went to several designers and the 'layout' my wife and I had was far better then anyones and that's the design we went with.

When we recently when LR furniture shopping, we stumbled into Ethan Allen and the interior designer there in 30 seconds had several ideas to utilize the space in our LR much better then we had thought. Our LR is tricky based upon the wall configurations (entrances, fireplaces, etc).

So it might not hurt to talk to someone for space arrangment and layouts, they may come up with better/different ideas based on traffic flows and use then you may.

something to think about.

[LarryG]

The point of hiring a designer or a architect (like myself) is "we" will generally think of things that you may well overlook or not even consider.

Also knowing what not to do because it's a Real Bad Idea, eh? AKA the "DAMHITK Factor."

Tung, the very first thing you need to do is find out what your local regulatory authorities require. These would include the municipal building department, possibly a homeowner's association, possibly a historical/preservation group.

Beyond that, it's as the others have said: it's largely a matter of whether there are any structural issues, and/or how complex/expensive/tricky the job will be, and to what degree you wish to turn the reins over to someone else.

[tung tied]

Thanks all

I appreciate the nuance and contribution from a variety of viewpoints. I do intend to do a lot myself, but will get a GC for permit pulling, licensed electric and plumbing. I am somewhat hesitant to outlay $1000 - $4000 to someone who won't necessarily come up with a better plan than my own. Thanks for the support.

[tung tied]

I didn't intend to leave vague what I will do. I think I'll pursue some design professional, (not just books). I'll still have to approach it with a budgetary constraint. I balance this with the fact that I don't want to live with a mistake for years, when the price over time would have become negligible.

[scorrpio]

Send an entry to that interior designer contest show - you might get lucky.

[JimD]

When we built our house, I bought a house design program for less than $100. It would do 3D but I never got good at that. It was pretty easy to do floor plans. It saved us a couple ways. First, the house plan that we agreed on with the builder had a really small living room. We already had a sofa, a couple chairs, end tables, coffee table and display cabinet - not a lot but some furniture that had to fit into this space. I did the layout of the floor plan in the program and then used the scaled furniture models that were already in the program to see if we had enough space. We did not but with 2 more feet we did. The builder added the two feet into the contract for the house because I got back to him in time. Easily paid for the program.

Then after were signed up, they were ready to frame the first floor and the builder called in a panic because he could not find the basement wall layout I had given him. I did not pay the builder to finish the basement but I did not want him putting structural walls in the way when I came back to finish it. When I got him a new copy, it was going to take some structural steel to do what I had layed out. I asked what he wanted to do. I played around with his plan in my program to figure out how I could fit a bathroom, bedroom, living space, and my shop into the basement with walls where he wanted to put them. It all fit and saved me, again, some money.

It might pay to have a design professional of some sort look things over but I think you will save yourself some money by sketching out ideas yourself first. You can do it yourself or pay somebody to do it. If you have them look over your work they may save you enough to pay for their services by helping you avoid issues or extra cost. Some can also help you with hiring the contractor if you go that way.

In SC where I live it is legal to wire and plumb your own house so I just did everything myself. I had to rent a jackhammer to move the waste lines I paid the plumber to put in for the bathroom but that is another story. Turned out well in the end.

Jim

[tung tied]

Thanks Jim,
I appreciate your input. I've got my space drawn out, I know I need to put the workshop in one corner with one of the access doors. I want a kitchenette/soda fountain near the patio doors. The bathroom with shower and sauna probably has to go near the drains, and I'll need to add a furnace and move a water heater. We don't do much TV, but a small media room is kinda a must nowadays (if ever resale). Of course there will be room for a play/hobby/game room. What I'm looking for are a pair of fresh eyes that would see something different in a floorplan. And of course some wow factor. So for that I'll probably have to pay. I have faith professionals will give me some architechural elements that I wouldn't have considered.

tung tied

[siliconbauhaus]

well if you want to send me a copy of what you have drawn out I'll be glad to give it a once over for you gratis.