How Long Should I Wait To Finish The Basement Of My New Home?

Q:

How long should I wait to finish my basement after my new home is built?

A:

I’ve heard this question before, people are telling you that you shouldn’t have your basement finished encase there is a structural problem that requires repair or the waterproofing fails and there is a leak that must repaired.

Put simply this is all fear mongering.

If you have chosen the proper contractor then your new home will be built properly, it will not have
structural issues or waterproofing problems. Since you don’t have to worry about it then you should have no reason not to finish the basement while the rest of the home is being finished.

Your contractor if you have chosen the right one will have a great warranty. That means that if you have the contractor finish your basement while they are building the rest of the home and for some reason there is a problem that they have to fix in the basement they will cover the repair in their warranty. All new homes built in Ontario come with a Tarion New Home Warranty, this warranty has a warranty for structural issues that spans 7 years. You should never worry about if your home has been built incorrectly.

Another reason that you shouldn’t wait to finish the basement; why would you want to live through the dust, dirt and noise of a renovation in your new home. If you trust your contractor to build your whole home why wouldn’t you trust them to finish the basement to the same high standard?

The cost to finish your basement at the same high standard as the rest of your home will be less expensive when it is done by your home building contractor then if you were to bring in a renovation contractor at a later date.

Why would you want to deal with two different companies for any future warranty issues?

Finish your basement and get the building process over all at once, talk to your contractor.

Rob Abbott
Village Builders