Hi as far as the O.C. basment finished system goes. I feel its very similar to a mobile home interior, they try to sell you on the waterproof and mildew/mold resistance. I have been a property damaged repair contractor in Ohio, Mich and Indiana for more than 20 years. The O.C. System doesnt hold up any better in a heavy moisture/waterdamage/flood situation. I would go with a standard studwall, wood or metal and drywall walls and ceiling. We finish 20 basements per year on average and build more than 30 additions on top of our fire and water work. If you have a serious moisture issue, deal with that first then finish the basement. The price is also high for what your are getting. As far as the rest of your do it your selfers. I have nothing against you save the fact you like to compare your work/quality/knowledge and cost to that of a licensed reputable contractor. Maybe you should try building your own vechicles, filling your own teeth, mending your wounds, butchering your meat and so on. Sure many of you can trip your way through a remodle project with varing results, especially in todays world where there are a million web sites to explain how to do just about anything. Home improvment seems to be the career many of you just can't seem to accept as a legitimate way of making an honest living. The real story is folks in the trades work all day long in the field, go home have dinner with their families then leave to visit homeowners like yourselves, most who wouldnt think of leaving work early to meet prospective contractors during business hours, but dont think a thing of "in the one case above" calling out 15-20 contractors for a free estimate more than likely at nite or on a weekend. Btw our professionaly finished basements start at $35 to $40 per square foot based on the scope of work and yes we dont feel comfortable with a gross profit of less than 30% much less than your mechanic, grocer, doctor, lawyer, or your local gas station. The average age of our employees and contractors is 52. Based on that in twenty years you will get to do all your home improvment projects your self and avoid paying a qualified contractor a well earned wage. Look out for that roof replacment!!! YOUR IGNORANT TO COMPARE YOUR SWEAT EQUITY TO A QUALITY CONTRACTOR If your employer did'nt earn a profit you wouldnt have a JOB

Desalad, I'm surprised that you are unable to access my photos. You should be able to open the albums by clicking on the title picture. Try this address, it is the direct one. www.community.webshots.com/user/forroberts For access, I created a small closet where my electrical entrance is located and the ceiling inside is open. Same with the closets which are behind the Frence Doors. Because water and electrical conduit were already suspended below the joists, I attached 2 x 4's to the joists in order to hang the drywall - thus the 1.5" clearance should anything need to be installed in the future. If access to the photos is still blocked by your computer check your browser settings or let me know and I'll try to get them to you. Good Luck, Forrest

I did our basement floor with Delta-FL (like dricore but all plastic) as a "subfloor" and Allure linoleum floating floor from HD. It meets requirements (cheap tough dry play room) but it is not a proper installation. The delta product wants a sub floor if the laminate is not used. Because the floor does not have a proper subfloor it is really soft - which is great for 4 young kids banging their heads, but not for heavy furnature feet. We have had problems with water in the basement. I have made some changes outside (grading and downspouts) that I hope fixes the problem. However, I still plan to have water down there at somepoint. The Delta keeps the floor off the concrete and a sump pump makes sure it gets rid of any water that might accumilate. If the pump fails or some other problem and the basement floods, the linoleum is water proof. Delta is $0.51/sq ft and the Allure was $1.67/sq ft.

It's difficult to give any kind of estimate because prices across the country and even across regions can vary so much. If your father is an electrical contractor he should know some folks who do good work; which is far more important that the lowest price. So you're looking to finish 500-600 square feet. The price per square foot is going to be higher than a larger basement because there are some fixed costs that need to be accounted for. It doesn't matter, for example, if the contractor orders 100 2x4s or 300, he still needs to sit down a place an order. It sounds like there aren't a lot of variables in your project but you should make sure that everyone is bidding on the same specs. so you can compare apples to applies. If you go with a drop ceiling you can spend less than 50 cents per square foot for panels to well over $2. Do you want painted trim, stained, how about that staircase?