Erin Moreau lives in Calgary and finished the basement of her two storey over one winter. She is a part-time bookkeeper, not a contractor and not a designer. She kept every spreadsheet, every quote and every permit email from that project, and she started this site because almost nothing she read beforehand was written from the homeowner's side of the table.
When I started, every article I found was written by somebody who wanted the job. That is not a scandal, it is just a different point of view from mine. I was the one setting the number, reading the contract, and living upstairs while the work happened, and I could not find that account anywhere.
Budgets and contingency. Layouts drawn on paper before anyone measures anything. What the permit process asks of you. What each week looks like once the work starts. Which choices are cheap now and expensive later.
Prices, because they move and because mine were mine. Permit fees and code figures, because those change and the City publishes the current ones. Any recommendation I was paid to make, because nobody pays me anything.
Finished Basement Guide is written by Erin Moreau, a homeowner in Calgary. Written in Calgary, Alberta. No sponsors, no affiliate links, no advertising.
Copyright Finished Basement Guide. Nothing here is professional advice. Check current requirements with the City of Calgary or the Province of Alberta before you rely on them.