Hi
I'm Jim Johnson's son-in-law, I'm a General Contractor in Chicago and would be more than happy
to meet you and give you a quote or just help you out with some suggestions.
my cell is 773 699 3851
take care
Roy

Probably a good place to start is clicking the following link:

http://www.nahb.org/page.aspx/category/sectionID=126

Best of luck, Ken.

I can't answer your questions, but my son-in-law is a contractor in your area who specializes in just what you are looking for. His contact info and info about his work is on his Web site at:

http://buildinghorizonsinc.com/

I'm an agent who has helped other people through these types of projects and am beginning a similar one of my own. I would say that your $195,000 should cover the first and second floor, provided you don't go crazy with finishes.

However, depending on your situation, the costs of finishing a basement can vary greatly. It might be possible to nicely refinish a basement for as little as $50,000 provided you have a good clean slate to work with. Consider the following:

1) What is the ceiling height in the basement? If you need to dig down to add to the ceiling height, this will add considerably to your costs. Depending on your foundation, going down further may not even be possible. If it is, this will be a worth while expense if you can afford it. Of course, if you have a tall basement, you're lucky.

2) What about the basement plumbing? Does the plumbing stack exit the building below the floor of the basement. If so, you're in pretty good again. If not, you'll have install the hardware necessary to "flush up," which is very expensive.

I hope this helps

The cost to convert a two flat can vary greatly depending upon the quality of the finishes and the extent of the work done. My husband is a general contractor and has completed six of these projects in St. Ben's area over the past several years. You are welcome to contact him for more detailed information. Call Bob at 773 251-5624. The company name is Home On Time, Inc.