"What order are we supposed to hire the contractors?"

Hire a GC and let them handle the entire project and all the trades. I recommend you put together your ideas and discuss them with the GC. GC will pull the permits.

Not sure about your heating/cooling/insulation plans. These are important for a comfortable space. Talk to your GC, but consider getting another opinion for reference.

Are you taking the lowest bid?

No, not the lowest bid. Best price best quality, but also choosing someone that I feel comfortable with.

47k is a deal? I guess because for what we want, that seems high to me.

I live in the Midwest. We finished our basement 2 years ago and we paid considerably more than 47K and we didn't go with high end finishes either. We hired a GC and they had all their guys come in on the right schedule. There was only a couple of times were we had a few days in a row without workers, but that wasn't the norm.

Where I live 47K is a good price.

Sticking my nose in where it doesn’t belong.

speaking from experience...flammable fumes in my basement caused a house fire.

is that a lawnmower I see in your basement? if not, forgive the intrusion.

Looks like 12k to me. Lol

Yes. that's a lawn mower.

BT...was 12k a joke or are you serious?

Ok. My fire was caused by tile layers using a flammable glue on sealed concrete to prep for tile. The fumes ignited from a flame source. Not a good way to lose your home. Fire department said if the workers had still been down there they would have needed body bags. I know it’s probably no different than a basement garage for a vehicle. not Sure that’s safe either.

Thanks for that information. I didn't know that!!

You are welcome 😉

We have a finished basement but wanted to add a dry bar, some wall finishes and different lighting and were quoted 50k. That was for a 400 square foot space. so yeah, 47k for 1500 square feet is a good deal. you're basically getting everything done, so not sure why you think it's not much?