Basement finishing, a whole new floor to live on.
That bare concrete level can become a bedroom, a bath, a family room, a wet bar. We frame it, wire it, plumb it, and finish it under one contract. Class B Builder, Master Electrician, and licensed plumbing, all in-house. A full finish usually runs 8-14 weeks, with a photo update every week. It's the remodel we're asked for more than any other.
Big finish or one piece of it
Want the whole basement done? That is a full finish (8-14 weeks, $40K-$90K mid-range). Just need the part you are missing? We do a basement bathroom on its own (3-5 weeks), a bedroom with egress (4-6 weeks), a wet bar (2-4 weeks), or a single egress window (1-2 weeks). The wet bar gets the same care as the 1,400-square-foot full finish - the job size never changes the standard.
One company holds every trade
Framing, electrical (subpanel + branch circuits + recessed lighting), plumbing (basement bath / wet bar), drywall, flooring - that is all us, under one roof. The only piece we hand off is the HVAC ductwork extension, to an HVAC contractor we line up and coordinate. You make one call and deal with one company, not a string of subs who each blame the last one.
We deal with the water first
A basement is the one room where water is always the question, so we look at your waterproofing and sump pump before anything else gets framed. And if you want a bedroom down there, the law (IRC R310) requires a way out in a fire - so we cut the foundation, set the egress window, and build the window well as part of the job.
How much of your basement are you finishing?
Maybe it's the whole 1,400 square feet. Maybe it's one egress window so a bedroom passes code. Pick the piece that matches what you need. Each one opens to the typical scope and what the work actually looks like.
Full Basement Finishing
Layout, framing, insulation, electrical (60A or 100A subpanel + recessed lighting + smart switches), plumbing (if bath or wet bar), drywall, flooring, finishes. Typical scope: 8-14 weeks, $40K-$90K mid-range, $100K+ for top-tier finishes. Most NoVA full basement finishes include a basement bathroom addition, often a wet bar, sometimes a bedroom with egress. Open-plan main area + bedroom + bath + wet bar is the most-common configuration.
Basement Bathroom Addition
Adding a full or half bathroom to a basement. Typical scope: 3-5 weeks, $15K-$30K depending on plumbing distance to existing stack. Common configurations: half-bath off the main basement living area + full bath off the basement bedroom. Plumbing rough-in is the variable - proximity to the existing main stack drives cost. Pairs with the Bathrooms sub-hub for fixture and finish detail.
Basement Bedroom Addition (with Egress)
Adding a code-compliant basement bedroom. IRC R310 requires an egress window or door for any bedroom - emergency escape, rescue opening. Typical scope: 4-6 weeks including egress window cut + window well + framing + electrical + finishes. Boman Kemp egress window wells standard. Code-required minimum opening: 5.7 sqft, 24-inch height, 20-inch width, sill height 44 inches or less.
Basement Wet Bar / Kitchenette
Wet bar with sink + counter + cabinets + bar refrigerator + sometimes a dishwasher or ice maker. Typical scope: 2-4 weeks, $8K-$20K. Often built into a full basement finish; sometimes added post-finish. Plumbing (sink, optional dishwasher) + electrical (GFCI outlets + cabinet under-lighting) + cabinetry. Pairs with the Kitchens sub-hub for design pattern.
Basement Egress Window Installation
Standalone egress window installation - when a basement already has a usable bedroom or guest space but lacks the code-required egress. Typical scope: 1-2 weeks, $4K-$8K. Foundation wall cut, window installed, window well per IRC R310. Often required for selling a home with a basement bedroom that does not currently have legal egress.
Basement projects across Northern Virginia
What finishing your basement actually looks like
It runs in the same four steps as every remodel we do, just stretched out for the longer run of trades a basement needs. A full finish is usually 8-14 weeks on-site. Before that, there's a permit and design stretch of 3-5 weeks. You won't see it at the house, but it counts in your timeline.
Free consultation
60-90 minutes. We walk the basement, assess existing waterproofing + sump pump + ceiling height + utility routing, and talk through what you want (open-plan vs. multi-room, bedroom + egress requirements, bathroom / wet bar, flooring tier). No high-pressure design pitches.
Written proposal + schedule of values
Itemized: demo (if any), framing, insulation, electrical subpanel + branch circuits, plumbing rough-in (if bath/wet bar), HVAC coordination, drywall, flooring, finishes, 5-10% contingency. Within 5-7 business days of consultation (longer than kitchens/baths because of design depth).
Permit, framing, rough-in, drywall, finish
Pull building + electrical + plumbing permits. Framing first (1-2 weeks). Electrical + plumbing rough-in (same crew, 1 week). Inspection. Insulation + drywall + flooring + finishes. Egress install scheduled around foundation cutting (if bedroom). Weekly photo updates.
Inspection + punch list + walkthrough
All permitted inspections signed off. We walk through with you, build a punch list together, and address every item before final payment. Subpanel directory labeled. Manufacturer warranties on flooring + fixtures handed over. Inspection card for egress (if applicable).
Questions homeowners ask about basement finishing
What does a basement finish cost in Northern Virginia?
Typical full basement finish: $40K-$90K mid-range, $90K-$150K+ for top-tier finishes. Costs scale with basement square footage (most NoVA basements are 1,000-2,000 sqft), inclusion of a bathroom (+$15K-$30K), inclusion of a wet bar (+$8K-$20K), inclusion of a bedroom with egress (+$5K-$10K for the egress install), and the flooring + finish tier. We give you a written proposal with a schedule of values during the consultation.
The variables: (1) square footage (rate per sqft is roughly $35-$75 mid-range, $80-$120+ for top-tier finishes), (2) bathroom inclusion (adding plumbing is the single largest cost-jump), (3) wet bar inclusion, (4) bedroom with egress (egress window install + foundation cut), (5) flooring tier (carpet $3-$5/sqft, LVP $5-$10/sqft, engineered hardwood $10-$15+/sqft), (6) ceiling type (drop ceiling cheaper, drywall ceiling costs more). A 1,500-sqft basement with full bath + wet bar + 1 bedroom + LVP flooring runs about $60K-$80K mid-market. Smaller bedroom-only finishes run lower; custom millwork runs higher.
How long does a basement finish take?
Typical full basement finish: 8-14 weeks from demo to walkthrough. Smaller scopes run faster: basement bedroom + egress addition 4-6 weeks, basement bathroom standalone 3-5 weeks, wet bar standalone 2-4 weeks, egress window standalone 1-2 weeks. The permit + design phase adds 3-5 weeks pre-construction before work starts on-site.
The timeline structure: weeks 1-2 framing. Week 3 insulation, electrical + plumbing rough-in, inspection. Weeks 4-5 drywall + paint. Weeks 6-8 flooring + tile + finishes. Weeks 9-12 bathroom buildout (if scoped), wet bar (if scoped), egress install (if scoped), punch-list close. Larger basements with bedroom + bath + wet bar all included run closer to 14 weeks; simpler open-plan main-area-only finishes can run closer to 8 weeks. We give you a written schedule with milestones during the proposal phase.
Do I need to address moisture before finishing the basement?
Yes, almost always. We assess existing waterproofing (foundation seal, exterior drainage) and the sump pump during the consultation. If either is at end of life or has known issues, we address them before framing starts - finishing over a moisture problem ruins finished work within 2-5 years. Sometimes the existing setup is fine; sometimes it needs upgrade. We tell you up front.
The most common moisture issues we see during basement consultations: (1) sump pump at end of life (10+ years old, slowing, or making intermittent noise), (2) sump pump primary without battery backup (catastrophic risk if power fails during a storm), (3) foundation wall cracks letting groundwater seep, (4) inadequate exterior grading (water flowing toward the foundation instead of away), (5) old-style foam-board insulation directly against potentially moisture-prone concrete. For deeper waterproofing work (interior French drain, exterior excavation) we coordinate with a specialist - that is outside our Class B scope. For straightforward upgrades (sump pump replacement, vapor barrier, proper insulation install) we handle it.
Do you handle the egress window cutting and installation, or is that a separate contractor?
We handle it. Cutting the foundation wall for an egress window, installing the window itself, and installing the window well are all part of the basement bedroom scope we deliver. IRC R310 code compliance is on us. Boman Kemp egress window wells are our standard product. We pull the building permit for the egress install and pass inspection.
The egress window install scope: (1) foundation wall cut (typically with a concrete saw) - this is the work that scares most homeowners; we have done enough that we know which foundations cut cleanly and which need extra structural review, (2) header installation above the new opening for structural support, (3) egress window installation (typically vinyl or fiberglass casement), (4) window well install (Boman Kemp) with a permanent ladder if the sill is below grade, (5) exterior grading + drainage around the well. Most egress installs complete in 2-3 days as part of a larger basement project.
Does my basement bedroom need an egress window even if it is already there?
If it is a bedroom (legally defined: a room where someone sleeps), yes - IRC R310 requires egress for all bedrooms. A finished basement with a room that has a closet and is being used as a bedroom but does not have egress is a code violation and a real-estate-sale liability. Many NoVA basements have office spaces or exercise rooms that are actually being used as bedrooms without legal egress.
The practical test: (1) does the room have a closet or could it be used as a bedroom? (2) is it being used for sleeping? If both yes, egress is required. At sale, a home inspector or appraiser will flag a basement bedroom without egress - typical resolution is either (a) install egress (about $4K-$8K standalone), (b) reclassify the room as a non-bedroom (no closet, no sleeping use), or (c) accept the price reduction from the buyer. We do all three depending on the homeowner plan, but installing the egress is the only path that preserves the room value long-term.
What people usually fold into a basement project
A basement finish often pulls in a bathroom addition, a kitchen-style wet bar, or a main-panel upgrade so it can carry the new subpanel - and we can handle those right alongside it.
Picture what that empty floor could be. Let's walk it together.
Free 60-90 minute consultation. You'll have a written proposal within 5-7 business days. Class B Builder, Master Electrician, and licensed plumbing. Three trades, one contract, one company that answers for all of it.