Wasatch Homes · Utah
Basement Finishing in Salt Lake, Priced Honestly
Real Utah cost ranges, permit and egress guidance, and a written quote — without the runaround. Tell us about your basement and our team will get you set up: confirm the details, schedule a site visit with a licensed Utah contractor, and follow through to a written, itemized quote. No obligation.
Serving Salt Lake and nearby cities. Every build is handled by a licensed Utah general contractor and permitted through your city.
Licensed Utah general contractor
Every build is permitted and inspected, and handled by a licensed Utah general contractor we set you up with.
Permits & inspections handled
Your contractor pulls the permit and schedules each inspection.
Planning range in minutes
Real Utah cost data first — not a sales call to get a number.
Wasatch Homes
Wasatch Homes — one team to get you set up, from first call to final walkthrough.
Why homeowners start here
A team that gets you set up — and publishes its numbers
We publish our numbers so you can see a planning range before any sales call. Our team confirms the details, gets you set up with a licensed Utah general contractor for a site visit, and stays in touch through the written quote and the build. You are not left chasing a contractor, and nothing is signed until you are ready.
Cost calculator
Plan your basement in three steps
Slide the size, pick a finish level, add bathrooms and bedrooms. The range updates as you move — you can adjust it as many times as you like.
Planning range
$56,500 – $88,500
900 sq ft · mid-range finish · 1 bathroom · 1 egress bedroom
How much basement are you finishing?
Slide to your usable floor area. Stairs and the mechanical area usually do not count.
900
square feet finished
$45,000 – $67,500 base
Basic, mid-range or premium?
Pick the level that matches how the space should feel. The per-square-foot rate updates instantly.
$50–$75
per sq ft
Most of the way to a full living level.
- Everything in Basic
- Recessed lighting throughout
- Upgraded flooring and underlayment
- Built-in shelving or media niche
- One dedicated room, framed and finished
- Upgraded trim and door hardware
Rooms and extras
Each bedroom needs an egress window, cut and permitted through the foundation wall.
Bathrooms
Stone or tile, drain cut into the slab
$8,000 – $15,000
Bedrooms (egress)
Window cut, well, ladder and inspection
$3,500 – $6,000
Other scopes people add
Your range updates as you change anything.
How the range adds up
A planning estimate from Utah cost data — not a quote. Ceiling height, moisture and mechanicals are priced on site.
801-896-8610Your total
900 sq ft · mid-range finish · 1 bathroom · 1 egress bedroom
About $63–$98 per sq ft, all in
Utah pricing
What each finish level includes
Most Salt Lake projects land between $35 and $100+ per square foot depending on finish level. Here is what each level actually buys.
Basic
01Clean, code-compliant space.
$35–$50
per square foot
$35,000 – $50,000
at 1,000 sq ft
- Design and permit drawings
- 2x4 framing and insulation
- Drywall, tape, texture and paint
- Luxury vinyl or carpet flooring
Mid-range
02Most of the way to a full living level.
$50–$75
per square foot
$50,000 – $75,000
at 1,000 sq ft
- Everything in Basic
- Recessed lighting throughout
- Upgraded flooring and underlayment
- Built-in shelving or media niche
Premium
03Custom finishes and specialty rooms.
$75–$100+
per square foot
$75,000 – $100,000
at 1,000 sq ft
- Everything in Mid-range
- Custom millwork and built-ins
- Wet bar or kitchenette ready
- Theater wiring and acoustic treatment
Add a full bathroom (+$8,000–$15,000), an egress window (+$3,500–$6,000) or a wet bar (+$3,000–$12,000). Most complete finishes with a bathroom land between $35,000 and $65,000. Every range is a planning range for Salt Lake, not a quote.
What it looks like
Inside finished Wasatch Front basements
Typical scope and range for each piece of a basement project. Photos show the level of finish, not a specific address.
Open family and media room
1,100 sq ft · mid-range finish
$55,000 – $80,000
Wet bar and kitchenette
Bar rough-in, cabinets, tile
$3,000 – $12,000
Full basement bathroom
Slab break, tile shower, vent fan
$8,000 – $15,000
Home theater
Acoustics, speaker and projector wiring
$6,000 – $14,000
Gym and office
Glass partition, rubber floor, circuits
In the finish range
Egress bedroom
Foundation cut, well, ladder, inspection
$3,500 – $6,000
Cost drivers
What changes the price
Square footage
Cost is quoted per square foot, so the size of the usable footprint is the single biggest driver. Hallways, closets and mechanical rooms still take labor to finish.
Ceiling height and structure
Low ductwork or beams may need soffits, a dropped ceiling, or a structural change to keep the space feeling open. Anything structural adds engineering and inspection time.
Bathrooms and plumbing
Adding a bathroom means breaking concrete for the drain line, venting it correctly, and waterproofing. Distance from the existing main stack drives the price.
Egress windows
A legal bedroom needs an egress window cut through the foundation with a window well. That is a separate, permitted scope from drywall and flooring.
Moisture and insulation
Utah basements need a drainage plane, proper insulation and a sealed assembly. Fixing an active water problem comes before closing the walls, never after.
Electrical and mechanical
A new panel circuit, dedicated circuits for a kitchenette, or moving the furnace and water heater all change the budget more than paint colors do.
Before you frame
What to check before the walls close
Four checks decide whether a basement project runs smoothly. All four are cheaper to handle before the drywall goes up.
Egress before framing
Any room called a bedroom needs an egress window sized and placed correctly. Cutting the foundation later means undoing finished walls and inspections.
Moisture and drainage
Look for efflorescence, damp corners, or a floor drain that backs up. A basement that stays dry through spring runoff is ready; one that doesn't needs the water problem solved first.
Ceiling height
Measure from the slab to the lowest duct or beam. Below the 7-foot minimum finished ceiling height, the layout has to be designed around the structure rather than under it.
Permits and inspections
All Salt Lake area municipalities require a building permit for basement finishing work, with separate electrical, plumbing and mechanical inspections. Confirm the scope with the city before demo.
Services
What we can get set up for you
From an unfinished basement to a bathroom refresh — each guide explains scope, cost and the code items that apply.
Full Basement Finishing
Unfinished basement to permitted living space, framing through final inspection.
Read the guide
Basement Apartment / ADU
A legal unit with its own kitchen, bath, entrance and egress where your city allows it.
Read the guide
Basement Bathroom
Full or three-quarter bath including the slab break, drain and vent.
Read the guide
Egress Bedrooms
A code-sized egress window, well and inspection so the room counts as a bedroom.
Read the guide
Home Theater & Family Room
Acoustics, lighting and wiring planned before the drywall goes up.
Read the guide
Remodel & Refresh
New flooring, lighting and finishes on a basement you already have.
Read the guideService area
Wasatch Homes and nearby cities
We get Salt Lake homeowners set up for basement finishes, from planning range to written quote to walkthrough — and we serve the nearby cities and surrounding communities too. City guides below cover the permits, foundation types and housing stock at your address.
Salt Lake City · West Valley City · West Jordan · Sandy · South Jordan · Murray · Taylorsville · South Salt Lake · Draper · Midvale · Riverton · Herriman · Holladay · Cottonwood Heights · Millcreek · Bluffdale · Kearns · Magna · White City · Copperton · Emigration Canyon · Alta
and the surrounding communities.
Outside Salt Lake and the nearby cities? Send your request anyway — our team will tell you promptly whether we can get you set up. We will not leave you waiting.
Our process
How the process works
01
Planning range
Use the calculator to get a realistic range. No sales call required to see a number.
02
Get set up
Tell us your city, size and timeline. Our team confirms the details and matches you with a licensed Utah contractor for a site visit.
03
On-site quote
That contractor measures, checks egress and the panel, and gives you a written, itemized quote.
04
Permits and build
Your contractor produces the drawings, pulls the permit and builds with inspections at each stage. Our team checks in and keeps you updated.
05
Walkthrough and final
You walk the finished space, punch list items get closed and the city issues final inspection. Our team follows up to make sure it landed right.
Questions
Salt Lake basement finishing questions
Plan on $35–$50 per square foot for a basic finish, $50–$75 for mid-range and $75–$100+ for premium. Add a full bathroom ($8,000–$15,000) or a bedroom with a new egress window ($8,000–$16,000). Most complete finishes with a bathroom land between $35,000 and $65,000. That is a planning range, not a quote.
Yes. All Salt Lake area municipalities require a building permit for basement finishing work, with electrical, plumbing and mechanical inspections scheduled separately. Your contractor submits the drawings and schedules the inspections; our team follows up.
Most finishes take 6–12 weeks from design to walkthrough, including 2–4 weeks for permitting.
No, it is a planning range. A licensed Utah general contractor has to see, measure and price the actual layout before you have a quote — and our team gets that site visit set up.
A licensed Utah general contractor, matched to your project by our team. That contractor handles permits, the build and inspections. Our team coordinates the setup and follows up through the walkthrough. We do not name a single contractor company because the match depends on city, scope and timeline.
Yes, if it has an egress window that meets code — at least 5.7 sq ft of clear opening, 20 inches wide, 24 inches high, and a sill no more than 44 inches above the floor — plus the 7-foot minimum finished ceiling height and the smoke and CO alarms your city requires.
Next step
Get a free written quote
Tell us your city, the size of the basement and your rough timeline. We confirm the details, measure the space, and send an itemized quote. No obligation.
Who does the work. A licensed Utah general contractor, matched to your project by our team. That contractor handles the permits, the build and the inspections; our team coordinates the setup and follows up through the walkthrough.
What happens next. Our team confirms the details and gets a site visit set up, you receive a written quote with scope and exclusions, and nothing is signed until you are ready.