Basement Finishing in Taylorsville

Taylorsville Basement Finishing plans and builds basement bedrooms, bathrooms, egress windows and basement apartments for Taylorsville homeowners whose house has an unfinished or partly finished lower level. About 71 percent of Taylorsville homes went up between 1950 and 1989, so the questions we start with are about 1970s and 1980s family houses: where the bedrooms fit, how the plumbing reaches a new bathroom and what size an escape window has to be.

Three readers matter to a basement plan: you, the building office and the inspector. We draw for all three, with permit-ready plans, framing and insulation that meet the energy rule, wiring and alarms, and an escape window whenever a bedroom or apartment is created. Taylorsville, West Jordan and South Jordan are covered, and estimates are free.

Unfinished basement with poured concrete walls, exposed floor joists and ducts, a gas furnace and water heater in one corner, a staircase and a bare concrete floor
Basement BedroomBasement BathroomEgress Window InstallationBasement Apartment

Our basement finishing services

Finished basement bedroom with a made bed, wooden nightstand, closet with a white panel door, a small basement window with a roller blind and a smoke alarm on the ceilingFinished basement bathroom with a tub-and-shower combination, white subway tile, a vanity and a small high window

Basement Bedroom

A basement room counts as a bedroom when it has an escape opening, alarms and enough ceiling height. We lay out the room, the door and the window together so the bedroom is built to those rules from the first drawing.

Basement Bathroom

Drain location comes first, then ceiling height over the fixtures, then a ventilation fan. Choose a half bath, with toilet and sink, or a full bath with a shower or tub added.

Brick house with a round corrugated steel window well around a basement window at foundation level, gravel in the well, lawn and shrubs, and snow-capped mountains in the distance1980s split-level stucco and brick house with a two-car garage, concrete driveway, foundation window wells and scrub oak hills and mountains behind

Egress Window Installation

The window and its well are sized from the code numbers, then cut into the foundation wall. A new bedroom or apartment in a basement needs this opening, so we work out the size before anything is cut.

Basement Apartment

Utah calls a basement unit inside an owner-occupied house an internal accessory dwelling unit. It has its own entry, kitchen and bath, and a fire-rated separation from the rest of the house, planned under the state statute, with the city’s conditions confirmed with its building office.

Basement finishing costs

These ranges cover hired labor, materials and permit steps for work inside an existing basement in Taylorsville, West Jordan and South Jordan. Water problems and foundation repair are not part of them. The low end is a plain, simple job. The open top end is where more rooms, plumbing, hard access or higher-end finishes come in.

Basement finishing

  • Small basement, about 400-600 sq ft$18,000 – $40,000+
  • Medium basement, about 1,000 sq ft$38,000 – $75,000+
  • Large basement, about 1,500 sq ft$55,000 – $110,000+
What is included

Framing, insulation, wiring, drywall, flooring and lights across the lower level, along with permit and inspection steps. A bathroom, a bedroom window or an apartment is priced separately.

Get a free quoteSee an example project

Basement bedroom

  • One bedroom with a closet, about 120-150 sq ft, egress already in place$6,000 – $13,000+
  • One bedroom with a new egress window and well$9,500 – $20,000+
What is included

A framed bedroom with a closet, a door, outlets, light and alarms. Since a bedroom needs an escape window, the second line includes a new window and well.

Get a free quoteSee an example project

Basement bathroom

  • Half bath, toilet and sink$5,000 – $12,000+
  • Full bathroom, toilet, sink and shower$10,000 – $25,000+
What is included

A half or full bathroom: plumbing, a vent fan, protected power, waterproof walls and fixtures.

Get a free quoteSee an example project

Egress window installation

  • One egress window and well$3,500 – $7,000+
  • Two windows, for two bedrooms$7,000 – $14,000+
  • A harder cut: a thick foundation wall, or a well that must clear a step or porch$7,000 – $12,000+
What is included

Cutting the wall opening, setting the window, building the well and its drain, and the inspection. Patching and paint inside and landscaping outside may add cost.

Get a free quoteSee an example project

Basement apartment

  • Basement apartment, about 700-800 sq ft$50,000 – $100,000+
  • Larger suite, about 1,000 sq ft or more, with its own outside entrance$75,000 – $130,000+
What is included

A separate unit with a bedroom, bathroom, kitchen or kitchenette and living area, alarms, an escape opening and the separation from the house. Utility upgrades are extra, and your city sets its own accessory unit rules.

Get a free quoteSee an example project

Ranges are 2026 estimates, not quotes. Your written estimate is free and comes after we have seen the basement.

What a finished basement includes

The 2021 International Residential Code, with Utah’s amendments, sets the rules for a basement finish, and what follows are the parts that shape a plan. Components you are not altering do not have to be upgraded.

Framing against the concrete

The wall plan calls out which plates are treated.

Insulation behind the drywall

Insulation is a code item as well as a comfort one. Utah’s table sets R-10 continuous or R-13 in the cavity for basement walls around conditioned space, and the inspector can check it before drywall hides it. Where foam board is used, the room side needs a thermal barrier; half-inch gypsum board is one approved choice, and an inch of concrete or masonry between foam and room makes it unnecessary.

Fireblocking and stairs

Walls get two fire-safety checks. One is blocking: it closes concealed stud spaces at the ceiling and floor and at 10 feet or less along the wall. The other is the under-stair space, where an enclosed area behind a door or panel gets half-inch gypsum board on the inside.

Ceiling height

Plan around the ceiling you have. Living space needs 7 feet, though ducts, beams and girders may drop to 6 feet 4 inches. Bathrooms and laundry rooms need 6 feet 8 inches. We measure under the ducts on the first visit, since that one number can move a wall.

Alarms and power

Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms come first in the safety list. Once a permit is involved they are placed as in a new house: smoke alarms in each bedroom, outside sleeping areas and on each added story including the basement, interconnected; carbon monoxide alarms on each level and by the bedrooms. Outlets in unfinished basement areas, 15 and 20 ampere, are covered by a Utah amendment requiring ground-fault protection.

Radon testing for the lowest level

Test before you frame. On the state’s own figures, one Utah home in three tests above the EPA action level, 4 picocuries per liter. Put the kit in the basement or lowest level for two to four days. The figure is Utah-wide, not specific to Taylorsville.

The geological survey’s 1996 study of the western valley, from the Oquirrh Mountains east to the Jordan River, put the highest hazard potential in the west and the lowest along the river. The study itself calls the link between mapped potential and measured radon imperfect, which is why each basement gets its own test. Under state code radon-resistant construction is voluntary; Appendix F applies if it is installed.

Basement permits in Taylorsville

Utah adopts the 2021 International Residential Code, with its own amendments, as the residential code, and the alarm rules apply where an alteration requires a permit. West Valley City, a neighboring city, lists finishing rooms or areas previously unfinished, including basements, among the work that needs a building permit.

Taylorsville’s own building office decides what it needs for your address: the plan set, the fees and the inspections. Confirm those steps with the city before work starts, and we will plan around what it asks for.

Basement homes in Taylorsville

Taylorsville’s housing stock leans toward the 1970s and 1980s. About 46 percent of homes predate 1980, roughly 71 percent went up between 1950 and 1989, and the median year built is 1982. Only about 2 percent were built before 1950.

Owners live in about 71 percent of Taylorsville homes and renters in 29 percent. Five-plus-unit buildings hold 19 percent of the units, and 72 percent of the stock is one-unit houses. Owner-occupied homes have a median value of $433,800. None of these figures says which houses have basements, so this page is for owners who know theirs does.

Our process

01

Visit and measure

We start with measurements: clearance under ducts and beams, the furnace and water heater, windows and wells, and what you want each room to be. Our free estimate follows that visit.

02

Plan and check with the city

Drawings show every room and its use, the window sizes, the insulation R-values and where the alarms sit. What the city needs to see is the city’s decision, and we confirm the permit steps with it before the crew starts.

03

Frame, insulate and rough in

Next the crew frames the perimeter, insulates, and runs wiring, pipes and ducts. The insulation can be inspected before drywall covers it.

04

Finish the rooms

Drywall, trim, flooring, fixtures and paint come last, after the inspections that apply.

05

Final walk-through

We go through each room with you, including the alarms and the escape window if there is one, and answer questions about caring for the new space.

What changes the cost

Basements vary, so the ranges above are estimates. A written quote follows a visit, and these are the things that change the figure:

  • The floor area being finished
  • The number of bedrooms, bathrooms and other rooms
  • An egress window and well, and the wall that has to be cut
  • Whether plumbing has to reach a new bathroom
  • Moving ducts, the furnace or the water heater
  • Electrical work and the number of circuits
  • The level of finish: flooring, ceilings, trim and fixtures
  • A kitchen or a separate entry for an apartment

Service area

Beyond Taylorsville the work extends to West Jordan, about 7 miles by road, and South Jordan, about 10. A page and a building office exist for each. For a different nearby address, just ask.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a permit to finish my basement in Taylorsville?

Utah code speaks of alterations that require a permit, and a neighboring city such as West Valley City lists finishing previously unfinished areas, including basements, among permit work. Taylorsville’s own requirement is confirmed with the city building office before work begins.

What is included in finishing a basement?

Framing against the foundation, insulation, electrical, plumbing and ducts as the plan needs, drywall, flooring and fixtures. Bedrooms and apartments add an escape window and alarms, and the list is set by the plan we agree.

Can I finish a basement for $10,000?

It depends on the floor area, how many rooms and what goes in them. A small scope may be possible and a large one may not, and we say which after seeing the basement. Bedrooms, bathrooms, an egress window and a kitchen each add cost.

What does a basement bedroom need?

An escape opening that operates, smoke and carbon monoxide alarms and a 7-foot ceiling make up the list, and the basement bedroom page goes through them.

Do you do waterproofing or radon mitigation?

No. We finish basements. Waterproofing and radon mitigation are separate trades, and a radon test before finishing is a sensible first step.

Request a free basement finishing quote

Tell us the size of the basement, what you want in it and whether it is unfinished or partly finished. We'll get back to you soon with an estimate or any questions we have. Estimates are free and there's no obligation.

Call (385) 527-2591

Call (385) 527-2591