Basement Finishing Cost in Salt Lake City (From $3,000)

Basement Finishing Cost Ranges in Salt Lake City (By Scope)

Most basements in Salt Lake City land in one of these lanes. The key is to pick the lane that matches your real project, not the one that sounds nicest.

Basement Repairs & Partial Basement Projects

This is the category for work that improves the basement without turning it into a fully finished living space. Think targeted upgrades, repairs, and layout tweaks.

Common Examples:

Real Project Examples:

• Drywall repair on basement wall and ceiling (multiple trips for mud dry time) – $1,300

• Basement room and wall remodel with demo, framing, electrical moves, new door, drywall, texture matching, trim, and paint – $3,800

Those numbers matter because they show something homeowners underestimate constantly: you can spend real money in a basement without “finishing a basement.” 

Repairs take prep, protection, multiple visits, and clean up.

Basement Finishing “Core Build” (Living Space Without A Bathroom)

This is what most people mean when they say they want to finish a basement. It usually includes:

• Framing and layout

• Electrical and lighting

• Drywall, texture (if needed), and paint

• Flooring

• Trim, doors, baseboards

• HVAC planning so the space is actually comfortable

What it usually does not include:

• A new bathroom

• A tile shower

• Wet bar or kitchenette

• Custom cabinetry

• Major structural changes

If your basement is already framed, you might save on some labor and materials, but you still have plenty of cost left on the table. 

Basement Finishing Cost With Bathroom

The moment you add a bathroom, the project changes. Not because bathrooms are “hard” but because they force the basement to work as a system.

A bathroom can introduce:

• Plumbing rough-in or rework

• Venting requirements

• Electrical upgrades

• Waterproofing

• Tile labour

• Inspections and sequencing delays

And if you go from a basic bath to a tile shower, you’re adding a whole scope category. The tile shower portion of a basement finish could easily reach $17,000.

That single line item can rival the total cost of a small basement upgrade project.

High-Finish Basement (Bathroom + Built-Ins + Upgraded Finishes)

This is where basements start to feel like they were always meant to be living space. More rooms, better lighting, nicer flooring, and often a bathroom that looks like a main-level bathroom.

At this level, pricing is less about square footage and more about how many expensive edges you’re building:

• How many doors and openings

• How much trim work

• How much cabinetry

• How much tile

• How many trades need to coordinate

Category Breakdown:

A useful local anchor for this is a large basement finish broken down by category totals:

• Structural and framing: $22,000

• Drywall: $7,000

• HVAC: $5,000

• Carpet and LVP flooring: $12,000

• Doors, trim, baseboards, and paint: $9,200

• Cabinets and countertops: $9,500

• Tile shower: $17,000

Note:

This framing number is higher than average because it includes the removal of a load-bearing wall and installation of a structural beam. In a more typical basement finish without structural changes, framing costs would be much lower.

Electrical and plumbing costs should also be considered. Depending on the scope, those systems can easily add several thousand dollars once lighting, outlets, bathroom plumbing, venting, and inspections are included.

When you add these major categories together, you’re looking at roughly $80,000+ for a high-finish basement of this complexity. That’s not a “typical” basement, but an example of what the budget is made of when finishes, rooms, and systems stack up.

Cost Breakdown by Phase (What You’re Paying For)

Basement finishing isn’t one job. It’s a chain of jobs that have to happen in the right order.

Step 0: Planning, Permits, Engineering

Sometimes the first cost shows up before any framing starts. If your basement project involves:

• structural changes

• beam sizing, or 

• load-bearing walls

… engineering plans and approvals are part of the scope.

Salt Lake City Cost

In the Salt Lake City area, engineering typically runs about 1.5–4% of the overall basement budget, which often lands in the $1,500–$4,000 range for an 800–1,200 sq ft basement finish, depending on complexity.

Simpler layouts may sit closer to the low end, while projects involving structural beams, wall removal, or complex loads push higher.

Not every basement needs engineering, but when it does, it’s not optional.

Framing & Structural Work

Framing is where basements become rooms. It’s also where the budget can rise fast, because framing is tied to:

• Number of rooms

• Door openings

• Headers

• Soffits and bulkheads

If you’re building one open space, framing is simpler. If you’re building a bedroom, a bathroom, a storage room, and a hallway, framing adds complexity and time.

Project Example:

This project involved combining two existing rooms into one cohesive space.

Scope included:

• Demo of existing walls, doors, and trim

• Protection and relocation of outlets and switches

• Framing a new wall and doorway to suit the updated layout

• Drywall on both sides, multiple mud passes, texture matching

• Matching crown molding and baseboards across old and new areas

• Trim install and finish paint so the room looked original to the home

Total project cost: ~$3,800

HVAC & Ventilation

Basements are famous for two things: being cold and feeling stale. That usually points back to HVAC.

HVAC costs go up when you need:

• New supply runs

• Return air paths

• Better balancing

• Dedicated comfort in separate rooms

In one large basement finish, HVAC was its own meaningful budget bucket: $5,000.

Electrical & Lighting

Lighting makes basements feel finished. Bad lighting makes basements feel like basements.

Electrical scope can be simple if you’re swapping fixtures. It gets bigger when you’re adding:

• Recessed lights across multiple rooms

• New outlets where none exist

• Code-required smoke and CO coverage

• Dedicated circuits for a bathroom, theatre equipment, or a kitchenette

Plumbing (If Adding Bathroom, Wet Bar, Laundry)

Plumbing is one of the fastest ways to push basement finishing cost up. It is not just the fixture. It’s the rough-in, the venting, and often the concrete or access work.

If you’re adding a bathroom, decide early:

• Basic bath vs full bath

• Shower insert vs tile shower

That single decision changes the budget and the timeline.

Insulation & Moisture Control

Finishing a basement without addressing moisture is how you end up paying twice. Basements need a plan for:

• Humidity

• Air movement

• Materials that can handle basement conditions

If moisture fixes are needed, they belong before the pretty work.

Drywall, Mud, Texture, Paint

Drywall is where basements start to feel real. It’s also where timelines stretch because mud needs dry time.

Project Example:

A local basement drywall repair example spelled this out clearly:

• Trip 1: Remove damaged drywall, install new, first mud layer

• Trip 2: Second coat

• Trip 3: Sanding to finish level

Total: $1,325

Flooring

Basement flooring is a whole conversation. Carpet is comfortable and forgiving. LVP is durable and great for basements that see traffic.

Flooring costs increase with:

• Demo and disposal

• Subfloor prep

• Underlayment

• Stairs, transitions, and trim sequencing

In a large basement finish example, flooring was a major bucket: $12,000 (carpet and LVP flooring)

Doors, Trim, Baseboards, Finish Carpentry

Finish carpentry is the part people notice. It’s also the part that quietly adds up because it’s repetitive detail work.

Every door means:

• Door install or adjustment

• Casing and baseboard tie-ins

• Hardware

• Paint or stain

In one breakdown: $9,200 (doors, trim, baseboards, and paint).

Bathroom Build-Out (If Applicable)

Bathrooms move budgets because they concentrate a lot of work into a small footprint. If your basement finish includes a tile shower, expect a meaningful jump.

Project Example: 

Tile shower – $17,000

What Is The Most Expensive Part Of Finishing A Basement?

Most of the time, the biggest cost drivers are:

• Bathrooms, especially tile showers and plumbing-intensive layouts

• Kitchens, kitchenettes, and wet bars where cabinetry, countertops, plumbing, and electrical stack quickly

• Flooring and finish carpentry (including trim, doors, paint, detailed transitions across rooms)

Where people overspend by accident:

• Adding kitchens or wet bars without a clear use case

• Choosing high-maintenance finishes that don’t suit basement conditions

• Locking in cabinetry or flooring before moisture and comfort issues are addressed

How To Get A Basement Finishing Quote That Holds Up

Quotes fall apart when the scope is fuzzy. If you want a number that stays grounded, prep this before pricing:

Photos To Provide:

• Wide shots of the whole basement

• Mechanical room and utility runs

• Any water damage or problem areas

• Stair access and entry path

Measurements To Provide:

• Rough square footage

• Ceiling height

• Number of rooms you want

Your Priority List:

• Must-haves

• Nice-to-haves

Scope Clarity Checklist:

• Living space only vs bedroom vs bathroom vs kitchenette

• Flooring type

• Door count

• Lighting plan

• Storage and closets