Basement Finishing in Alpharetta, GA
A basement is the least expensive square footage you will ever add, and the one with the most that can go wrong underneath the finishes: water, moisture, egress, ceiling height, and mechanical relocation. We deal with all five before we frame anything, because a beautiful finished basement over an unresolved water problem is a very expensive way to store a dehumidifier.
What a project like this includes
- Water and moisture assessed first — grading, downspouts, and the wall itself, before any framing
- Egress worked out to code: a window or a door, sized, with the well and the drainage that go with it
- Ceiling height mapped against every duct, beam and pipe, with relocations drawn rather than discovered
- Mechanical, electrical and plumbing relocated so the finished ceiling is flat where it can be
- Full-height framing, insulation and a wall assembly appropriate to a below-grade space
- Bathroom, wet bar or kitchenette where the drain path supports one — and a straight answer where it does not
- Permit and inspections, including the egress inspection
- Final clean and the five-year workmanship warranty
What it usually does not
- Finishing over a water problem. If we find one, it gets fixed or the project stops — we will not frame over it
- Foundation repair or structural remediation, which is priced separately once its extent is known
- Raising the floor or underpinning to gain ceiling height, unless it is explicitly in the scope
- Exterior drainage and landscape work beyond what is needed at the egress well
Anything on this list can be brought into scope. It is here because it is not automatically in it, and knowing that now is worth more than finding out in month three.
How this work moves through our six phases
- 1
Discovery
We walk the house and put scope and a realistic band in writing.
- 2
Design AgreementPayment
Design goes under a signed agreement with a defined fee and scope.
- 3
Design & Selections
Drawings, structural review, and every selection locked before construction.
- 4
Fixed-Price ProposalPayment
One fixed price, from the trades who will build it, with the scope attached.
- 5
Construction
One production manager, one project manager, weekly written updates.
- 6
Warranty Walk
Punch list closed, warranty handed over, and we come back at eleven months.
What this usually involves
We publish four investment ranges and our minimum of $60,000, along with what each range typically includes and who we are honestly not the right firm for. Your own number comes from the Fixed-Price Proposal in phase four, once the drawings exist.
Browsing rather than scoping? Additions in the portfolio is the same work photographed rather than described.
Projects featuring this work
Questions about basement finishing
How long does a basement take?
Design is typically six to ten weeks. Construction usually runs three to five months, and the range is mostly about how much mechanical relocation the ceiling needs. Egress well excavation adds a weather-dependent week.
What investment range does a finished basement usually land in?
A finished basement is the shape of our second band. All four ranges are published on The Right Fit, along with what each one typically includes.
What if there is water down there?
Then we deal with it before anything else, and we tell you at Discovery rather than after demolition. Most of what looks like a foundation problem is a grading and downspout problem, which is cheap. Some of it is not. Either way you will know which one it is before you sign a construction agreement.
What does the five-year workmanship warranty cover in a basement?
Our workmanship for five years from substantial completion. It does not cover water intrusion originating outside our scope — which is exactly why the water assessment comes first and why we put what we found in writing.
Does a basement need a permit?
In every jurisdiction we work in, yes — finishing a basement creates habitable space and triggers egress and inspection requirements. Who issues it depends on your address, and in unincorporated areas that is the county rather than a city.
Tell us about your house
Four short steps. It goes straight to Priscilla, who will call within one business day to set up a free Discovery visit.
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