Nashville, Tennessee
Basement finishing in Nashville.
A guest suite, a playroom, or a lower level you actually use instead of a storage room with a furnace in it. We finish basements across Nashville and Sumner County on cost-plus pricing, and we deal with the water before we hang a single sheet of drywall.
Typical range
$25,000 to $90,000
Bathrooms and bedrooms move the number most.
Time on site
5 to 10 weeks
Longer if we cut the slab for plumbing.
Pricing
Cost plus 15–25%
Itemized, with receipts at every payment.
What it costs
Nashville basement finishing pricing.
Four common versions of this project, and what they run around Nashville. Plumbing and egress windows decide where you land more than square footage does.
| Project | Typical cost | What's involved |
|---|---|---|
| Open finished room | $25,000–$45,000 | Framing, insulation, drywall, vinyl plank flooring, lighting, HVAC supply and return, paint |
| Finish with a bathroom | $45,000–$70,000 | Everything above plus a full or half bath, slab cut for drains, ejector pump if it sits below the sewer line |
| Bedroom suite | $60,000–$85,000 | Code egress window cut into the foundation, closet, bath, separate room framing, smoke and CO alarms |
| Full lower level | $85,000 and up | Wet bar or kitchenette, media room, multiple rooms, built-ins, upgraded finishes |
Ranges are what jobs like yours have run recently, not a quote. The written estimate is the number that counts.
Where the money goes
The four things that decide your budget.
On an open-book job you'll see all of this on the cost report. Here's what to expect before you ever sign.
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Water and moisture first
If the walls sweat or the floor has ever been wet, we fix that before anything else: grading, gutters, drainage or a sealed wall system. Rigid foam against the concrete, never fiberglass, and a dehumidifier sized for the space.
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Plumbing below the sewer line
A bathroom means cutting the slab for drains. If the main sewer exits above the basement floor, you'll also need an ejector pump, which adds roughly $3,000–$6,000.
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Egress and ceiling height
A legal bedroom needs an egress window, and cutting one into a poured wall with a window well is real money. Low ductwork and beams can also eat ceiling height, so we measure before we design.
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Heating and cooling
Most basements need their own supply and return runs, and some need a mini-split or a second zone. We size it to the room instead of hoping the upstairs system keeps up.
“Is it going to smell like a basement?”The question everybody asks first
Not if the moisture is handled up front. We look at grading and gutters outside, check the walls and slab for water, and build with materials that don't feed mold. Most Middle Tennessee houses sit on a crawlspace or slab, so the basements we finish are usually walk-outs on sloped lots, and those need extra attention on the uphill wall.
Questions we get
Before you call anybody.
Do I need a permit?
Yes. Metro Codes in Davidson County, or the city or county codes office in Sumner County. Finished space without a permit can cause trouble at appraisal and sale, so we pull it on every job.
Can it count as a bedroom?
It needs a code-sized egress window and smoke and CO alarms. Agents and appraisers also expect a closet. We'll tell you before you sign whether your space can get there.
We had water once. Can we still finish it?
Usually. We find out where the water came from and fix the cause first. If we can't stop it, we'll tell you that instead of covering it up with drywall.
Can we add a bathroom?
Almost always. It means cutting the slab for drains, and sometimes adding an ejector pump. A half bath is the cheapest way to make a basement feel like real living space.
Should we test for radon?
Yes. Radon shows up in parts of Middle Tennessee, and test kits are cheap. Test before we finish so a mitigation fan can go in while the walls are still open.
What's your minimum in Nashville?
$15,000 for work inside Davidson County, so the drive makes sense for both of us. Closer to Gallatin we take jobs of any size.
Where we work
Nashville and Sumner County.
Based in Gallatin, finishing basements across Davidson and Sumner counties. Walk-out lots around Old Hickory Lake, the Hendersonville hills and Bellevue are where we see the most of them.
- Hendersonville
- Gallatin
- Goodlettsville
- White House
- Old Hickory
- Hermitage
- Madison
- Donelson
- Mt. Juliet
- Bellevue
- Green Hills
- Brentwood
Free estimate
Tell us about your basement.
Call or text 615-572-9884, or send the details and we'll get back to you the same day.
Financing available
Pay over time with Affirm
When we send your invoice, you can choose to pay in monthly installments through Affirm instead of all at once. Ask us about it at your walkthrough.
Payment options through Affirm are subject to an eligibility check, depend on your purchase amount, may require a down payment, and are provided by these lending partners: affirm.com/lenders.