Metro Detroit Home Remodeling | Custom Edge Remodeling
Basement Finishing in Birmingham
Birmingham is two housing markets on the same street. A quarter of the city predates 1950 and nearly a fifth was built after 2000, mostly as replacement construction. Those are two completely different basements, and pricing them the same way is how people get surprised.
Request a walkthrough →What We Find Behind Birmingham Basement Walls
The median Birmingham house dates to 1960, but the median hides the story. This city is a barbell, not a bell curve.
Pre-War Houses
About a quarter of the city was built before 1950. Low headroom, block or rubble foundations in the oldest stock, and windows that predate the escape opening requirement entirely.
1950s and 1960s Homes
The largest block, at roughly forty-four percent built between 1950 and 1979. Sound basements, workable height, ductwork that usually wants moving.
Post-2000 Rebuilds
Nearly a fifth of the city, built on lots where something older came down. Eight and nine-foot basement pours, dry, and ready for design rather than repair.
Everything In Between
Additions, partial rebuilds, and basements that were finished once already in the 1990s. We look before we quote, because Birmingham rewards looking.
Six Things Birmingham Basements Have in Common
The spread here is wider than anywhere else we work. These are the things that decide which end of the range you land on.
Two Different Jobs
On the older stock the conversation is headroom, moisture and manufacturing an egress opening in a foundation wall that never had one. On the newer stock the basement is already a blank rectangle and the conversation is purely design.
Egress, Bedroom or Not
Michigan is still on the 2015 residential code. A finished basement needs an emergency escape opening whether or not it has a bedroom. The pre-1950 quarter of Birmingham predates that requirement entirely.
A Published Review Timeline
Birmingham tells you to allow roughly two to three weeks for plan review. Most cities publish nothing. We build that into the schedule you get.
Licensed Trades Required
Electrical permits must be applied for by a licensed contractor and plumbing permits by a licensed Master Plumber. Birmingham does not allow a general contractor to shortcut this.
Fees Stack Up Front
All plan review and engineering fees are paid before the project goes in for review. A basement with a bathroom carries an application fee for the building permit and one for each trade permit on top.
Historic Districts Are Specific
Most Birmingham single-family housing is not in one. The residential districts are particular streets and neighborhoods, plus scattered individual properties. We check your address rather than assuming either way.
We Pull the Permit, You Do Not
Birmingham's Building Department sits within Community Development on Martin Street, and the city states directly that finishing a basement requires a building permit. So does basement waterproofing. Plumbing, heating, refrigeration and electrical are separate permits.
- →Two folded sets of complete construction drawings prepared and submitted
- →Current builder's license filed with the application
- →Plan review and engineering fees paid up front, as the city requires
- →Licensed electrical and Master Plumber applications handled for you
- →Two to three weeks of plan review built into the schedule, not discovered later
If your home sits in one of the designated historic districts, exterior work affecting appearance goes to the Historic District Commission, which meets the first and third Wednesdays. We confirm whether an egress window well needs that review before anything is scheduled.
What a Finished Basement Costs in Birmingham
Most of our basement work runs $60,000 to $95,000. With a Birmingham median over $1,000,000, a finished basement is one of the lowest-cost square-footage additions available in this city by a wide margin. The spread within Birmingham is wider than anywhere else we work, and it comes down to which house you have. A post-2000 rebuild with a tall, dry, square basement lands at the lower end of our range for a given finish level. A 1930s basement needing headroom work, moisture remediation and a new opening cut into the foundation lands at the upper end.
What We Build Down There
Basement Finishing
Family room and media wall. On the newer stock this is a straightforward build with a high finish level.
See the service →Wine Rooms and Wet Bars
Common here, and mostly a question of insulation, cooling and where the plumbing can run.
See the service →A Full Bath Below Grade
What turns a finished basement into a guest suite. Below-slab drainage decides the layout on older foundations.
See the service →Home Gyms
Floor flatness and clearance under original ductwork decide the location in pre-war houses.
See the service →Removing an Old Finish
Plenty of Birmingham basements were finished once already. We tell you honestly what can stay.
See the service →Guest and In-Law Suites
Bedroom, bath and sitting area, with egress and sound separation handled properly.
See the service →Birmingham Homeowners Ask Us This
Anything not answered here, call Tim directly at 313.236.0985.
Do I need an egress window if there is no bedroom?
Yes. Michigan is still on the 2015 residential code, which requires an escape opening for any finished basement. Anyone telling you otherwise is quoting the 2021 code, which Michigan has not adopted.
My house is from 1931. Can the basement even be finished?
Usually, but the honest answer comes from measuring. Headroom, foundation condition and where an opening can be cut are the three things that decide it. Tim will tell you on the walkthrough if the answer is no.
Am I in a historic district?
Most Birmingham homes are not. The residential districts cover particular neighborhoods and a set of individual properties. We check your specific address before we plan any exterior work.
Will a window well need historic approval?
If you are in a district, exterior work affecting appearance is reviewable. Window installation is on the city's list for administrative approval, but an excavated well is a separate question and we confirm it with the Planning Department rather than guessing.
Why are the permit costs higher here?
Birmingham charges an application fee for the building permit and another for each trade permit, on top of permit and plan review fees, all payable before review. It is a real line item and we show it to you rather than burying it.
How long does a Birmingham basement take?
Plan review alone is two to three weeks by the city's own estimate. Most projects run ten to fourteen weeks from application to final, and you get that schedule with the fixed price.
Full service area across Oakland, Wayne, Macomb, Washtenaw and Monroe counties.
We Are Already in the Neighborhood
Tim walks the basement, tells you what the height and the mechanicals will allow, and gives you a straight answer before anyone talks about price. Free, about an hour.