Metro Detroit Home Remodeling | Custom Edge Remodeling
Basement Finishing in Troy
Troy is a 1970s city. A third of its housing went up in that decade alone, and those basements were poured with the headroom and the footprint that make them worth finishing. If you have been putting this off, the house is probably on your side.
Request a walkthrough →What We Find Behind Troy Basement Walls
Troy's median house dates to 1977, and four kinds of basement cover most of the city.
1970s Colonials
The largest single group in Troy. Full basements under most of the footprint, workable height, and mechanical layouts that are usually cooperative.
1960s Ranches
Long, wide basements with the furnace placed centrally. Often the easiest floor plans in the city because there is little to route around.
1980s and 1990s Subdivisions
Taller pours and better original drainage. These start closer to ready than anything else in Troy.
Post-2000 Infill
Uncommon here, but where it exists the basement is a blank rectangle with good height and no remediation to do first.
Six Things Troy Basements Have in Common
None of these are surprises. They are what decides the number on a Troy basement.
A Good Starting Height
Troy basements generally begin with more clearance than Royal Oak or Plymouth. That usually means your budget goes into finish level instead of headroom recovery.
Egress Is Still Required
Michigan enforces the 2015 residential code, which requires an emergency escape opening for a finished basement whether or not it has a bedroom. Original Troy windows do not meet it.
Subdivision Associations
A large share of Troy sits in platted subdivisions with active associations, and the city itself recommends checking with your HOA before alterations. A window well changes the side of the house, so we raise it on the walkthrough.
Original Ductwork
Run for convenience in 1978, not for a finished ceiling. Moving a trunk line is often the cheapest usable height you can buy.
The Permit Board Rule
Troy requires a permit board at the jobsite, minimum 24 by 36 inches, with the building permit displayed on it. We bring it.
Electronic Plans Only
Troy's building department is paperless and accepts only electronic plans submitted by email. That speeds things up when your contractor is set up for it.
We Pull the Permit, You Do Not
Troy's Building Department is on West Big Beaver Road, with a separate inspection line. Here is the part that catches people: you cannot pull a basement building permit online in Troy. Online permitting covers electrical, mechanical, plumbing, sewer and water, plus building permits for roofing, windows and siding only. A basement finish goes through the department directly.
- →Building permit filed directly with the department, not online
- →Electronic plans prepared and submitted by email
- →Michigan Energy Code worksheet completed and filed
- →Electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits pulled separately
- →Permit board posted on site and every inspection met by us
Troy publishes its own basement finish guidelines. We read them before we draw, not after a correction notice.
What a Finished Basement Costs in Troy
Most of our basement projects run $60,000 to $95,000. Troy's median sale price is around $468,000, which puts a mid-range finished basement at roughly sixteen percent of the house. Troy jobs tend to sit in the middle of our range rather than the top, for a simple reason: the basements start in better shape. Less headroom recovery, less window enlargement, fewer surprises behind the mechanical room. The budget goes into what you are actually building.
What We Build Down There
Basement Finishing
Family room, media wall, and the seating that makes people use the space. Troy basements have the footprint to do this properly.
See the service →Wet Bars and Kitchenettes
Mostly a plumbing and venting question, and one worth settling before framing rather than after.
See the service →A Full Bath Below Grade
What turns a finished basement into a guest suite. Drainage below the slab decides the layout, so we look at it first.
See the service →Home Gyms
Troy's wider basements suit a real gym. Floor flatness and ceiling height under the ductwork are the two things that decide where it goes.
See the service →Opening Up an Old Finish
Plenty of Troy basements were partly finished in the 1990s. Some of that can stay. Most of it cannot.
See the service →Basements Inside a Bigger Project
When the mechanicals are due anyway and it makes sense to do the work together.
See the service →Troy 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 it is only a bedroom requirement is quoting the 2021 code, which Michigan has not adopted.
Can I pull the permit myself online?
Not the building permit. Troy restricts online building permits to roofing, windows and siding. We file the basement permit with the department directly and handle the electronic plan submission.
Do I need to tell my HOA?
Probably. Troy has a lot of active subdivision associations and the city recommends checking before alterations. The egress window well is the part they care about, because it changes the exterior.
How much height will I actually end up with?
Most Troy basements finish between seven and eight feet depending on the ductwork. We measure to the lowest obstruction on the walkthrough and tell you the real number before you commit.
Is a bathroom worth adding?
If you want the space used for guests, yes. It is the single change that turns a finished basement into a guest suite, and the below-slab drainage decides where it can go.
How long does a Troy basement take?
Most run eight to twelve weeks from permit to final. Plan review in Troy is its own step, and we build it into the schedule you get 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.