How Much Does It Cost to Finish a Basement in Omaha?

Start with the square footage

Measure the length and width of the space you want finished, in feet, and multiply. A basement area 30 feet by 40 feet is 1,200 square feet. The range above is per square foot, so that number is where any planning starts.

What moves the number

Where yours lands depends on the size, the rooms you want and what is already down there. Adding a bathroom, fixing water first and the finishes you choose are common reasons two jobs of the same size differ.

• Water. Water found behind a wall and anything left out of the scope are the usual reasons a price changes once work starts. Is your basement dry enough to finish?
• Permits. Inside Omaha city limits, basement finishing needs a building permit, and the trades get their own. The City of Omaha permit line.

What a written estimate should include

Ask for a written, itemized estimate and compare what each one includes:

1. The scope, room by room: what gets framed, finished and installed, and in which rooms.
2. What is left out: anything you would need to buy or handle separately.
3. The permits: which permits the job needs, and whose name goes on each.
4. The start date: when work would begin, and what could move it.
5. The payment schedule: how much is due when. Avoid paying in full before the work is finished.
6. Who is doing the work: the business name, and whether anyone else is coming onto the job.