Great Basements Are Won on Paper First
Staring at a cold, dark, empty basement and not sure where to start? Wondering whether you need graph paper, design software, or an architect to pull together basement remodeling plans?
Worried about what can move, what has to stay, and what the city will make you do?
In this guide, you’ll explore how basement remodeling plans come together, from design ideas and the floor plan to structural work, permits, the order of the build, and what it all costs across the Denver Metro Area.
By the end, you’ll know exactly what goes into a plan and how we take that job off your hands.
What Goes Into Basement Remodeling Plans
Basement remodeling plans map out how an unfinished basement becomes a finished living space, covering the layout and floor plan, room uses, structural work, electrical and plumbing systems, egress windows, and the finishes that pull it all together.
For homeowners across the Denver Metro Area, we draw that plan for you during a free design phase, usually turning around a floor plan in about two days, then build it out in roughly 6 to 10 weeks.
Every plan gets checked against local building codes before a single wall goes up.
Start With a Plan, Not a Hammer
The best basement renovation starts long before anyone grabs a hammer.
Before we draw anything at Elevation Basements, we figure out how you want to use the space, because that one decision helps determine the entire basement layout.
A dedicated game room, a home office, a warm guest bedroom, and a home theater are all popular basement ideas, and each one needs a different plan for walls, wiring, and lighting.
We design before we price, so the plan reflects your life and what you actually want, not a generic example pulled off the internet.
Designing the Floor Plan and Layout
This is the heart of basement design: a floor plan that turns one big concrete box into rooms that flow.
Mapping the zones and flow
We map the basement into zones, leave enough room to move comfortably between them, and plan where the lighting goes, plus outlets, cables, and storage for each one, right down to the dead corner under the stairs.
An open-concept layout keeps the space bright and flexible, while defined rooms give you privacy for a bedroom or office.
Skip the graph paper
You can sketch ideas on graph paper or in design software, but you do not have to.
Our in-house design team draws up the floor plan for you in about 2 days, so there is no need to hire an architect.
You review and approve it at our design studio in the Denver Tech Center, then follow the plan, the schedule, and the budget through our BuilderTrend project portal.
Structural Work and the Things You Can’t Move
A good plan respects what the house needs to stay solid and standing.
Load-bearing basement walls, support posts, floor joists, and existing plumbing and wiring all shape where rooms can go.
Opening up a layout by tearing out a post or wall is real structural work that needs an engineer’s plan and the right support put back in.
Here in Denver, we also plan around expansive clay soils, find and fix cracks in the concrete, and treat waterproofing and a sump pump as part of the groundwork that protects your investment before framing.
Permits, Codes, and Egress Windows
Basement remodeling plans in the Denver Metro Area must comply with local building codes, and we handle the entire permit process for you.
We submit the plans for electrical, plumbing, and any structural work, and we double-check everything against each city’s rules, from Littleton to Parker, Castle Pines, and Arvada, which can save you from failed inspections and costly fixes later.
Any basement bedroom needs an egress window, which usually means cutting a new hole in the foundation for a large window and one big enough to climb out of in an emergency, and the codes also set a minimum ceiling height for finished rooms.
The Order the Work Happens
Once the plan is approved and permits are in hand, the build follows a set order, one stage at a time, so nothing gets undone.
- Frame the walls and rough in the plumbing pipes and fixtures, electrical wiring, and mechanical systems.
- Pass the rough-in inspections, then add insulation, the vapor barrier, and drywall.
- Lay the flooring and finish the ceiling.
- Paint, then install cabinets, doors, and the finishing touches.
- Pass the final inspection and walk the finished space together.
We also built a 10 to 15 percent contingency into the plan for any surprises behind the walls.
What Basement Remodeling Plans Cost
We don’t price a plan off a national average.
Once your floor plan is set, we use tiered per-square-foot rates that decrease as the basement gets larger.
| Basement size | Starting rate |
|---|---|
| ~500 sq ft | ~$74 per sq ft |
| ~1,000 sq ft | ~$57 per sq ft |
| ~1,500 to 2,500 sq ft | $48 to $50 per sq ft |
What you pay depends on what you add to the plan and the materials you choose.
| Upgrade | Typical cost |
|---|---|
| Extra bedroom or office | ~$5,000 |
| Half to full bathroom | $8,000 to $19,000 |
| Wet bar, small to large | $5,000 to $25,000 |
| Egress window | $2,600 to $5,600 |
If the full plan exceeds the budget right now, we can phase it, starting with framing and flooring and adding features later.
Why Denver Homeowners Let Us Draw the Plans
Most guides hand you a tape measure and wish you luck.
We were founded in 2021 by Ed and Evan Clark, who managed new home construction for a national homebuilder, so we plan basements the way pros plan houses.
One team acts as your general contractor from the first sketch to the last coat of paint, and our 47-page design catalog keeps your finishes organized across ten categories.
You also get a free design phase, pre-construction meetings, more than 35 five-star reviews, and a one-year warranty.
From Centennial to the historic homes of Denver, we take a rough idea and create a plan for a finished basement you can actually build.
Hand Us the Graph Paper and Relax, Call Elevation Basements
We turn basement remodeling plans into finished rooms, drawing the floor plan, handling the permits, and building it out as a single turnkey team across the Denver Metro Area. You get a layout designed around your home, your codes, and your budget before any work begins.
Fill out our contact form or give us a call to start your free design phase. We will visit your basement, draw a floor plan in about two days, and walk it with you at our Denver Tech Center studio before a single wall goes up.
