Basement Finishing & Remodeling in Salt Lake City & Northern Utah
The space you already own.
Most Northern Utah homes are built with a full basement and sold with it unfinished. EKN turns that concrete-and-studs space into bedrooms with proper egress, a bathroom on the builder’s rough-in, a family room, a home office or a basement apartment — permitted, inspected and finished like the rest of the house. Licensed, insured, free estimates from Ogden to Spanish Fork.
- Licensed contractor
- Insured
- Free estimates
- Available 24 hours
- English & Spanish
What the work involves.
A basement finish is a small construction project: framing walls where the plan needs them, insulating exterior walls, running electrical, extending plumbing to the rough-in the builder left, drywall and paint, flooring, doors and trim, and the details that make it feel like the main floor — lighting, a real ceiling, storage. Bedrooms need egress windows that meet code, and every basement needs interconnected smoke and carbon-monoxide alarms. When plumbing, electrical or walls are involved, the city issues a permit and inspects the framing, rough-ins and final.
We also remodel basements that were finished years ago: 1970s paneling and drop ceilings, bedrooms without legal egress, a half-finished bathroom, carpet over a damp slab. And for homeowners who want income or space for family, we build internal accessory dwelling units — Utah law now permits them in most single-family zones, subject to each city’s rules on owner occupancy, parking and entrances.
Typical basement finishing & remodeling projects
- Full basement finishes — bedrooms, bathroom, family room
- Egress window wells and bedroom egress
- Basement bathrooms on existing rough-ins
- Family rooms, media rooms and kitchenettes
- Home offices and gyms
- Basement apartments and internal ADUs
- Refinishing dated basements — ceilings, lighting, flooring, bathrooms
- Partial finishes (framing, electrical, drywall) for a phased budget
Basements in Northern Utah
Utah builders pour full basements because frost-depth foundations make the extra space cheap to add — then leave them unfinished to keep the base price down. The result is tens of thousands of homes in Lehi, Saratoga Springs, Eagle Mountain, Herriman, Layton and Tooele with stubbed basements waiting to be finished, and a steady supply of 1970s–90s basements in Salt Lake City, Sandy, Bountiful and Ogden that were finished once and need doing again.
Three Utah-specific checks come before drywall. Radon: roughly one in three Utah homes tests above the EPA action level, so test before you finish and add mitigation if needed. Moisture: parts of the valley floor sit on clay and shallow groundwater, so we check the slab and use a vapor barrier under floors — luxury vinyl plank is the usual choice. Egress: a bedroom needs an escape window of at least 5.7 square feet with a sill no higher than 44 inches, which often means cutting the foundation and building a window well.
Helpful to mention when you call or text
- Approximate square footage and ceiling height
- What you want it to be — bedrooms, bath, family room, apartment
- Whether there is a bathroom rough-in and any egress windows already
- Any signs of moisture, and whether you’ve tested for radon
Basement Finishing & Remodeling questions.
Do I need a permit to finish my basement in Utah?
Yes. Salt Lake City and every Northern Utah city we work in require a permit for a basement finish that adds walls, plumbing or electrical, with inspections at framing, rough-in and final. The permit is part of our project.
What makes a basement bedroom legal?
An egress window or door for escape (at least 5.7 square feet of clear opening, sill no higher than 44 inches, with a compliant window well), a ceiling of at least 7 feet, and interconnected smoke and CO alarms. We build to those requirements.
Can I turn my basement into an apartment or ADU?
Often, yes. Utah law allows internal accessory dwelling units in most single-family zones, but each city sets rules — owner occupancy, a parking space, a separate entrance, registration, rentals of 30 days or longer. We’ll tell you what your city requires before we design it.
Should I test for radon before finishing?
Yes. About a third of Utah homes test above the action level, and a test costs very little. If levels are high, mitigation is straightforward to add before the basement is finished.
What flooring works best on a basement slab?
Luxury vinyl plank over a vapor barrier is the usual answer — it’s waterproof and handles temperature swings. Tile works too. Laminate only if the slab tests dry; carpet only with a proper pad and a dry slab.
What affects the cost of finishing a basement?
Square footage, the number of bedrooms and bathrooms, whether the plumbing rough-in exists, whether egress windows must be cut, and the finishes you choose. Estimates are free, and we’ll show you where the money goes.
Basement Finishing & Remodeling across Northern Utah.
EKN Construction and Remodeling LLC is based in Salt Lake City and works throughout Northern Utah, including the communities below. If your project is nearby but not listed, just ask — tell us your city or ZIP code when you call or text.
- Ogden
- Layton
- Woods Cross
- Bountiful
- Salt Lake City
- West Valley City
- Park City
- Tooele
- West Jordan
- Sandy
- Herriman
- South Jordan
- Lehi
- Saratoga Springs
- Eagle Mountain
- American Fork
- Pleasant Grove
- Orem
- Provo
- Springville
- Mapleton
- Spanish Fork