How Much Does Basement Floor Lowering Cost?

Here is how much it costs to lower your basement floor.

Basement floor lowering is a remodeling procedure that often happens when an existing floor needs to be further lowered to make for more headroom.

Lowering Basement Floor Cost

This is mostly the case after finding out that the ceiling you just installed significantly reduced available space. Such situations can be quite disturbing to claustrophobic people.

Under such circumstances, lowering a basement floor will help create more headroom, thus enhancing overall comfort. The cost of lowering a basement floor is what we’ll be discussing here.

Understanding the cost implications of such a project helps with budgeting. As you read on, you’ll find all the cost-related information you seek.

Does Your Basement Meet Minimum Height Requirements?

Cities have building codes that cover all aspects of construction.

These include building height. For some, the minimum height for living spaces is around 7, while for others more height (7 and a half feet or more) is required.

So, what do you do in a situation where your basement floor isn’t up to the minimum?

You simply need to have it lowered. This is where cost considerations come into play. Of course, you’ll have to call a building contractor to have a look and possibly carry out the lowering process.

Lowering the floor will require digging through the concrete portion before getting to the dirt.

New flooring is installed or laid after reaching the desired height. This is as far as we’d go on the processes involved in lowering the floor.

From here, we’d get into the specifics of project costs as well as factors influencing basement floor lowering. All you have to do is read along for such details.

What Does Basement Floor Lowering Cost?

So we’ve been discussing the basement floor lowering process and how much it costs.

Here, we’ll proceed to provide a wide range of cost details involved for such projects. Speaking of basement floor lowering, it will cost you anywhere from $20,000 to $60,000 or more depending on the situation.

This is usually a costly procedure that can be impacted by the size of your property and whether it will involve creating additional walls and other complex constructions.

On average, it will cost between $350 and $450 to lower an interior square foot of basement floor space.

It’s proper to say that an exact estimate can be provided based on the fact that a lot of factors are involved in lowering a basement floor.

While this is true, the figures provided give a rough estimate of what to expect. A basic basement floor lowering job without any complications will attract an average fee of $10,000.

For a more complex task, expect as much as $60,000 or more. So, what makes the basement floor lowering more complex? Quite a several things are involved.

These include the size of the job or area to be covered, the contractor hired; the piping buried beneath the floor that needs to be removed or rerouted, as well as the condition of your property.

There are other considerations like interior finishing, condition of walls, plumbing, as well as demolition. All these play a part in arriving at final costs for a basement floor lowering job.

Factors Affecting Basement Lowering Costs

In the course of our discussion, we’ve made mention of multiple factors that affect basement lowering costs.

Here, we’ll be discussing further each of the points mentioned to gain a fair understanding of how such affects pricing.

• The complexity of the Project

Before the lowering process is kick-started, a full assessment of the site needs to be made. This leads to recommendations given by the project contractor before the final work begins.

All of these processes are geared towards determining the complexity of the project.

With the complexity determined, a final cost estimate is reached. This costing considers everything. There may be a network of pipes buried below the concrete that will have to be removed.

The less complex the job is, the cheaper it will cost to execute.

• Contractor Used

The construction industry is home to a variety of professionals.

Those competent enough to handle your basement floor lowering project will have their pricing structures. You’ll have to find out which contractor offers the most competitive rates among the several contacted.

Of course, such comparisons are only possible when quotes for the project are received and compared. You’ll have to approach competent and licensed contractors to have the desired outcome.

• Size of the Job

Size is a major factor when it comes to basement floor lowering.

We earlier mentioned that it will cost anywhere from 350 to $450 to lower an interior square foot area of basement floor space. Based on this piece of information, a wider area of targeted floor space will logically cost more.

The area is multiplied by the floor lowering the cost per square foot. So, if your basement is smaller, it’s logical to expect floor lowering costs within a certain low range.

The opposite applies to wider spaces.

• The Extent to which the Floor will be Lowered

When lowering basement floors, acceptable heights start from 7 feet and up.

As such, your current or existing basement height will have to be subtracted from the expected lowered depth to get the level to be dug. The more lowering involved, the higher the cost will be.

• Condition of Walls

What’s the condition of your wall(s) like?

This piece of information will help determine whether a basement floor lowering job is delicate or not. Weaker or deteriorated walls will require a careful or delicate approach to lowering.

This might take longer to execute which is why it’s likely to cost more.

• Demolition

Demolition is part of the lowering process for basement floors.

Here, existing floors have to be demolished to reach new depths. This is where a significant portion of labor is expended.

A look at the quotes received for your floor lowering job will show how much cost is taken by basement demolition.

• Plumbing

When a basement floor is finally lowered, considerations are made regarding the layout.

In other words, the arrangement or placement of fittings like bathrooms among others is considered. In the case of bathrooms, plumbing provisions need to be made.

Now, you have an idea of what it will cost you to lower your basement floor. We’ve discussed the cost range as well as the factors affecting pricing.

All such information should provide the needed guidance you need for proper budgeting.