Finished basements that don't feel like basements.
The cheapest square footage you'll ever add. We've been finishing Portland-area basements for decades, with the moisture management, radon mitigation, and egress work that separates a real living space from a damp afterthought.
The room that pays for itself.
An unfinished basement adds a family room, guest suite, home office, gym, in-law suite, or rental income, without changing your home's footprint or eating into your yard. The catch in our region is moisture: finishing over a damp basement is how you turn it into a mold problem. We check that first.
Same crew through the whole job: framing, electrical, plumbing, HVAC tie-in, drywall, tile, flooring, finish work.
What we include in a Keyser basement finish
- Framing, insulation, drywall, paint to current code (fire-blocking, vapor)
- Egress windows where bedrooms are added (we coordinate the excavation and well install)
- Plumbing for bathrooms, wet bars, kitchenettes, including under-slab drains
- Electrical: outlets, lighting, dedicated circuits, sub-panel install when load requires
- HVAC tie-in or mini-split heat pumps (often the best basement solution)
- Flooring suited to below-grade: LVP, engineered with vapor protection, polished concrete
- Built-ins, custom storage, media walls, wet bars, full kitchens
- Radon testing and mitigation when warranted
Real credentials. Verifiable.
Every license and rating below is independently verifiable.
Moisture comes first
Portland basements are usually dry, but not always. Before we frame anything we check foundation cracks and seepage, exterior grading, gutter and downspout extensions, sump and drain function, and the humidity baseline.
When we find problems we address them with proper drainage, waterproofing, sump installation, or interior membrane systems before any new framing goes up. Finishing over a wet basement isn't a corner we cut.
Radon: the conversation Portland homeowners often skip. Parts of the Portland metro are in EPA Zone 1 and 2 for radon. Finishing a basement that's going to be used as living space is the right time to test and add mitigation. A few hundred to a few thousand during finish-out, versus much more done later.
How a Keyser basement finish runs
Moisture audit first. Then design and build.
Moisture and code audit
We walk the basement, check for seepage and humidity, look at exterior grading, confirm ceiling height for finished space, and identify what's going to need egress work. Free, no obligation.
Design, selections, estimate
Layout for how you'll use the space, finishes, mechanicals. Line-item written estimate with permit fees, radon mitigation, and egress work itemized. We pull the permits.
Build, inspect, walkthrough
Egress window cuts, framing, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, drywall, finish flooring, paint, trim. Inspections at each stage. Final walkthrough, punch list, and warranty paperwork at close.
Ready to add real square footage?
Tell us what you want the basement to be. We come out, walk the space, and follow up with a written estimate within a week.
Code, permits, and what the inspector looks at
Finished basements require permits and inspections in every Portland-area jurisdiction. The items inspectors look hardest at:
- Egress: any bedroom requires a code-compliant egress window or door
- Ceiling height: minimum is generally 7'0" with some exceptions for beams
- Smoke and CO detection integrated with the main house
- Stair compliance: tread depth, riser height, guardrail
- Fire blocking and draft stops in concealed spaces
- Insulation values matched to Oregon's energy code
We handle all of this in the permit set and during inspections.
Typical Portland-area basement pricing
Mid-2020s Portland market. Real ranges. Egress cuts and moisture work, when needed, are itemized separately.
Basement finish FAQs
How long does a basement finish take?
Will the finished basement add to my home's value?
Will it feel like a basement, or like real living space?
Do I need to test for radon?
What about turning the basement into an ADU or in-law suite?
How do we get started?
Recent Keyser Interior Projects
Every project backed by our written warranty.
Workmanship warranty included in every contract, in writing. If something we built isn't right, we come back and make it right.
More interior work from our archive
Let's plan your basement.
Free in-home walk-through with moisture audit. Written estimate with line-item detail. One crew start to finish.