This is the cheapest square footage you can add — if it is finished legally. We are a licensed contractor in Virginia (Class A #2705183185) — we pull the permits through the Arlington County Inspection Services Division, coordinate the licensed trades, and hand you a written line-item scope before demolition starts.
A finished basement needs a building permit and, in almost every case, electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits alongside it. Two code requirements decide whether the space is legal: any room used for sleeping needs proper emergency egress, and habitable space needs a minimum finished ceiling height. The framing and rough-in inspection has to pass before insulation and drywall — get that wrong and the drywall comes back off.
Your Arlington permit goes through the Arlington County Inspection Services Division. We pull it under our license and we hold the inspection schedule — you do not chase inspectors and you do not sign the application.
What we find in Arlington homesArlington's single-family stock is heavily 1920s–1950s bungalows and colonials on small lots, with a lot of condo and townhouse inventory alongside it. On the older houses, kitchen and bath projects almost always involve rebuilding the electrical and plumbing behind the finishes. In a condo, the building's own approval process and work-hour rules sit on top of the county permit.
What's includedA planning range, not a quote. Your written line-item price comes after a free on-site walkthrough. HVAC, electrical and plumbing are performed by licensed trade partners.
A written, line-item scope for your basement finishing project. No design fee, no obligation.
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Our Arlington crews cover Ballston, Clarendon, Rosslyn, Falls Church and every ZIP in the area — 22201, 22203, 22204, 22205, 22207.
Yes. United Developers is a licensed contractor in Virginia (Class A #2705183185) and works throughout Arlington and Arlington County, including 22201, 22203, 22204, 22205 and nearby Ballston, Clarendon, Rosslyn.
We do, under our license, through the Arlington County Inspection Services Division. A finished basement needs a building permit and, in almost every case, electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits alongside it. Two code requirements decide whether the space is legal: any room used for sleeping needs proper emergency egress, and habitable space needs a minimum finished ceiling height. The framing and rough-in inspection has to pass before insulation and drywall — get that wrong and the drywall comes back off.
Most Arlington projects land in the $32k – $100k range. That is a planning range for Arlington County, not a quote — your written price comes after a free on-site walkthrough.
Yes. The walkthrough and the written scope are free and yours to keep whether or not you hire us. There is no design fee and no consultation invoice.
Only with proper emergency egress — that means a code-compliant egress window and window well, or a walkout. It is the single most common reason a basement bedroom fails inspection or gets flagged at resale. We settle it during design, before framing, because retrofitting egress into finished walls is expensive.