This is the cheapest square footage you can add — if it is finished legally. We are a licensed contractor in Maryland (MHIC #111971) — we pull the permits through the Montgomery County Department of Permitting Services, 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 Gaithersburg permit goes through the Montgomery County Department of Permitting Services. We pull it under our license and we hold the inspection schedule — you do not chase inspectors and you do not sign the application.
Gaithersburg runs its own permitting for properties inside the city limits — a separate submission and separate inspectors from Montgomery County DPS. A Gaithersburg mailing address does not always mean you are inside the city, and which side of that line you are on decides where the permit goes. We confirm it before filing.
Gaithersburg spans 1960s–1980s subdivisions in the older sections and heavy 1990s–2000s townhome and single-family development further out. In the earlier neighborhoods, expect original electrical service and kitchens that have never been opened up; in the newer ones, the constraint is usually the HOA architectural review rather than the house.
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 Gaithersburg crews cover Germantown, Montgomery Village, Washington Grove, Rockville and every ZIP in the area — 20877, 20878, 20879, 20882, 20886.
Yes. United Developers is a licensed contractor in Maryland (MHIC #111971) and works throughout Gaithersburg and Montgomery County, including 20877, 20878, 20879, 20882 and nearby Germantown, Montgomery Village, Washington Grove.
We do, under our license, through the Montgomery County Department of Permitting Services. 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.
Gaithersburg runs its own permitting for properties inside the city limits — a separate submission and separate inspectors from Montgomery County DPS. A Gaithersburg mailing address does not always mean you are inside the city, and which side of that line you are on decides where the permit goes. We confirm it before filing.
Most Gaithersburg projects land in the $32k – $100k range. That is a planning range for Montgomery 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.