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 Fairfax County Land Development 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 McLean permit goes through Fairfax County Land Development 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.
What we find in McLean homesMcLean is large-lot housing — 1950s–1970s ramblers and colonials alongside substantial newer construction and rebuilds. On the original houses, additions are common and usually worth doing properly: matching roofline, siding and HVAC capacity so the addition does not read as an add-on. Many neighborhoods also carry HOA architectural review.
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 McLean crews cover Vienna, Great Falls, Falls Church, Tysons and every ZIP in the area — 22101, 22102.
Yes. United Developers is a licensed contractor in Virginia (Class A #2705183185) and works throughout McLean and Fairfax County, including 22101, 22102 and nearby Vienna, Great Falls, Falls Church.
We do, under our license, through Fairfax County Land Development 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.
Most McLean projects land in the $32k – $100k range. That is a planning range for Fairfax 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.