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 Reston 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.
Reston is a covenant community: exterior changes generally need Reston Association design review approval in addition to the Fairfax County permit. Additions, decks, siding and roofline changes all fall under it, and the design review runs on its own schedule — we start it in parallel with the permit rather than after.
Most of Reston's housing is 1960s–1980s, with a strong stock of townhomes and clustered housing. Basement finishing and kitchen updates are the most common projects, and in attached housing the party-wall and shared-system details are what determine the real scope.
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 Reston crews cover Herndon, Vienna, Great Falls, Oak Hill and every ZIP in the area — 20190, 20191, 20194.
Yes. United Developers is a licensed contractor in Virginia (Class A #2705183185) and works throughout Reston and Fairfax County, including 20190, 20191, 20194 and nearby Herndon, Vienna, Great Falls.
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.
Reston is a covenant community: exterior changes generally need Reston Association design review approval in addition to the Fairfax County permit. Additions, decks, siding and roofline changes all fall under it, and the design review runs on its own schedule — we start it in parallel with the permit rather than after.
Most Reston 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.