Need Basement Conversion Advice

[Kyle Doney]

Has anyone done a crawl space to basement conversion in the Denver Colorado area or any area? I'm looking to dig out a basement that has a cellar type of area right now. From what I've been told, its cheaper than going up. There are stairs going down to the boiler and water heater and the ceiling height is about 7 ft in that area. The rest of the basement is dirt and low ceiling height though. Considering that this area is around 7ft ceiling heigh, I'm assuming I have enough foundation depth to dig out the rest and possibly go deeper. I'm looking for any ideas on cost estimates (house is 1100 sq ft), contractor referrals, and any other info you can provide. Below are a few pics (not the greatest) but may give you an idea of what I'm working with.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B6uvt2QE8NbYTzN5...