Can I finish a basement that isnt the proper ceiling height?

Question

Hello folks,

I am currently in the process of finishing my first rehab. The house is a 2 story 3/1.5 single family with a basement. Due to a lack of space on the 2nd floor, there was not adequate space to add a 2nd bathroom so that I could have a master suite. Nor is there space on main floor to add a shower to the half bath. Well actually there is, but due to delays with finding a contractor that was reliable and "affordable", alot of time was lost so reconfiguring is just not feasible, especially since I am pretty far along in the rehab all things considered.

So, my idea was to add a shower to the half bath in the unfinished basement, but not finish the basement. My idea was to flat black the ceiling and paint the walls and floor to clean it up and make it look decent.

My agent is telling that I will not be able to get what I planned on due to recent comps, (there are only a couple recent comps) due to no finished basement, lack of a 2nd full bath, etc.

My reasoning for not finishing the basement is due to time/money as I have hard money and have had the property for 6 months, and then due to the fact that the basement height is 6'8 in one are to 7', which I know for habitable space should be 7' at least.

Could I still just finish the basement so that buyers see a "finished" basement, even if the height is not tall enough and the sqft cant not be counted as part of the house?

Does my idea of adding a full bath to a unfinished basement make sense or will that add zero value since its in the basement? I felt like 1 full bath in a house is not enough.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thank you

J Scott · Answer

If the basement space is usable, then a bathroom may add value.  If the basement space is unlikely to be used (configuration, size, accessibility, etc), then adding a bathroom is probably not going to add much/any value.  Also, adding a shower is likely to add less value than adding the toilet and sink, as people might go down there to use the bathroom, but unlikely to go down there to shower.

Sounds like you may be in Baltimore County -- in the county, you need minimum 7' ceiling height for habitable spaces and 6'8" for other non-habitable interior spaces.  I imagine the bathroom would only be acceptable in the 7' area if you wanted to get it permitted.  Just my best guess, though...

Rich Baer · Answer

@Chike O.

It is all relative. A family of smaller people may think it is a perfect size.

John Weidner · Answer

Work backwards.  You need to know the ARV after you finish the basement then the cost to finish the basement .  Make the decision on the numbers

Account Closed · Answer

finish it,.... your competition did, guaranteed.

David Dachtera · Answer

@Chike O.,

Perhaps the question would be whether a "recreation room" with a full bath would be considered "habitable" space. If it's not intended as sleeping quarters, I'd want to ask the question.

Another question is about the plumbing: From a basement perspective, are the drains "overhead"? That is, are the drains from the rest of the house piped to an exit point above the basement floor? If so, this may require the bathroom to have an effluent ejector sump pumping up to the over-head drains.

My $0.02 ...

Chike O. · Answer

Thanks folks for the responses.

What im still not clear on is that if i wanted to finish it, could i finish it with the current height or will i be asked to tear it down by an inspector b/c the height doesn't meet habitable space requirements? One GC that I didnt end up using said that he wasnt sure if i could finish it b/c an inspector might say something but we could "try". That obviously wasnt assuring.

Ive been in prospective homes that had really short basements but they were finished with either drywall or old wood paneling and it was just used as is since it was still functional for a little family area.

Chike O. · Answer

Hi Matthew,

Thanks for the response. Thank you J, also.

That picture isnt one of my basement. Its an example of what I plan/planned on doing to mine, on top of adding the shower to the half bath already there.

Matthew Paul · Answer

Basement looks good , I wouldnt spend the money . Why?  What you have there is clean and neat , its a blank canvas , who ever buys it can do what they want .  Sell the possibilities .  Call it a  " MAN CAVE " .    You will spend more and take more time to finish the basement .   List it , price it to sell .

Chike O. · Answer

Hi J,

The house is actually in Baltimore City.

The basement is pretty open, and in my opinion usable. It is basically an open space outside of the the mechanical/laundry room.

The home already had an existing half bath in the basement, so I was just going to add a shower to it. My thought process was that buyers may not prefer to use it, but atleast there was an option if things got too crowed in the one upstairs.

My idea was to just add a shower and clean up the rest of the basement basically exactly like the picture. The basement has brink walls like the picture and track lighting already installed.

Can I finish a basement that isnt the proper ceiling height?

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