Basement Finishing in Lakewood, CO

Lakewood has a lot of mid-century ranches, split-levels, and 1970s homes, plus newer infill near Belmar. Many basements are partly finished already, sometimes decades ago and sometimes without a permit. Gribbons Group Corp is a licensed & insured general contractor. We plan each Lakewood basement around ceiling height, the slab, and what the last owner left behind.

Have a Lakewood basement question? Call (720) 223-9003 or request a free estimate.

City of Lakewood or Unincorporated Jefferson County?

Some homes with a Lakewood address sit in unincorporated Jefferson County, which has its own building department. For those homes we work under our Jefferson County Class B license #1028872. Inside city limits, the City of Lakewood issues the permit. We confirm which applies before we quote. If you’re near Ken Caryl or Columbine, see our Ken Caryl page.

How Lakewood Basement Permits Work

The city’s residential basement finish handout says permits are required and must be in hand before work starts. Applications go through eTRAKiT, and the plan set needs:

• Separate existing and proposed floor plans, with every room labeled and every wall dimensioned.
• Window locations with size and type, plus all new and relocated plumbing and electrical, including receptacles, lights, exhaust fans, and smoke detectors.
• A floor-to-ceiling section showing floating walls on the slab, wall and floor finishes, and the floor type.
• Finished ceiling height in every room, including under beams and ducts.
• Perimeter wall insulation of at least R-15 continuous or R-19 in the cavity.

If your basement was finished without a permit, Lakewood has a separate unpermitted basement finish process. The city calls it very invasive: inspectors tag walls to open, and the old work must meet current code. Sometimes a clean rebuild costs less, and we’ll tell you which way makes sense.

Egress in Plain Terms

Garden-level windows in many Lakewood split-levels can make egress easier than in a fully below-grade basement. See our 12-step basement process for how we size and permit egress windows.

What We Typically Find in Lakewood Basements

• Ranches and split-levels with lower ceilings under the main beam and garden-level windows, which can help with light and egress.
• Older finishes with paneling, no floating walls, and outlets that don’t meet current spacing rules.
• Older electrical panels that need capacity before a bath, bar, or theater goes in.

Legalize or Rebuild an Unpermitted Finish

Lakewood’s unpermitted basement finish handout lays out how to bring an old finish into compliance, and the city is direct that it’s very invasive and involves partial or complete demolition. After the permit is issued, the inspector tags walls to open so the cavities are exposed, drywall is stripped at the base of select walls to show whether floating walls were built, and plumbing is exposed where possible. If floating walls weren’t installed, those walls have to be fixed. Because the city can’t tell when the work was done, the whole finish has to meet current codes.

Once that much is open, a clean rebuild sometimes costs about the same and gives you a better basement. We price both before you decide.

Who Does the Work Under a Lakewood Permit

Lakewood’s basement finish handout lets homeowners pull building, plumbing, mechanical, and electrical permits and do the work themselves on their own single-family home, duplex, or townhouse, but not in a condominium or multi-unit building. Mechanical, electrical, and plumbing work can also be done by trade contractors registered with the City of Lakewood, who get added to the permit after it’s issued.

When we run the project, we handle that paperwork and line up registered trades for the electrical, plumbing, and mechanical work, so the right names are on the permit before each inspection. If you’d rather do some of the work yourself, such as painting or trim, tell us at the walkthrough and we’ll write the scope around it.

The handout also asks for the finished ceiling height in every room, including under beams and ducts that hang below the ceiling. Older Lakewood ranches often have a main beam and a trunk line running down the middle of the basement, so we measure both at the first visit and plan the rooms around them.

Moisture, Soils, and Radon

Lakewood’s handout asks for floating walls on the slab in the plan section, which tells you how seriously the city takes soil movement. We build them that way every time. Radon is common throughout Colorado, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, so we recommend testing before you finish.

What Lakewood Homeowners Build Downstairs

In Lakewood we often turn dated paneled basements into a bright family room, a guest suite, or an office, and occasionally a wine cellar under the stairs.

How We Work

We start by confirming whether the city or Jefferson County issues your permit, then handle the plan set, eTRAKiT submittal, and inspections. Projects typically run 1 to 6 months, with a 30 to 50% deposit to schedule. See our main Denver basement finishing page for more.

Nearby, we also finish basements in Denver, Arvada, Littleton, and Evergreen.

Lakewood Basement FAQs

Does Lakewood require floating walls?

Lakewood’s handout asks for a floor-to-ceiling section showing floating walls on the slab. We build them that way as standard.

Can you permit a basement someone else finished?

Yes, through the city’s unpermitted finish process. It means opening walls for inspection, so we compare it against a rebuild before you decide.

Are you licensed for my Lakewood address?

For homes in unincorporated Jefferson County, we hold Jefferson County Class B license #1028872. We confirm your jurisdiction before quoting.

Request a Lakewood Basement Estimate

Send us a few details about your basement and your address. We’ll confirm which office issues your permit and set up a walkthrough.