Basement Finishing in Kearns

West Valley City Basement Finishing takes on Kearns basements, which sit just across the line from West Valley City, about 4 road miles off. That means bedrooms, bathrooms, wet bars, theater rooms and the egress windows that go with them.

Kearns is a metro township, not an incorporated city, with about 38,000 residents. About 93 percent of its homes are single-family, almost all of them detached, and about 84 percent are owner-occupied, so the work starts from rooms for the household that lives in the house.

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Pale yellow 1950s rambler on a corner lot with a carport, galvanized window wells at the foundation, autumn maples and the Wasatch Mountains behind

Example project

Basement home theater with dark walls, acoustic panels, wall sconces, a projection screen and four two-seat leather recliners in two rows on a carpeted platform

Home theater with two rows of seats on a platform

Example project

Home: 2000s house in Kearns
Original request: A room for the whole family to watch films together
Room: About 300 sq ft with a closed door
Seating: Four two-seat recliners in two rows, the back row on a carpeted platform
Walls: Dark paint with fabric acoustic panels and wall sconces
Not included: The screen, projector, speakers and recliners
Cost: $17,000

In this example, a family in a 2000s house in Kearns wants one room where everyone can watch a film at the same time. The lower level has a bare room of about 300 sq ft.

See the full example and more projects

Basement finishing services in Kearns

Basement bedroom

A Kearns basement bedroom needs its own way out, alarms and a ceiling of at least 7 feet. The basement bedroom page has the details.

Basement bathroom

A bathroom on the lower level starts with where the plumbing already runs. The basement bathroom page covers half baths and full baths.

Basement kitchen and wet bar

A wet bar or kitchen suits a family room, with plumbing and circuits to plan. The basement kitchen and wet bar page describes the three versions.

Basement home theater

A media wall or a theater room is planned around the ceiling you have. The basement home theater page goes through it.

Egress window installation

Sleeping in a Kearns basement means having a window you can climb out of, set into the foundation wall. The egress window installation page gives its size.

Homes in Kearns

The median Kearns home was built in 1977, and the median owner-occupied value is $373,700. About 58 percent of the housing predates 1980, and about 74 percent was built from 1950 through 1989. The 1970s are the largest decade at about 26 percent, followed by the 1950s at about 24 percent and the 1980s at about 19 percent.

Roughly 93 percent of Kearns housing is single-family, about 92 percent detached, while buildings of five or more units hold only 4 percent of units and pre-1950 construction is around 2 percent. Houses bunch between the 1950s and 1980s, so yours may share its age with the neighbors’.

The census does not count basements, so we do not give a figure for how many Kearns houses have one. If yours does, the first visit measures the ceiling under the ducts and the position of the furnace and water heater.

Permits and rules to check in Kearns

Building permits for Kearns go through the Greater Salt Lake Municipal Services District, the same office that serves Magna. The district’s building permits and inspections office takes calls at (385) 910-7138, with posted hours of 8:00 am to 4:30 pm, Monday through Friday. West Valley City’s permit list is the city’s own and does not govern a Kearns address.

The statewide code is the 2021 International Residential Code with Utah amendments, so the ceiling, egress and alarm rules on our service pages carry over. The district tells you what your plans must show, so ask it before work starts.

Greater Salt Lake Municipal Services District, building permits and inspections Salt Lake City Building Services, building permits Utah Code 15A-2-103, adopted code editions

Frequently asked questions

Do Kearns basements go through West Valley City for permits?

No. Kearns is a metro township, and its building permits go through the Greater Salt Lake Municipal Services District at (385) 910-7138.

Does the age of a Kearns house matter for a basement finish?

It can. Houses from the 1950s through the 1980s were built to different standards than today’s, so the ceiling under the ducts, the windows and the furnace location are measured first. The rules for ceilings, egress and alarms apply to the finished rooms.

Magna, about 14 road miles from West Valley City, has a different housing profile; see basement finishing in Magna.

Request a free basement finishing quote

Give us the Kearns address, a rough size for the basement and the rooms on your list, plus the year the house went up if you have it. We'll get back to you soon with an estimate or any questions we have. Estimates are free and there's no obligation.

Call (385) 481-7973