BEFORE / DURING Basement Renovation by BGR Design + Build
AFTER Basement Renovation by BGR Design + Build: New Fireplace
AFTER Basement Renovation by BGR Design + Build: Open Floor Plan and Games
You love your neighborhood and your house. Yet somewhere between the crowded kitchen, the home office on the dining table, and guests with nowhere to sleep, you've started to feel the layout working against you. The space you need may already be under your feet.
Picture what it could be
Most basements are used as storage by default. Imagine this instead:
• A family room with a big screen, comfortable seating, and a place where movie night never takes over the kitchen
• A quiet office with a door that closes and a view of something other than laundry • A guest area that makes hosting feel easy
• A hangout your teenagers actually choose, so you know where they are, and the noise stays downstairs
The best basement remodels usually do one or two things very well. Choose the uses that matter most, then design around them. A room built to adapt, a play space now and an office or guest suite later, stays valuable as your life changes. Plan storage areas and access to mechanical equipment from the start, so they don't become leftovers.
Basement Renovation by BGR Design + Build: Open Floor Plan
Basement Renovation by BGR Design + Build: Cozy Living Room
Is it worth it?
Part of the answer is resale, and part is living. The 2025 National Association of Realtors (NAR) and National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI) Remodeling Impact Report estimated that converting a basement to living area recovers over 70% of its cost and gave it a 8.8 out of 10 "Joy Score."
Here is something many homeowners don't know. Appraisers report finished below-grade space separately from above-grade living area, following Fannie Mae's guidance. That doesn't make it worth little, since it can still add substantial value. It does mean the design and finish quality of a basement matter, because a finished foot below grade isn't counted the same as one above.
The other half to consider is the years you'll spend using the space. If a finished basement lets you stay in a home and location you love, compare it honestly with an addition or a move. It isn't always the cheaper path, but it often is the most direct one.
Making it feel like part of the house
A great basement doesn't feel like one. A few decisions get you there:
• Light: Use any daylight the site offers, and layer lighting at different heights.
• Arrival: The stairway is the first impression, so it should feel like part of the house.
• Comfort: Plan steady temperatures, humidity control, and sound separation from above.
• Ceilings: Beams, ducts, and plumbing compete for headroom, so they need to be considered together.
Two checks come before any finishes. Fix water issues first because the EPA recommends correcting moisture problems before converting a basement to living space. Then test for radon at the lowest level you'll use, even if the house was tested elsewhere. It's much easier to address before the walls are closed in.
Basement Renovation by BGR Design + Build: New Stairs to Renovated Basement
Basement Renovation by BGR Design + Build: New Stairs to the Renovated Basement
Basement Renovation by BGR Design + Build: Home Office
The post and beam question
Many homeowners want one open room and assume every column must go. Sometimes that's possible, but a post or beam carries load to the foundation, so removing one can mean an engineered beam, new connections, and footings. The alternative is to treat the supports as part of the design, folded into a wall between rooms or wrapped in built ins. Spend on openness where it improves the room, not as a rule.
Bedrooms, bathrooms, and Athens-area realities
A finished room is not automatically a bedroom. Sleeping space generally needs emergency escape and rescue provisions, adequate headroom, and compliance with local code.
If your home is on septic, bedroom count matters too, because the tank and absorption field are sized to the approved number of bedrooms. That doesn't mean every added bedroom requires a bigger tank. It depends on what your system is approved for. A smart first step is to gather your septic records and ask your county’s Environmental Health Department whether the new total fits. Your property's jurisdiction decides the review process, and an Athens mailing address doesn't settle that.
Bathrooms raise the question of whether drains can run by gravity or need a pump to lift wastewater. If a legal bedroom would cost far more than it's worth, a guest lounge or hobby room may be the better answer.
Basement Renovation by BGR Design + Build: Home Gym
Basement Renovation by BGR Design + Build: Wet Bar
Basement Renovation by BGR Design + Build: Wet Bar Closeup
How one homeowner might compare options
Each step in the process adds possibility, and each step also adds more questions. Knowing the answers early lets you choose with confidence, before you've spent money on finishes.
Why “design and build” under one roof helps
Basements are a puzzle of structure, moisture, systems, and layout, and the pieces affect one another. A beautiful plan that ignores a drain path or a beam gets expensive fast. A construction budget set without a clear design gets disappointing fast.
That's the case for working with a design-build firm. BGR Design + Build has been serving the Athens, Georgia area since 2008 as a licensed general contractor. We have you covered with a single point of responsibility, and we bring in partner architects, engineers, and qualified trades as your project requires. We look at your goals, the existing conditions, and the budget together with you from the start, so design decisions are made with construction in mind.
Ready to see what your basement could be?
Every basement is different, so the conversation starts with your specific needs. The goal is to create more useful space, not just more finished space. The best first step is a conversation about how you want to live in your home. Tell us what you'd love to do downstairs, what frustrates you now about your overall living space, and what you're weighing such as cost vs. finishes. We'll help you work out which decisions to make first, and the first consultation is free.
Call BGR Design + Build at (706) 296-7302
or reach out through our Contact Page
and let's start talking about adding the space you've been needing.
