Cost guide · Demolition
How Much Does It Cost to Gut a Basement in Denver?
Most Denver metro basement guts run $3,000 to $9,000 carried out, hauled, and swept. Flooded basements can be less, bathrooms and tile push it higher. Here is how to read your own job.
Typical Denver Basement Gut Pricing
A flooded basement where the wet drywall, carpet, and pad come out and the framing stays usually runs $1,500 to $3,000. A full gut of a typical 800 to 1,200 square foot finished basement, drywall and ceilings down, flooring up, partition walls out, runs $3,500 to $7,000. Add a bathroom tear out, a tile floor on thinset, and exterior walls stripped to the brick or foundation, and you are at $6,000 to $9,000 or a little more.
Those numbers include carrying everything up the stairs, loading, hauling, and disposal, plus a swept, nail pulled shell at the end. Per square foot, most full guts land between $4 and $8.
What Moves the Price
In order of impact:
- Square footage. More drywall, more flooring, more loads up the stairs.
- A bathroom. Tub, shower surround, tile, vanity, and toilet are the heaviest and slowest room in the basement.
- Tile floors. Tile set in thinset comes up with a rotary hammer, square foot by square foot. Carpet and laminate come up in minutes.
- Exterior walls to the brick. Stripping the framing and insulation off the foundation walls roughly doubles the wall work.
- Ceilings. Drop ceilings are fast. Drywall ceilings are overhead work and more debris.
- Access. A straight staircase to a garage or side door is the easy case. A narrow turn and a long carry across hardwood means floor protection and slower trips.
- Asbestos. Pre 1990 homes often test positive in floor tile and drywall texture. Abatement happens first and is priced from the report.
What's Included
- Drywall and ceilings, including drop ceilings and grid
- Carpet, pad, laminate, tile, and the subfloor if it is ruined
- Non load bearing partition walls, framing and all
- Bathroom tear outs, wet bars, built ins, closets, trim, and doors
- Old fixtures and ductwork removed, with a licensed trade handling any disconnects
- Every load carried out, hauled, and disposed of, and the shell swept
Structural posts, beams, and load bearing walls stay unless an engineer says otherwise. HVAC trunks, plumbing stacks, the panel, and egress windows are protected and worked around.
After a Flood
Wet drywall and carpet need to come out within a few days, before mold gets started. If the cause is covered by your policy, this is usually an insured loss. Photograph everything before anything is touched, keep a sample of the flooring and drywall, and call the adjuster before demo starts if you can. We provide dated photos and an itemized invoice that separates demolition from hauling and disposal, which is what adjusters ask for.
The DIY Middle Ground
Pulling carpet and pad, emptying the room, and taking down shelving are the easy parts. A lot of homeowners do that over a weekend, rent our dump trailer at $350 flat for the debris, and bring us in for the drywall, ceilings, tile, and bathroom. It is usually the lowest total cost.
Ranges and rules on this page are a planning guide, not a quote or legal advice. Every job is priced in writing after photos or a site walk, and permit rules are confirmed with the city for your address. Call or text (303) 521-9910.
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