Barrie, Ontario — basement renovations by Desire Basements
BASEMENT RENOVATIONS · BARRIE, ONTARIO

Basement Renovations in Barrie

Luxury basement finishing for Barrie homes — free 3D design, itemized fixed pricing, lifetime warranty, and a written timeline backed by our $200-per-day on-time guarantee.

Get a Free Quote →VIEW OUR PROJECTS
BARRIE'S TRUSTED BASEMENT RENOVATION COMPANY

Basement renovation in Barrie, street by street

Barrie's newer subdivisions — Holly, Ardagh, Painswick, Innis-Shore — come with tall, dry basements built for finishing, and as one of Ontario's fastest-growing commuter cities, demand for in-law and income suites keeps climbing.

The city requires second suites to be registered, with fire and property-standards inspections — and a properly registered Barrie suite rents fast. Whatever your starting point, we turn that lower level into finished, livable square footage and real value added to your Barrie home.

HOLLYARDAGHPAINSWICKINNIS-SHOREALLANDALEEAST END
10+YEARS
400+GTA BASEMENTS
1POINT OF CONTACT
Shiplap basement TV wall with linear electric fireplace — basement renovation in Barrie by Desire Basements
PERMITS & APPROVALS · BARRIE

Basement renovation permits in Barrie, handled for you

Barrie requires a building permit for basement finishing, and second suites must be registered with the City of Barrie — a process that includes fire and property-standards inspections so every unit is safe and documented. Suites need proper egress, fire separation, interconnected alarms and compliant ceiling heights. We design to code from day one, pull the permits, pass the staged inspections, and walk the registration through with you so your suite is finished, registered and legal.

1

Drawings & permit
Prepared and filed for your Barrie address

2

Code-first build
Egress, fire separation and alarms built in

3

Staged inspections
Framing, insulation, ESA electrical, plumbing

4

Registration
Second suite registered with the City of Barrie

INCLUDED WITH EVERY BARRIE ESTIMATE

A free 3D design of your finished basement

Walk through your basement room by room — move walls, try finishes, see your exact space — and approve every detail before construction begins.

★★★★★

"Kam delivered the project on time and on budget. It's now been three years since our basement was completed, and it still looks incredible — we continue to receive so many compliments on the space."

MS FAIRBARN · GTA HOMEOWNER · ✓ GOOGLE REVIEW
THE DESIRE GUARANTEES

Built on trust, backed in writing

10+YEARS OF EXPERIENCE

A decade of basement renovations across the GTA — owner-led on every single project.

LifetimeWARRANTY COVERAGE

Every project, every material, every detail — warrantied for the life of the house.

$200/dayON-TIME GUARANTEE

Your quote includes a written timeline. If we miss it, we pay you $200 for every late day.

WHAT GTA HOMEOWNERS INVEST · REAL PROJECT DATA
$103,000MEDIAN PROJECT ACROSS THE GTA (2024–26)
$55/sq ftPROJECTS START FROM
$60–150KMOST GTA PROJECTS FALL WITHIN

From our 2026 GTA Basement Cost Report — built from the signed contract values of our completed projects.

See the full report → Estimate my basement
RECENT PROJECT NEARBY · BRADFORD

A 1,777 sq ft two-bedroom basement on Nottingham Forest Road

  • Completed 2025
  • 1,777 sq ft
  • About 13 weeks
  • $160,000 to $170,000

We have not published a Barrie project yet, so here is a recent one from Bradford, built to the same specification and warranty we bring to Barrie.

Two bedrooms, a bathroom with a custom tiled shower, and a laundry room with washer plumbing and a sink. A slat feature wall with integrated LED, soundproofing, seven solid-core doors, window casings, 62 pot lights and a heat-pipe relocation, on an insulated Dri-Core subfloor. Built in two sections, which added about a week and a half.

basement curved wood slat feature wall
basement black slat accent wall media room
basement staircase white spindle railing
Photography from Desire Basements projects across the GTA. Contract range shown before HST.SEE MORE PROJECTS →

What a basement in Barrie costs, by scope

The same published rates and itemized add-ons we quote everywhere in the GTA. Permits, inspections, free 3D design and a lifetime warranty are included in every line.

ScopeTypical cost
1,000 sq ft finished at Essential ($55 per sq ft)$55,000
1,000 sq ft finished at Signature ($70 per sq ft)$70,000
1,000 sq ft finished at Luxury ($90 per sq ft)$90,000
The family basement: media wall, full bathroom, laundry, around 1,000 sq ft$60,000–$85,000
The entertainment build: theatre or media room, bar, gym, spa bathroom, 1,000–1,300 sq ft$95,000–$130,000
Three-piece bathroom with tiled shower$18,000–$28,000
Custom wet bar+$15,000
Home theatre setup+$20,000
Walkout entrance, permits included$15,000–$25,000
Full-perimeter underpinning for low ceilings$60,000–$120,000
Legal basement apartment, purpose-built$75,000–$110,000+

We do not yet publish a separate Barrie median; Barrie projects are quoted against the GTA median of $103,000. Sources: 2026 GTA cost report · cost calculator · bathroom, walkout and underpinning cost guides.

BARRIE BASEMENT QUESTIONS

Answers for Barrie homeowners

Do I need a building permit to finish my basement in Barrie?

Yes — finishing a basement in Barrie requires a building permit, with staged inspections for structural, framing, insulation, electrical and plumbing work. Desire Basements prepares the drawings, files the application, and manages every inspection through final sign-off.

Can I add a legal basement apartment in Barrie?

Yes — Barrie permits second suites, and the city requires them to be registered, with fire and property-standards inspections. Suites must meet Building Code and Fire Code requirements for ceiling height, fire separation, egress and alarms — we design and build to full code and walk the registration through with you.

How much does a basement renovation cost in Barrie?

Most professional basement renovations in Barrie start around $55 per square foot and up — a 1,000 sq ft project starts in the $55,000 range with standard finishes. Across the GTA, the median project in our 2026 Cost Report is about $103,000. Every Desire quote is itemized line by line and locked before you sign, and includes a free 3D design of your finished basement.

Ready for your Barrie basement renovation?

Book a free in-home consultation — we'll measure your space, talk through your vision, and bring a 3D design with your itemized basement renovation quote.

Get a Free Quote in Barrie →
FREE 3D DESIGN · LIFETIME WARRANTY · $200/DAY ON-TIME GUARANTEE