Barrie, Ontario, basement renovations by Desire Basements

Basement Renovations in Barrie

Luxury basement finishing for Barrie homes. Free 3D design, an itemized price that locks before you sign, a lifetime workmanship warranty and a written finish date that pays you $200 for every late day.

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Basement renovation in Barrie, street by street

Barrie's newer subdivisions, Holly, Ardagh, Painswick and 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 you start with, you end with finished square footage your family uses every week, and a number your Barrie house carries at resale.

HOLLYARDAGHPAINSWICKINNIS-SHOREALLANDALEEAST END
SINCE2017
400+GTA BASEMENTS
1POINT OF CONTACT
Shiplap basement TV wall with linear electric fireplace, basement renovation in Barrie by Desire Basements

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
Engineer-stamped 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

A free 3D design of your finished basement

Walk your basement room by room in 3D. Move a wall, swap a finish, then approve every detail before a stud goes up.

★★★★★

"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 FAIRBAIRN · GTA HOMEOWNER · ✓ GOOGLE REVIEW

Built on trust, backed in writing

Since 2017BUILDING IN THE GTA

Basement renovations across the GTA since 2017, the owner on every site.

LifetimeWARRANTY COVERAGE

Lifetime workmanship warranty on every wall, floor and fixture we install, in writing.

$200/dayON-TIME GUARANTEE

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

WHAT A BASEMENT COSTS · ONE STANDARD, ONE QUOTE SHEET
$67,800A 1,000 SQ FT BASEMENT WITH A BATHROOM, BEFORE HST
One standardLIFETIME WORKMANSHIP WARRANTY
400+BASEMENTS SINCE 2017

Every basement is priced from the same quote sheet, line by line. Permit drawings, 3D design and the lifetime workmanship warranty are included.

Price my basement Get a Free Estimate

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 DRICORE R+ 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 our projects

What a basement in Barrie costs, by scope

The same quote sheet we use everywhere in the GTA, line by line. Permit drawings, 3D design and the lifetime workmanship warranty are included.

ScopePrice before HST
600 sq ft with a three-piece bathroom$56,000
800 sq ft with a three-piece bathroom$62,000
1,000 sq ft with a three-piece bathroom$67,800
1,200 sq ft with a three-piece bathroom and two bedrooms$75,200
1,500 sq ft with a three-piece bathroom and two bedrooms$83,700
The family basement: media wall, full bathroom, laundry, around 1,000 sq ft$60,000 to $85,000
The entertainment build: theatre or media room, bar, gym, spa bathroom, 1,000 to 1,300 sq ft$95,000 to $130,000
Three-piece bathroom, added to a basement without one$11,700
Custom wet bar+$15,000
Home theatre setup+$20,000
Walkout entrance, permits included$15,000 to $25,000
Full-perimeter underpinning for low ceilings$60,000 to $120,000
Legal basement apartment, purpose-built$75,000 to $110,000 or more

Every basement is priced from the same quote sheet, line by line: a 1,000 sq ft basement with a three-piece bathroom comes to about $67,800 before HST, and the price per square foot falls as the basement grows because the permit, bin, breakers, stairs and bathroom cost the same at any size. Use the calculator to price yours. Cost guides: bathroom, walkout and underpinning.

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 has the drawings prepared and stamped by a licensed structural engineer, 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?

Every basement is priced from the same quote sheet, line by line: a 1,000 sq ft basement with a three-piece bathroom comes to about $67,800 before HST, and the price per square foot falls as the basement grows because the permit, bin, breakers, stairs and bathroom cost the same at any size. Use the calculator to price yours. 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 Estimate
FREE 3D DESIGN · LIFETIME WORKMANSHIP WARRANTY · $200 A DAY ON-TIME GUARANTEE