Basement Remodeling in Saint Louis Park

What’s included in a Knutson basement remodel

Moisture and envelope — rim-joist spray foam, perimeter drainage review, and a full sump pump evaluation, with particular attention to homes that have had a prior water event, which is common in Saint Louis Park’s post-war housing stock at this age.

Framing and insulation — code-compliant framing and insulation appropriate to the eight-foot ceiling height typical of this era’s ramblers and split-levels.

Code-compliant egress — cutting a new opening into the foundation for a legal bedroom where original basement windows don’t meet current size or sill height requirements.

Radon testing and mitigation — testing current radon levels and integrating a mitigation system into the basement plan where levels warrant it, rather than treating air quality as a separate concern from the remodel itself.

Electrical and HVAC — new circuits, panel evaluation, and supply and return runs sized correctly for the finished space.

Plumbing — bath rough-in, wet-bar plumbing, and a grinder pump where gravity drain isn’t feasible.

Custom built-ins — media walls, home office millwork, and bar cabinetry built in our own shop.

Why Saint Louis Park homeowners choose Knutson

A basement built in the 1950s has had seven decades to develop whatever issues it’s going to develop, and a lot of those issues — a marginal sump, elevated radon, a rim joist that’s never been properly insulated — don’t announce themselves until the space is finished and something starts to smell wrong or test poorly. We evaluate that mechanical baseline as its own step, not an assumption we skip because the framing itself is usually straightforward in this housing stock.

The second reason is what happens once that baseline is solid. Post-war ramblers give us a clean, workable basement to design in, and our cabinet shop builds the bar, office, or media wall to whatever standard the rest of the home has been updated to, so the finished basement doesn’t feel like the oldest part of an otherwise updated house.