◆ Basement template · Starter and up

Basement finishing estimates that count the drywall in sheets.

A basement is walls. Framing, insulation, drywall and paint are all bought by the foot of wall, and that is where basement estimates go wrong. Estiquik's basement template prices the main living area and an optional bathroom line by line, and the plan takeoff turns one traced wall run into framing, insulation and board — in sheets, with waste.

Start 14 days free Open the live demo

✓ No card to start ✓ 23 priced lines, all editable ✓ CAD or USD, tax by region

An Estiquik basement finishing estimate open in the app, with priced line items and the totals panel

Sample estimate from the live demo

Twenty-three lines, two rooms

What is on the basement template

Every line below arrives with a starting price scaled to your province or state. Quantities are the template's defaults — you change them to the job. Prices are deliberately not shown here, because yours will differ from ours and the point is that they are editable.

Basement — Main Living Area13 lines

Line item	Category	Default quantity
Framing lumber	Materials	1 lot
Insulation	Materials	900 sq ft
Drywall + finishing materials	Materials	900 sq ft
LVP flooring (waterproof)	Materials	900 sq ft
Interior doors (4)	Materials	4 ea
Trim + baseboard	Materials	250 lin ft
Paint	Materials	1 lot
Pot lights	Fixtures	16 ea
Egress window	Fixtures	1 ea
Framing + drywall labour	Labour	900 sq ft
Flooring + trim install	Labour	1 lot
Electrical	Labour	1 lot
Painting	Labour	1 lot

Basement — Bathroom (optional)10 lines

Line item	Category	Default quantity
Floor + wall tile	Materials	60 sq ft
Waterproofing membrane	Materials	1 lot
Vanity + top	Fixtures	1 ea
Toilet	Fixtures	1 ea
Shower base + surround	Fixtures	1 set
Exhaust fan	Fixtures	1 ea
Rough-in plumbing (new drain/vent)	Labour	1 lot
Tile install	Labour	60 sq ft
Plumbing finish	Labour	1 lot
Electrical	Labour	1 lot

Line items as shipped in Estiquik's Basement Renovation template on 7 September 2026. Contingency defaults to 15% on this template; markup and tax are yours. How the whole estimate is built.

How the price is built

Starting prices, your corrections, your markup

The basement template ships with 23 line items across the main living area and an optional bathroom: framing and insulation, drywall, flooring, ceiling, pot lights, the egress and mechanical lines a legal basement needs, and demolition, electrical, plumbing and finishing as trades. Each carries a quantity, a unit and a researched starting price.

Second-unit and legal-basement work in Ontario adds permits, egress windows and fire separation; the template has the lines, and the permit line is there so it is never a surprise. Prices are scaled by a regional index for your province or state; contingency defaults to 15% because a basement floor slab hides more than a kitchen wall does.

Contingency is applied to cost first, then your markup, then the tax for your region — GST, HST or PST by province, state tax in the US. The markup calculator shows what any markup really keeps as margin, and contingency vs markup explains why they are separate lines.

If there is a drawing

Take the quantities off the plan

Attach the PDF or a photo, set the scale, and the plan takeoff sends measured quantities to these lines with the prices left for you. For this job type, the measurements that matter:

Wall runs

trace each partition once; the takeoff gives you framing and baseboard in linear feet, and drywall, insulation and paint in square feet with a height and a sides setting.

Foundation walls

one side only, insulation always one side — the takeoff's sides setting keeps exterior and partition walls honest.

Flooring

rooms to the finished faces, closets included; a strapping wall inboard of the foundation is the classic over-measure.

Pot lights, receptacles, smoke alarms

read from the drawing's tags in one click on a vector PDF; the legend is skipped automatically.

After the number

From estimate to paid, without retyping

Send

Email it with an Approve button

Or a signing link. The client signs from their phone; name, time and document fingerprint are recorded. Follow-ups go out automatically on Pro.

Contract

Draft the contract from the estimate

Scope, payment schedule with deposit, draws and holdback, change-order clause. E-signed and filed with the job.

Changes

Change orders, priced and signed

The extra pot lights, the upgraded tile. Each one rolls into a revised contract value, so the final invoice is never a surprise.

Paid

Invoice each stage in a click

Deposit, draws and completion from the schedule on the estimate, with a Pay by card button through your own Stripe and e-Transfers recorded.

Before you ask

Questions contractors ask

How much does it cost to finish a basement, estimated with this?

There is no single number and this page will not invent one. The template gives you the 23 lines a finished basement needs at starting prices for your region; the total comes from your measured wall runs and your corrected rates. One real basement priced here is worth more than a cost guide.

Does the template cover a legal second unit?

It has the lines a second-unit permit set generates — egress, fire separation, the bathroom, mechanical — but the code requirements are your building department's. The takeoff measures the drawing the designer stamped.

How does the drywall get counted?

Trace each wall once, set the height and whether it is boarded one side or both, set round-up to 32 square feet, and the estimate line reads in sheets. Insulation reuses the same run on one side.

Can I price it without a drawing?

Yes. Type the quantities from your tape measure into the template lines. The takeoff is for when there is a plan; the template works either way.

Which plan is the basement template on?

Starter and up, at $19.99 (CA$24.99). The plan takeoff that measures the walls is on Pro at $29.99.