Adding an exit to your walkout basement should cost around $20,000, but prices can range from $3,000 up to $50,000, depending on the size, location, accessibility, and more.
Your basement holds endless possibilities, especially if you've been dreaming of transforming it into a cozy TV room, a basement bar, or even renting it out as a separate apartment. In these cases, adding a basement entrance to the outdoors is your first step and top priority—and often required by local building codes. From start to finish, expect the project to cost between $5,000 and $35,000.
The price range for installing a walkout basement varies so much because every property is different, and also because the cost depends on your plans for the area. Below are some of the most influential factors when it comes to converting your basement to a walkout.
Converting your existing basement to a walkout basement requires the work of a professional to carry out the following:
Excavate an area large enough to expose at least one wall of your basement foundation.
Install retaining walls to maintain the dug-out area.
Reinforce the concrete block wall, if necessary.
Cut a wall opening in the foundation.
Install a basement door.
As you can imagine, the size of the basement wall that’s exposed, the size of the outdoor area where the door will open, and the size of the door you install will all play a role in your total costs. Larger projects will, naturally, cost more, sometimes on the order of tens of thousands more.
The materials required for your walkout basement will also play a significant role in your total project costs. Although labor makes up the majority of the price in many cases, materials will always contribute some to your total, especially if you need your professional to build a retaining wall around the newly excavated outdoor area.
The table below includes some average material prices for the job to help you nail down an accurate estimate.
| Material | Typical Cost |
|---|---|
| Exterior door | $500–$2,500 |
| Retaining wall blocks | $100 per linear foot (6 ft tall) |
| Full-size windows | $1,000–$2,500 each |
| Patio | $400–$7,000 |
Keep in mind that some of these material costs aren’t always required, but if they are, they can double once you include the labor necessary to install the materials.
Foundation and digging aside, framing a walkout entrance door and adding a header can cost between $350 and $2,500 for the labor alone. This includes the cost of the building permit.
Where in this range your total falls will depend largely on the type and size of the door. A standard exterior door will fall toward the lower end of the range, while a large glass sliding door that opens out to your exterior area will cost toward the upper end.
Your foundation walls rely on the pressure from the surrounding soil for stability, so excavating that soil could result in structural damage. You’ll likely need to pay for a structural engineer’s report—these professionals charge between $100 and $250 per hour—to make sure your foundation will remain intact throughout the excavation process.
If it won’t, you might need to pay additional fees to reinforce your foundation wall before paying to dig out your basement.
A team of contractors will then complete the excavation, which makes up a large portion of the labor costs. The money you spend here goes toward the following:
Digging around the outside of your foundation so the door is level with the basement floor.
Excavating outward from the door location to provide a flat surface to walk out onto. For walkout basements, this usually includes installing a patio.
Installing retaining walls to ensure the dirt doesn’t spill back into the outdoor landing.
Cutting the concrete wall to insert the door.
Materials and labor for this stage can run from $2,500 to $20,000 or more, depending on the size of your project. You might not need to pay as much or anything for excavation, though, if you have a sloped plot, and one foundation wall is already mostly or entirely exposed.
If you plan to install a patio at the same time, which many homeowners do, you'll pay anywhere from $10 to $50 per square foot to build it.
One of the pros of installing a walkout basement is having easy access to the outdoors, so while this part of the process is expensive, it’s often worthwhile.
If you have a walk-up basement with a standard exterior door, and you want to convert to a walkout basement with a larger sliding door or French doors, you might need to pay to have the old door removed. Expect a total of between $300 and $600 for this service.
You can also choose to leave the door as a second walkout entrance, provided that you excavate around that section of your foundation wall as well. Doing so will increase excavation costs, though.
As mentioned above, the local basement remodeling professionals you hire to convert your basement might need to reinforce your concrete block walls if they believe the excavation will compromise the structural integrity of your home.
This expense might not be necessary at all, but if it is, you could pay anywhere between $2,000 and $10,000 for reinforcement. The method of reinforcement will be the driving factor when it comes to the total.
| Reinforcement Method | Typical Cost |
|---|---|
| Reinforcement straps | $6,500–$10,000 |
| Steel or carbon fiber strips | $350–$1,000 each |
| Underpinning | $1,000–$3,000 per pier |
Reinforcement straps and steel or carbon fiber strips can add stability to the wall and prevent outward bowing, while underpinning can help support the wall from underneath and prevent issues that could result from the soil near the bottom of your foundation wall now becoming exposed to runoff.
The age of your home will usually be directly correlated to the strength and condition of the foundation, so the older your home is, the more likely you’ll need foundation reinforcement to make sure the wall remains stable even as you excavate around it.
For older homes, especially, you’ll want to have a structural engineer in to assess the aging foundation before proceeding, and this will cost you a minimum of $100, but you’ll more likely pay between $250 and $750 for an engineer’s report.
All construction projects will have prices that fluctuate, at least in part, by location. You can expect to pay more for your walkout basement conversion if you live in a high-cost area, as prices usually increase to account for the cost of living. Additionally, materials and contractor availability will vary by region and state, and can play a role in your project price.
Since converting your basement to a walkout basement usually involves excavation, your labor costs will depend on the quality of soil in your area. For example, it will take more time to excavate heavy, clay soil than it will to excavate silt or sandy soil that doesn’t retain as much water.
Finally, you’ll have to factor in the cost of building permits if you want to get an accurate pricing for your basement conversion. Permits for this project will typically fall between $500 and $2,000, with the exact amount depending on where you live, and the fees your building department charges.
You might also need a dumpster delivered to your property if you’re getting rid of dirt or concrete from the wall opening for the exterior door. Some municipalities require that you get a permit to keep a dumpster on your property or on the street. Permits for dumpsters, if required, can add between $10 and $100 per week.
There are two options for installing a walkout basement door: converting a standard basement on a level property to a walkout basement, and installing a door on a basement foundation wall that’s already exposed due to a sloped property. The price difference between these options will be significant.
If you have a level property and a standard basement, converting to a walkout basement is going to cost significantly more than if you have a sloped property. You’ll need to include the following work in your scope of work:
Excavating around one foundation wall
Building retaining walls
Installing a patio
Installing an exterior door leading to the patio
You can expect your total for this work to sit between $15,000 and $50,000, in most cases.
If you have a sloped property and one of your foundation walls is partially or entirely exposed, the cost to install an exterior door and a patio outside will be significantly lower. Expect this to cost between $5,000 and $15,000 in most cases.
Installing a walkout basement entrance is a big project, but many homeowners include certain add-ons because they have a distinct vision of how they want their indoor/outdoor space to look and function. Below are some typical add-ons, along with average costs.
| Add-On | Average Cost |
|---|---|
| Basement bar | $8,000 |
| Basement theater | $12,000 |
| Hot tub or spa | $6,000 |
| Outdoor fire pit | $850 |
| Outdoor kitchen | $16,000 |
| Patio | $4,000 |
| Full-sized basement windows | $2,200 each |
| Outdoor lighting | $800 |
Installing a walkout basement is a job that you should always leave to a professional. Most conversions will include large-scale excavation and cutting into your foundation, both of which can cause severe structural damage, not to mention the work is labor-intensive and requires special machinery.
Although it might be tempting to try doing the work yourself to save the $4,000 to $15,000+ you’ll spend on labor, it’s not worth it in most cases. Any mistakes could leave you with property damage that isn’t covered by insurance and costs tens of thousands of dollars to repair—far more than you’d even stand to save.
If you’re an avid DIYer, though, you can tackle some of the finish work or add-ons. Consider doing the following portions of the project yourself to save on labor costs:
Laying down the patio outside your entrance.
Installing interior trim around the doors and windows, once your professional installs them.
Tackling the extras yourself, like building an outdoor kitchen and connecting outdoor light fixtures.
Converting to a walkout basement is going to be an expensive project, no matter what. However, there are some things you can do to help keep the total down.
Choosing your patio material carefully. Most homeowners want a patio outside their new exterior entrance. Choosing gravel over something like pavers makes the installation far more affordable—around $1 to $4 per square foot as opposed to $8 to $25 for pavers—and more DIYable.
Opt for a standard exterior door. Double French doors and sliding glass doors are the most desirable for a walkout basement because they connect the outside area with the inside and let natural light into the basement. However, you can save $1,000 or more just by choosing a regular exterior door instead.
Don’t add full-size windows. Adding full-sized windows to your newly exposed foundation wall will cost close to $2,000 each, in some cases. If you’re already bringing in sunlight with a glass sliding door, consider skipping the windows.
Do some of the finish work yourself. Tackle some of the smaller components of the project yourself, like adding interior trim around new windows and doors or even laying down your own patio outside.
Hire a structural engineer. You’ll pay between $250 and $750 for an engineer’s report before getting started, but that minimal extra investment can save you tens of thousands in structural damage repairs, especially if you have an older home or a weak foundation.
Finding the best team of local contractors is your first step to installing a basement door. Even if you plan to DIY the doable parts of the project—trimming around the doors and windows, for example, or installing your patio and lighting outside—you'll need a professional to survey your home to get started. This may include working with a structural engineer, door installer, or patio contractor.
Full walkout basement exits can upgrade your home in a number of ways. For example, adding points of egress, natural lighting, and ventilation can mean the area can function legally as a living space, which can increase your home's value and possibly earn you some rental income. You also get the added utility and accessibility of the ground-level basement door, as well as an indoor-outdoor space to relax and entertain.
Any basement depth will work if you’re looking to convert to a walkout basement. Most basement walls are 8-feet tall, although more modern basements have 10- or even 12-foot walls. The deeper your basement is, the more you can expect to pay to excavate around the wall to create a walkout basement.
