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When it comes to general contractors, licensing laws vary from state to state. Even if your state doesn’t require your home remodeling contractor to have a license, your municipality or city might, so it’s a good idea to check with your town before getting started. Be sure to check our state licensing tool to review the local general contractor guidelines. 

If your state or city doesn’t require a home remodeling contractor to be licensed, hiring an expert is still worth it. The costs of hiring an unlicensed or uninsured contractor are high, as you might need to pay out of pocket for employee injuries or even the cost of redoing the project. 

As you browse our pro listings, take note of the “Angi Certified” badge. Angi Certified businesses meet our standards for certification which include:

• The owner, principal, or relevant manager passed a criminal background check

• Required to have applicable state and local licenses

• Maintain an average star rating of 3.0 or better on our network, if they have at least one review

• Paying to advertise their services

• Meeting any other eligibility criteria required by Angi

The cost of home remodeling is $50,000 for the average homeowner. However, this cost can range anywhere from $3,000 for a small project to $170,000 for a whole home remodel. Factors like project size, location, and room type all affect your overall cost. For example, bedroom remodeling costs are one of the least expensive projects, costing about $1,500 to $5,500 per bedroom. However, a kitchen remodel has a significant cost range, totaling anywhere from $14,500 to over $70,000.

The cost to finish a basement is $18,400 for the average homeowner. However, this cost could be as little as $2,800 or as much as $34,500, depending on the basement size and the materials needed. If your basement is already outfitted with electrical and plumbing, expect the cost to fall on the lower end. 

For example, the drywall cost for this project averages around $1,750, but other features, like hiring a plumber, cost between $45 and $200 per hour.

The cost to remodel a basement is between $12,100 and $33,400 for the average homeowner. The price you pay can be as little as $3,500 or as much as $50,200, depending on the size and condition of your basement and the type of remodel you're doing. 

If you're doing a simple project like adding a home office to your basement, you can expect to pay anywhere from $500 to $3,000. However, if you're adding a bathroom, which is an extensive project, you can expect to pay between $6,600 to $16,500.

Although homeowners often use the terms basement remodeling and basement finishing interchangeably, they are quite different terms. 

Finishing a basement is the process of taking a basement space that is not habitable and adding elements to make it usable. This includes adding plumbing, flooring, and insulation.

Remodeling a basement means taking an already existing finished basement and changing it, often by adding or removing walls, adding plumbing, or changing the existing flooring.