Basement Finishing and Remodeling in Wilmington, Delaware & Southeastern Pennsylvania
Your basement represents tremendous potential. What's currently used for storage or left unfinished could become a recreation room, home theater, guest suite, home office, fitness area, or any number of valuable living spaces. Basement finishing transforms unused square footage into beautiful, functional rooms that enhance how you live in your home and significantly increase its value. A.W. Viohl Contracting LLC specializes in creating exceptional finished basements that feel like natural extensions of your home's main living areas. Serving homeowners throughout Wilmington, Greenville, Hockessin, West Chester, Haverford, and the surrounding Delaware and Southeastern Pennsylvania communities, we bring the craftsmanship and attention to detail that turn basement visions into reality.
Expert Basement Finishing and Remodeling
Basement finishing requires specialized expertise that addresses unique challenges. Managing moisture and humidity, ensuring proper egress and safety, creating appropriate ceiling solutions, maximizing natural light in below-grade spaces, and selecting materials suited to basement conditions all demand knowledge and experience. Since 2008, Andrew Viohl has been transforming basements throughout New Castle County, Delaware County, and Chester County into beautiful living spaces that homeowners love.
As a Wilmington native who grew up in the area and still lives here with his family, Andrew understands local construction practices, building codes, and the basement conditions common to homes throughout Delaware and southeastern Pennsylvania. At A.W. Viohl Contracting, we don't simply finish basements. We create thoughtfully designed spaces that solve functional challenges, incorporate quality materials, and deliver the attention to detail that makes finished basements feel like premium living spaces rather than afterthoughts.
Our personalized design consultation process begins with understanding your goals and assessing your basement's specific characteristics. We'll discuss how you plan to use the space, evaluate existing conditions, identify opportunities and challenges, and develop solutions tailored to your vision and your home's unique situation.
Ways to Update and Improve Your Basement
Complete Basement Transformations
Full basement finishing involves transforming raw, unfinished space into complete living areas. This comprehensive approach includes framing interior walls, installing insulation for comfort and energy efficiency, running electrical service for lighting and outlets, adding or upgrading HVAC for climate control, installing ceiling systems, finishing walls with drywall, selecting and installing appropriate flooring, adding doors and trim, and completing all paint and finish work.
We create cohesive basement spaces that function beautifully while feeling connected to your home's overall design aesthetic. Whether you're creating a single large recreation room or dividing your basement into multiple functional areas, we execute every detail with the craftsmanship that defines our work.
Custom Basement Layouts
Thoughtful layout planning maximizes your basement's potential. We help you envision how to best use your available space, whether that means creating entertainment areas with room for seating and media equipment, designing home offices with appropriate lighting and electrical service, incorporating guest bedrooms with proper egress windows, adding full bathrooms for convenience, building wet bars for entertaining, designating fitness areas with durable flooring, or combining multiple functions in a well-planned layout.
We consider practical factors like ceiling height, window placement, stair location, mechanical systems, and traffic flow while developing layouts that make your basement both beautiful and highly functional.
Basement Bathrooms
Adding a bathroom to your finished basement significantly enhances its functionality and value. Basement bathrooms require expertise in managing drainage, whether connecting to existing plumbing lines or installing ejector pump systems. We handle all aspects of basement bathroom construction, including proper rough-in plumbing, appropriate ventilation, quality fixtures and finishes, tile work with careful attention to waterproofing, and integration with your overall basement design.
A well-designed basement bathroom makes the space far more versatile, supporting uses from guest accommodations to teenager hangout spaces to rental potential.
Basement Wet Bars and Kitchenettes
Wet bars and kitchenettes make basement entertaining convenient and enjoyable. We install custom wet bar areas with sinks, refrigerators, cabinetry for storage and glassware, appropriate countertops, and finishing details that create attractive, functional spaces. For more extensive needs, we build full kitchenettes with ranges, microwaves, dishwashers, and complete cooking capabilities.
All plumbing and electrical work is performed to code with attention to both functionality and aesthetics. We help you design wet bars that complement your basement's overall style while providing the features that enhance your entertaining experience.
Egress Windows and Safety Compliance
Building code requirements mandate proper egress from basement bedrooms, ensuring a safe exit in emergencies. We install code-compliant egress windows that provide required opening dimensions, appropriate well systems for below-grade windows, secure covers that allow emergency exit, and attractive finishing that integrates wells with your landscaping.
Beyond bedrooms, egress windows bring valuable natural light into basements, making spaces feel brighter, larger, and more connected to the outdoors. We help you determine optimal window placement that balances light, code compliance, and your basement's layout.
Basement Ceilings
Basement ceilings present unique challenges with lower heights, exposed mechanicals, and access requirements. We offer several ceiling solutions, including traditional drywall ceilings for a clean, finished appearance, suspended ceiling systems that maintain access to utilities, creative solutions that incorporate exposed mechanicals as design elements, and careful planning around ductwork, pipes, and wiring.
We help you select ceiling approaches that maximize headroom, provide necessary access, meet your aesthetic preferences, and work within your budget.
Flooring for Basement Spaces
Basement flooring must address potential moisture while providing comfort, durability, and beauty. We install various flooring options suited to basement conditions, including luxury vinyl plank that resists moisture while providing warmth and style, engineered hardwood designed for below-grade installation, carpet with appropriate padding and moisture barriers for comfort in living areas, tile and stone for durability in high-traffic zones or wet areas, and stained or epoxy-coated concrete for contemporary aesthetics and easy maintenance.
We help you select flooring that suits your basement's conditions, your intended uses, and your design vision while ensuring proper installation that performs well long-term.
Moisture Management and Waterproofing
Successful basement finishing begins with proper moisture management. We assess your basement's conditions, address any water intrusion issues before finishing work begins, incorporate appropriate vapor barriers, use moisture-resistant materials where needed, ensure proper drainage around the foundation, and design HVAC solutions that manage humidity effectively.
Our experience finishing basements throughout Delaware and Pennsylvania means we understand local conditions and know how to create comfortable, healthy finished basements that perform well year-round.
Our Process
Consultation and Assessment
Your basement project begins with a comprehensive consultation and assessment. We'll discuss your vision and goals, evaluate your basement's existing conditions, identify any moisture or structural issues requiring attention, review mechanical systems and utility locations, and explore layout possibilities that maximize your space's potential.
This thorough evaluation ensures we understand both your aspirations and your basement's specific characteristics, allowing us to develop solutions tailored to your situation.
Design and Planning
Based on our consultation, we develop detailed plans addressing layout and space division, electrical service for lighting, outlets, and special equipment, HVAC modifications for climate control, plumbing for bathrooms or wet bars, ceiling solutions, flooring selections, and all finish details. We'll present options and help you make informed decisions about every aspect of your finished basement.
We Get to Work
Once plans are finalized, we transform your basement with meticulous craftsmanship. We obtain necessary permits, address any pre-construction requirements, execute all framing, electrical, plumbing, and HVAC work to code, install insulation, drywall, and ceiling systems, complete flooring installation, install doors, trim, and all finish carpentry, and paint and finish all surfaces to perfection.
Throughout construction, we maintain clear communication, keep your home clean and protected, and focus on the quality that ensures your finished basement exceeds expectations.
Serving Delaware and Pennsylvania Homeowners
A.W. Viohl Contracting proudly serves homeowners throughout the greater Wilmington region and southeastern Pennsylvania, including:
Delaware: Wilmington, Greenville, Hockessin, Newark, and communities throughout New Castle County
Delaware County, Pennsylvania: Haverford, Springfield, Ridley, Newtown Square, Broomall, Media, and the Main Line area
Chester County, Pennsylvania: West Chester, Kennett Square, Chadds Ford, and the Brandywine Valley
As a Delaware-licensed contractor (#2005201665), Andrew Viohl brings local expertise and personal commitment to every basement project. Having grown up in Wilmington, attended A.I. du Pont High School, and built A.W. Viohl Contracting on principles of superior craftsmanship and attention to detail, Andrew understands what discerning homeowners expect and consistently delivers exceptional results.
Add Meaningful Space to Your Home with a Basement Renovation
Ready to transform your basement into a beautiful, functional living space? A.W. Viohl Contracting brings the expertise, craftsmanship, and personalized attention your basement finishing project deserves. From initial consultation through final completion, we're committed to delivering the quality and attention to detail that have made us a trusted name throughout Wilmington, Delaware County, and Chester County.
Contact A.W. Viohl Contracting to discuss your basement finishing vision and discover how expert construction and thoughtful design can unlock your home's full potential.