The homeowners at 31 Ravenwood Road in Brantford had an unfinished basement they were ready to make real use of. The space was to be divided into a TV room, a playroom for the kids, a tiled bathroom, and a separate workshop — all finished to the same standard as the rest of the house, with a proper permit and ESA inspection.
The brief
Full basement finish: frame all walls, run all mechanical rough-ins, insulate and vapour barrier, drywall, doors, trim, flooring, and paint — plus a custom TV wall with built-in cabinets and a walnut post-wall detail the homeowners had been planning for a long time. The bathroom was to be tiled. A City of Brantford building permit was required and pulled before framing began.
Framing
Exterior walls were framed at 24" O.C. with 2×6 PT bottom plate and sill gasket at the slab — standard for a conditioned below-grade space. Interior partition walls were framed at 16" O.C. The layout carved out a workshop behind a double pocket door, a utility room with a pass-through cat door, a bathroom, playrooms for the kids, and the main TV and living area.
Electrical and plumbing
The electrical scope included all new circuits, potlights throughout the finished areas, and a panel upgrade coordinated with the homeowners. ESA inspection was completed as part of the permit close-out. The plumber chipped the concrete floor to rough-in the bathroom drain, installed new copper-to-PEX supply lines, and ran the bathroom vanity and toilet rough-ins. HandKind handled the concrete chipping and pour-back once the plumber was done.
Insulation
R-20 batt insulation at 24" O.C. to all exterior walls, with a full poly vapour barrier, sheathing tape at all laps, and acoustical sealant at all penetrations. With 1,200 sq ft of exterior wall to cover, this was a full day of insulation work before drywall could go in.
Drywall and doors
Half-inch drywall throughout — walls and ceiling — taped and mudded. Six interior doors were hung in the finished spaces:
- Aberdeen (3-panel shaker) hollowcore, matte black hardware, on all passage doors
- Double pocket door at the workshop — 2×24" panels in the same shaker profile
- Utility room door with a built-in cat door (a specific request from the family)
- Privacy hardware on the bathroom; dummy hardware on the closet
The TV wall built-in
The centrepiece of the TV room is a full-width built-in cabinet run: doors below, walnut shelving above, MDF verticals, shiplap backer board around the fireplace opening, and crown moulding at the top. The fireplace itself was supplied by the homeowners; HandKind built the surround, framing, and cabinetry around it. The walnut shelves were fabricated in 1½" thick slabs — the same material used on the pool table built-in and the post-wall detail.
The post-wall detail
A structural post in the basement was an existing feature that couldn't move. Rather than box it in and forget it, the homeowners wanted to make it a design feature — a walnut hardwood shelf and detail wrapping the post at two heights, turning a structural necessity into a finished element. The shelves were cut from the same ash and walnut stock as the TV wall, tying the room together without making the connection obvious.
Bathroom
The bathroom floor is tiled on a Schluter waterproofing base — the correct way to tile a basement bathroom floor where moisture protection at the slab is non-negotiable. Mortar, grout, Schluter edge transitions, and levellers were all in scope. The tile itself was supplied by the homeowners.
Paint and flooring
Benjamin Moore Ballet White (OC-9) in eggshell on all walls — a warm white that reads clean without going clinical. Flat white on the ceilings, high-hide white on all trim and doors. Carpet was installed in the living room, TV room, and on the stairs — approximately 800 sq ft in total.
A finished basement adds real living space without expanding your building footprint. Done right, with a permit and proper mechanical rough-ins, it also adds lasting value and gives you a warranty on the work.
What this project illustrates
Full basement finishes are one of the most sequencing-dependent jobs we do. The permit, framing, electrical, plumbing, and HVAC rough-ins all have to happen in the right order before a single sheet of drywall goes up — and the inspection has to happen before the walls close. Getting all those trades booked, coordinated, and inspected on time is as much of the job as the carpentry itself.
If you're thinking about finishing your basement in Brantford or Brant County, get in touch for a site visit. We also have a full basement finishing services page if you want to understand what's typically in scope.