You should contact your building department and ask them if it would be ok.

This is the code requirement:

R305.1 Minimum height.

Habitable space, hallways and portions of basements containing these spaces shall have a ceiling height of not less than 7 feet (2134 mm). Bathrooms, toilet rooms and laundry rooms shall have a ceiling height of not less than 6 feet 8 inches (2032 mm).

Exceptions:

1. For rooms with sloped ceilings, the required floor area of the room shall have a ceiling height of not less than 5 feet (1524 mm) and not less than 50 percent of the required floor area shall have a ceiling height of not less than 7 feet (2134 mm).

2. The ceiling height above bathroom and toilet room fixtures shall be such that the fixture is capable of being used for its intended purpose. A shower or tub equipped with a showerhead shall have a ceiling height of not less than 6 feet 8 inches (2032 mm) above an area of not less than 30 inches (762 mm) by 30 inches (762 mm) at the showerhead.

3. Beams, girders, ducts or other obstructions in basements containing habitable space shall be

permitted to project to within 6 feet 4 inches (1931 mm) of the finished floor.

R305.1.1 Basements.

Portions of basements that do not contain habitable space or hallways shall have a ceiling height of not less than 6 feet 8 inches (2032 mm).

Exception: At beams, girders, ducts or other obstructions, the ceiling height shall be not less than 6 feet 4 inches (1931 mm) from the finished floor.

That said, some jurisdictions in neighborhoods with older homes allow more flexibility when it comes to ceiling heights, so they would be your best bet to go and get the answer.

Good luck

Many people today are moving laundry rooms to the second floor, where the bedrooms are, to avoid dragging laundry to the ground floor. A laundry in the basement is generally a last choice option, when no alternative is available.

Was this designed as a crawl space? It might be a good place for equipment like water heaters, furnace, etc. If it doesn’t meet code, then spending money on finishing it seems like a poor investment.

I have a similar basement situation... the ceilings are high, but I have steam heat, so there are a couple places where those pipes drop to around 6 feet. :p I decided not to fight it, and I use the basement for storage and as a game room, with an 8' pool table and a dart board setup. I used indoor/outdoor carpets, lighting, benches/tables/seating, etc., to help define areas. It works for me.

We had neighbours in an old district and they had their basement dug out to give them proper head room it was quite the job but they gained a ton of useable nice space and you are lucky because you already have windows. I have no idea how much it cost but they got it all back when they sold so might be worth checking out.

I think you’ll want to dig down to gain another foot. Are you adding in another few inches of lost height to account for Sheetrock and flooring? I’m 5’5” and our basement is about 7’5” and it is pushing it as far as height comfort. the ceiling looks fine since it is all one level and we have really flush recessed lighting . We have a tall neighbor who comes over and it looks comical however
Your basement won’t meet code. But assuming you still want to do it, I think you’ll find that you’ll be unhappy with the height especially since you’ll be spending a not insignificant sum to finish it.

You might have been able to do it legally and had a bit of wiggle room or grandfathering in, if not for where your stairs come down. It looks like your stairs come down between your two beams, so there would be no way to finish the basement without a door or other walkway that passes under those two beams, which I would assume is one of the lower head heights.

Digging out a foot lower, will cost a lot.

You do have another option available, that will not cost as much as some people think: you could pick the house up. It looks like you have a poured concrete foundation, which means it is strong and it won't be complex to just add on top of it and raise the house a foot and a half.

Here is the thing though, if you pursue either of these VERY expensive routes of gaining head room in your basement, you have to ask yourself: when the dust settles and you have sunk $100K or more into the house to do it between the construction and then the finishing, did you end up with a better house than if you just sold yours and bought a $100K more expensive house?

Hey Pete,

My basement looks almost identical to yours and I am looking to turn it into a usable space. What did you decide to do with yours?