Home › Glossary › Unfinished Area

Unfinished Area

Unfinished area is enclosed space in a home that lacks one or more of the features of finished living space, such as completed walls, flooring, a ceiling or heat. Unfinished basements, attics, garages and storage rooms are typical examples.

Space can be partly improved and still fall short of finished. A basement with drywall but no heat, or an attic with flooring that is reached only by a pull-down ladder, usually does not count as finished living area.

Unfinished area is left out of gross living area and reported separately, if at all. See does an unfinished basement count as square footage.