Remodeling basement into bedroom a feasability issue

Q: We plan to move in six to eight months and are looking at older houses in a town where many of the houses are two stories and built into a hillside. The first story is often a garage-basement with the back half or third of the space open to the dirt hillside under the house. One home we liked had two bedrooms, and I thought of making a third bedroom in the basement area. When we seriously start looking, is it reasonable or possible to make a third bedroom out of this type of space? I believe there would still be enough room to have the garage -- can we just wall off the rest of the basement area for a bedroom? A: When we began writing "Sweat Equity" more than three years ago, our goal was to pass on some of the tips we've learned about home renovation over the years and to encourage homeowners to get their hands dirty and improve their homes without relying on expensive professionals every step of the way. Nothing has changed. While it's true that some jobs are better left to th...