How to Remodel Your Basement

April 6th, 2011 |

Finishing the basement is one of the most common remodeling projects in the country residential. When you think it makes sense: taking advantage of unfinished space that you have in your basement can increase the square footage of your home without having to build a new set. But if you’re planning a remodeling contractor to do the job, or are planning to deal with its own basement finishing project, it is important to remember that basement remodeling requires some special considerations.

Output

Residential building codes, although it varies by municipality, all require two ways out of a room, no matter where you are at home. It’s called “exit”, this is to provide a safe exit for the occupants in case of fire or other emergency in which an exit has been blocked. For sleeping on the ground floor and first floor, this second way out is easily accomplished with a window, but for sleeping in the basement, the situation may be more difficult. Installing a window as an emergency exit in the basement is certainly feasible, but certainly requires more planning. For starters, plus a basement egress windows require a window to keep the surrounding soil and take the step to the outside. The window also must meet specific size requirements:

20 inches minimum width
24 “minimum height
7-square-foot minimum opening
Maximum height 44 inches from the floor to the bottom of the window

Moisture

Because of water into the surrounding soil, basements tend to have moisture problems. That is usually not a big deal when the area of ??the basement is only used for storage or a hobby shop, but if you are planning to finish the basement into living space, you need to remove the moisture first. Water could damage the building materials and encourage the growth of mold, creating unsightly stains, structural weakness, and even health problems for your family. Depending on the extent of their wet basement problems, a variety of different solutions. Most minor problems can be solved by sealing cracks with a flexible crack sealant (such as an epoxy resin) and seal the interior foundation walls with a water stain blocking.