With home loan interest rates higher than they’ve been in years, you may not be able to move to a larger home. You might be able to obtain the added space you need by transforming unfinished space to delightful rooms. Just a few weeks ago, I started to help my son increase the finished living space in his home by nearly 80%! Two years ago he bought a new home that has a full basement.
Fortunately, the builder installed an outdoor bulkhead with a set of concrete steps. This created the all-important egress door required by almost all codes. You should do what my son did before you even think of buying any materials.
I told him to reach out to the city building department. His job was to discover all of the minimum requirements that apply to basement refinishing. Fortunately, the building department had a very clear set of guidelines that must be met to successfully obtain a building permit.
The guidelines and requirements discussed minimum ceiling height, ventilation, insulation and heating, and the all-important egress requirement. Some windows meet the egress requirement. Don’t underestimate the importance of egress.
You need to have two ways to exit most spaces in the event of a fire. Once you determine that you can meet the minimum requirements of your local building code, then it’s time to draw up a plan. My son saved about $8,000 by drawing his own plan.
He used simple software, and with my help he created a plan that the building department accepted. In almost all.