Developing a new basement – or redesigning an existing one – to fit your current needs can present some interesting challenges. There are a lot of precautions one must take when tackling such a major home renovation. To help with this sometimes-daunting task, consider the following tips and suggestions.

Research

Before you start knocking down walls, find out if you have access to the home’s original construction drawings. These blueprints will provide insight into some of the home’s hidden, yet highly critical, elements. Ensure you have a clear understanding of the building codes and permit requirements for your new basement design. Seek the assistance of any needed professional so the job is done right the first time. And most of all, get creative in handling the design and construction challenges that your basement presents.       

Structure

Basements are full of structural elements as these are the parts that hold your house up – including teleposts, beams, exterior walls, etc. As such, they cannot be changed without the assistance of a structural engineer. Try to work with the elements by hiding posts in walls, creating columned entries into spaces or drywalling around them. The cleverer you are with your concealing methods, the less it will have a basement feel to it.    

Plumbing

Basements always have predetermined roughed-in plumbing locations. The trick is to work with these dimensions to try to avoid the cost of moving them. However, it sometimes makes more sense to jackhammer cement floors and move the plumbing to make better use of the space and to have a well laid out bathroom.

Heating and air vents run along the ceiling either between joists or under them. If they are running under the joists you will need to hide them in well-placed intentional bulkheads. Try to pair them with beams so you do not need one bulkhead for the beam and another for the return air. 

Sump pumps are often clustered with the mechanical equipment in the basement. If you have a say in its location, try to maximize the space and not spread the equipment out too much. 

For finishing off the basement ceiling, you will have the option to drywall the ceiling or to install a suspended or dropped ceiling. A drywalled ceiling is more finished looking, however, a dropped ceiling allows for access to plumbing and heating elements.      

Stairs

Stairs are the most expensive and challenging aspect to move within a basement as they affect every level of the house. Because of this, it’s best to work with their given size, shape and location to create accessibility and storage – whether they’re L- or U-shaped, straight, curved, open or closed. Also, think about what you want to see or which space you want to land in at the bottom of the stairs.

Emergency exits

Being able to safely exit the house from the basement in case of an emergency is a building code requirement. This means that if you have an older home with small basement windows they may need to be structurally enlarged to meet code. Every bedroom must have an operable window. So if you want to place a bedroom in the back corner of the basement but there is no window, a structural hole will need to be cut in the foundation to accommodate an additional window. These windows also must not exist under a deck or have any interference. 

In addition, hallways and stairways within the space need to be a minimum of 36 inches in width. It is good practice to also construct 36-inch wide doorways in laundry rooms, mechanical rooms or any space where equipment passes through.     

Equipment location

Often mechanical and electrical equipment in your home are placed within a central location for optimal heating, cooling and electrical lines. When placing walls around equipment, leave enough room to access vents, control panels and filters. However, try not to give the mechanical area a lot of extra floor space. 

You will also want to ensure the electrical and plumbing is up to code before finishing the basement off, rather than finding issues later you could have fixed beforehand. 

There is a lot of value to basements. As such, it is pertinent to plan out your basement well to capitalize on your investment. Take one challenge at a time and make wise decisions as you uncover what your basement has to offer.