Developing Your Basement – Part 1
Our Trusted Saskatoon foundation team at K & S Contracting specializes in foundation repair for homeowners across Saskatchewan. We also offer general contracting services to Saskatoon and the surrounding area. In our latest article, we discuss what you should consider when developing your basement – Part 1. This will be a 2 part article.
Developing your Basement – Part 1
Many basements are little more than a place to collect cobwebs and store stuff. However, fixing a full-height basement can increase the usable living space in your home at a lower cost than adding on. Basements can be turned into any one of several living areas: bedrooms, rec room, or office space.
Changing a concrete dungeon into an inviting living area can be a challenge, and not every basement is great for finishing. Some of the things you need to think about are building codes, moisture, low-hanging drain lines, ductwork and wiring, and your walls and floors. Although you can do some of the work yourself, it will save you time, money and headaches, if you contact K & S Contracting to help you wit the project.
Meeting Building Codes
Building codes vary, but generally a basement must be 7 ft tall. Codes can permit lower obstructions if you have structural beams that can’t be moved. Connect with local home inspector while you are in the planning stages and they can help you determine what you need to be within the National Building Codes. Once you determined what your basement will be used for you must make sure it includes doors and windows for emergency escape.
Moisture
If your home has a history of flooding, you need to fix that problem before developing the basement. 2 inches of rain falling on a 2,000 sq ft home produces approximately 2,600 gallon of water. Repairing cracks in the foundation, making sure that gutters are clear of clogs and sloping the ground away from the house can solve some of these flooding problems.
Low Hanging Utility Lines
When you are building a new home, the basement ceiling height and utilities can be planned accordingly. However, when renovating an older area, water lines, air ducts, bathroom and kitchen drains etc are generally smack in the middle of where the renovations are happening. There are a few choices. Move them, box them in or leave them as is. If you decide to tuck water and drain lines out of sight, don’t block access to water shutoffs and drain clean-outs.
Finished Wall and Floors
Hiding concrete or block behind new walls is the easy part. Building walls that won’t encourage mold and mildew, or be damaged by condensation, is a lot harder. Because concrete in contact with the ground is always cool, it can become a condensing surface for water vapour in the warm air escaping from a finished basement. The result? Damp building materials, mildew and, eventually, rot. Air will be musty, finished surfaces ruined.
When it comes to flooring, just about any material will work — tile, carpet, vinyl or laminate. Few contractors recommend traditional hardwood flooring because the moisture in the concrete can cause the wood to swell and buckle.
When trying to make the decision to develop your basement, we recommend you call Steve immediately and ask him to provide you with your options and costs.
Check out Developing Your Basement – Part 2 in next month’s blog and Steve will talk about lighting, windows and ventilation.
K & S Contracting are Saskatoon’s Trusted Contractor for Foundations and foundation repairs.
“We will get you back on solid ground!”
At K & S Contracting we specialize in foundation repair for homeowners across Saskatchewan, but we also offer contracting services to Saskatoon and surrounding area including:
- Foundations for RTM, Residential and Light Commercial
- Roofing, Re-Roofs and Shingles
- Decks, Fences & Landscaping
- Basement renovations
- Custom Builds
- Exteriors
- All Insurance work