2003 Basement Remodel

After posting pictures of the house taken when we just bought it, it occurred that it might be a good time to recall our basement remodel and the lessons we learned from it. When we moved in, our basement had 1/2 of it finished (approximately 14x30 feet). For windows there were two small single rows of 4 glass blocks each which let in very little light. The paneling was dark. The carpet was hideous. And the tiled ceiling was terrible. So when the time came, we remodeled the finished portion.

The only surviving picture of the ugly basement that was...
...notice the small window of four glass blocks and how little light it allowed in...

We established the following criteria for our basement remodel...we needed/wanted:

1. to be able to afford it
2. to allow in much more light...in the end we wanted two 4'x'4 egress windows
   
3. the windows to meet egress conditions (meet inspection)
   
4. a tiled or Pergo floor

After looking around at different egress solutions, we decided to use Bilco ScapeWEL window wells. Treated wood tends to rot over time. And corrugated steel was not pretty at all. The Bilco ScapeWEL has a terraced opening which functions as a step/ladder out.

An exterior view of a Bilco ScapeWEL...

Since we had a large picture window which sides were almost centered on where we wanted the egress windows cut, we decided to employ a structural engineer. The trusses go from the front of the house to the rear, so the front and rear foundations carry much of the house's weight. The weight directly over the large picture window is displaced to the sides. The structural engineer had some good ideas (enlarge structural engineer the images below). The cost was a few hundred dollars but it was worth every penny.

Simple diagram of weight being displaced into where egress windows would go...

Page 1 of 3 from the structural engineer...

Page 2 of 3 from structural engineer...

Page 3 of 3 from structural engineer...

We found a young local contractor who gave us a great price and was willing to work with all our stipulations, such as:

• full compliance with the structural engineer's specifications
• full compliance with manufacturer's specifications
• no subcontractors without our approval
• no substitution of materials without our approval
• no work would start until permits had been obtained
• windows to be inspected and approved by the city for egress
  
• sufficient dirt would be over the footing to prevent heaving of the foundation during winter
  

Construction was a fun thing to watch. It took almost 6 weeks (in retrospect we're not sure why). We did learn one important lesson, never dry cut cinder-blocks!

A video Paul Made some time ago of our almost finished basement...