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Utilizing basements
by Affordable Concrete Cutting Boston
Basements or cellars (depending on which part of the country you
are from) are primarily seen as dark and dingy parts of a home.
In most cases they are considered a useless area or are used as
a "catch all" for family discards that haven't quite made it to
the curbside for trash pick up yet. Well, with the skyrocketing
prices of real estate these days and the lack of any substantial
property to use for an addition to our homes, the basement, after
years of being ignored and neglected, is finally being recognized
as a useful, cost effective resource for adding more living space
to our beloved homes.
Several factors that have to be considered before any serious
basement renovations take place include ceiling height, stair
pitch or steepness and emergency egress. All three of these
requirements can differ considerably depending on where you live.
You can call your local building department and they can tell
you these requirements. As for what emergency egress is, it is
basically an emergency escape. A door of at least 30" wide in
most areas is considered a very safe egress but a window has to
be a certain size and a minimum distance from the floor in order
to be considered safe. Believe it or not, the way the safe size
and height of a basement window is calculated is by determining
how easily an overweight elderly person (considered worst case
scenario) can open and climb out of in case of a fire or another
emergency. In reality, these building codes were put in place
because no one is going to get out of one of those old metal
framed 18" X 30" pull in basement windows very easily (especially
an overweight elderly person) and they would probably die trying
in the unfortunate event of a fire.
Most local building codes require both a door and a window egress
in order for the basement to be considered safe enough for a
living area. In many cases building codes require an emergency
egress be placed in every bedroom in a basement as well. If you
are in the habit of doing home remodeling or repairs without the
proper building permits, it is very important for you and your
family's safety that you find out what the code is in your area
and adhere to it.
By adding all of the necessary emergency egress you are
essentially killing two birds with one stone. As I already
stated, you are adding safety to an otherwise unsafe area but you
are also adding the benefits of natural sunlight. Adding natural
sunlight to your basement really gives the area a desirable look
and a warm feeling you generally can't get without it. Now, you
may be wondering how people get a perfectly smooth, plumb and
square openings in their foundations. You may have never heard
of such a thing or don't realize the process even exists.
Fortunately, there are companies in almost every part of the
country that actually specialize in the process of cutting
doorways and windows in concrete walls. These companies are
called concrete cutting services and / or sawcutting outfits.
Either way, they are listed in your local or online yellow pages
under the heading of "concrete breaking, cutting, sawing, core
drilling, etc." A professional concrete cutter will make the
process look exceptionally easy and help make short work of your
basement-remodeling project.
If you are going to take the time to renovate your basement you
might as well do it right. By following or exceeding your local
building codes you will ensure your family's safety. Also, be
sure that you cut as many window openings in your basement walls
as your budget and the structural integrity of your home can
handle. This in itself will make your basement the most cherished
area of your home. You'll be glad you did it. Good luck.
To find some ideas and to familiarize yourself with the concrete
cutting industry just do a search online for "concrete cutting"
and check out some of the sites and, of course, be sure to check
out our website at http://www.affordableconcretecutting.com.
Affordable Concrete Cutting Massachusetts services the contractor
and homeowner in and around Boston and Eastern Massachusetts. We
specialize in cutting doorways in concrete foundations. Visit
our website at
Gerald Hopkins is an expert author at
http://www.affordableconcretecutting.com
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