Concrete Cutting: Shedding Light On Your Basement Remodel
|
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.
© Copyright 2005 Affordable Concrete Cutting, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Affordable Concrete Cutting Massachusetts services the contractor and homeowner in and around Boston and Eastern Massachusetts. We specialize in cutting doorways in concrete foundations.
http://www.affordableconcretecutting.com
|
|
|
Thinking Of Remodeling Your Kitchen?
If you like to cook, or even if you just do it from necessity, having a homely, organized, and modern kitchen is probably important to you. Although, the traditionally kitchens are still out there, there are so many new, modern elements that can add luxury and class and convenience to any home. Kitchens have changed with the way humans have changed in the last few years. We have become more demanding of our time and having less of it to spend cook...(related: Home Improvement)
Color Help: Color Theory And Design Psychology
Color theory is an entire science unto itself, and to get a full picture of how it all works, I'd suggest picking up a few art books. In this article, however, we're going to take a brief look at the essentials of color theory, in light of the concepts of Design Psychology. we'll first list a term, and then offer a short summary of how the term relates to Design Psychology.HueThe base name of a color without any white, gray, or black added. The terms hue and color are interchangeable.Color wheelA color wheel contains twelve colors, based on primitive pigments. The three primary colors are red, blue, and ye...(related: Home Improvement)
Inspecting Your Swimming Pool
With the varied availability of swimming pool equipment and designs, you have a lot to think about when it comes to safety. Whether you use different ...(related: Home Improvement)
Skip Troweling Method For Textured Ceilings
There are several ceiling texture choices to choose from when finishing a room. You can simply apply a flat paint to the ceiling, or spray or roll on a popcorn textured ceiling. However both these choices seem to be waning in popularity to the Skip Toweled look. The Skip Troweled look provides a compromise between the flat painted ceiling and the popcorn ceiling. It provides texture but to a lesser extent than a traditional popcorn ceiling.Skip Troweling is relatively simple to do and can be performed by a homeowner who is doing a home addition project.Skip Troweling should be performed after...(related: Home Improvement)
Poster, Print Or Painting. Where Are You Going To Put It?
If you are redesigning or decorating a room, or house, care has to be taken where your piece of art is to be displayed. Even if you have bought a picture on impulse there are a few tips that will not only enhance the picture but its surroundings.As a good rule of thumb it is good to hang a picture so that its centre is roughly at eye level. If you have a grouping of pictures then also the centre of the group should be at approximate eye level.Wall size.· For a narrow wall go for a smaller picture, or group of small pictures.· For large walls go for the larger pictures.· For walls that link to a low ceiling go for pictures that are ve...(related: Home Improvement)
Contractor Referral
"As a contractor with 16 years of experience and speaking on behalf of professional contractors. I want people to b...(related: Home Improvement)
Removing Your Old Wood Double Hung Windows
Last week I told you how to measure your wood window openings to properly order your new vinyl replacement windows. This week I'm going to explain how to remove your...(related: Home Improvement)
A Place For Everything And Everything In Its Place
Tax season is over...The spring holidays have passed...Hopefully by now you have sent your taxes in and recovered from your spring holiday preparation. You can RELAX! Sit back, get excited for summer.Just don't let things slide too much. In order for you to be able to take the break you deserve, there are a few VITAL organizing systems you need to have in place so clutter doesn't take over.1. Mail-establish a place for incoming mail and outgoing mail. I like to keep a picture box with my stamps, envelopes, tape, scissors, a couple of pens, and whatever else I need to send letters.For incoming mail, you can keep a tiered tray with different categories to look at a later date-bills, medical reimbursements, to file. Frequently check...(related: Home Improvement)
Hydrogen Cell Generator For The Home
A Hydrogen Cell generator in your house could power up all the appliances and components and even charge your car and at peak times sell energy back to the grid. Imagine being your own power company and getting a check in the mail, from someone other than Enron of course. Otherwise you could use the check to play your friends in racket ball. As many of you know I am a fan of this and other such energy technologies. Making Electricity from Hydrogen and oxygen is easy really. The by products of this process are heat and water. Heat can be used to heat your house and cook food, while the purified water sure beats anything coming out of the tap.Where do we get the Hydrogen? From Natur...(related: Home Improvement)
Home Furnishings And Shelving
Its spring time and that means we start working on our homes. Cleaning, organizing, purchasing new things to spruce the place up are just some of the home furnishings we do. Why do we go to all this effort? Well, that's simple! We want our homes to be comforta...(related: Home Improvement)
site-map - Copyright © 2006 | Contact Webmaster | All Rights Reserved. | Home Improvement