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 havent 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 utilize for an addition to our homes, the basement, after many years of being ignored and neglected, is finally being recognized as a useful, cost efficient resource for adding more living space to our beloved homes.

Several factors that have to be considered before any serious basement renovations take place incorporate ceiling height, stair pitch or steepness and emergency egress. All three of these requirements can differ considerably depending on where you live. You might call your local building department and they might 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 human (considered worst case scenario) may 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 familys 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 almost always can not get without it. Now, you can 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 do not realize the process even exists. Fortunately, there are businesses in almost every part of the country that actually specialize in the process of cutting doorways and windows in concrete walls. These businesses 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 contruct the process look exceptionally easy and help generate 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 familys 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 might handle. This in itself will build your basement the most cherished area of your home. You will 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 web page at www.affordableconcretecutting.com.