Remodeling Basements

Paul Eldrenkamp

Turning a basement into pleasant, useful living space is always a challenge. My first task, whenever I go to meet a customer who has called about remodeling a basement, is to listen carefully to get a feel for the customer's vision of the finished basement. Next, I take time to evaluate the existing conditions, looking for items that may affect the cost or feasibility of the project.

Detective Work

With very few exceptions, most obstacles can be overcome, but at a cost. My goal during the initial visit is to identify any problem spots, assess their impact on the project, and find out whether my initial cost figures match the customer's budget. Here's what I look for on the first site visit.

Excessive moisture. My first concern is, can I make this basement dry? At best, the basements in my area have high humidity levels; at worst, there is actually standing water. I carefully assess the level of moisture and figure out the strategies I'll use to mitigate it. I look for mildew or water stains at the base of partitions, dampness or mildew under floor coverings, signs of rot where the stairs rest on the floor, or lally columns with rusty bases. Any efflorescence on the masonry walls is a sure sign of past and possibly current moisture problems.

On the exterior, I look for disconnected downspouts and grading that directs water towards rather than away from the house.

If the signs of moisture are severe enough, I'll explain to my customer the potential costs and uncertainties of attempting to eliminate the problem.

Obstructions. There are generally two ways of dealing with obstructions: Move them or mask them. In some cases, the building code will dictate the choice, but typically the customer's aesthetic preferences and pocketbook will govern the decision.

Pipes and ductwork tend to be the most common obstructions. Domestic supply lines and hot-water heating lines can almost always be rerouted, but drain lines and steam lines often present more expensive, and sometimes impossible, challenges. Threaded pipe is almost always a problem, and for estimating purposes, I plan on replacing the entire run of any threaded pipe we will disturb.

Ductwork that cannot be boxed out and covered must be moved, so I try to find an alternate path and calculate the associated moving costs. Because rerouting ductwork can affect system performance, be careful about making promises to a customer before checking in with your sub.

Finally, if any beams or posts are candidates for relocation, I consider the load paths and try to predict how involved the relocation process will be.

A lot of obstructions may break the budget, so I explain to the customer the cost of relocating the items and discuss alternative methods of dealing with the problems. A recent customer opted to paint the existing steam-heating pipes rather then pay to have the heating system upgraded.

Existing mechanicals. I take a few minutes to size up any furnaces, hot-water heaters, and electrical panels. I ask the customer if they're comfortable on the coldest days, if they ever run out of hot water, or if they notice a drop in water pressure. If they're having any problems before I start, I try to determine how my work will affect existing utilities, if at all. Since we often use electric resistance heat when remodeling a basement, I also check the electrical panel to see if it can handle the extra circuits and load.

Mitigating Moisture

I've dealt with many wet basements, and my experience has been that roof runoff is responsible for most moisture problems. Clogged gutters, disconnected downspouts and leaders, and improper grading all contribute to the roof runoff being directed to the basement area. Two inches of rain falling on a 2,000-square-foot house can produce more than 2,600 gallons of runoff water. We repair any damaged or missing portions of the guttering system so that it's easy to monitor and maintain.

Basement leaks can also be caused by malfunctioning (or nonexistent) footing drains. Whatever the cause, a chronic water problem has to be fixed before proceeding with a basement remodel. You may have to wait a few months (or seasons) to make sure you've really solved the moisture problem. If there is reason to believe that the surrounding seasonal water table is higher than the roposed finished basement floor, you may want to abandon the project.

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