# Basement Floorplan help needed...



## Nealtw (Jun 22, 2017)

How big are the posts. How far from the stairs?
I would look at a hallway between the posts and the stairs to the laundry room.
If the posts are large like you have you could build in closets in the hall or do a theater look incorporating the posts into the design and hang the tv there.


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## harpua728 (Jul 13, 2015)

Nealtw said:


> How big are the posts. How far from the stairs?
> I would look at a hallway between the posts and the stairs to the laundry room.
> If the posts are large like you have you could build in closets in the hall or do a theater look incorporating the posts into the design and hang the tv there.


The posts are approximately 4" x 4", and will likely be 6" x 6" once finished. They are approximately 4 to 5 feet from the stairs. If I build a hallway there I think it would eat up too much space down there.


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## harpua728 (Jul 13, 2015)

I should add that the main use will be a rec room for the kids and their toys, as well as a 2nd den/tv area for the family.


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## Nealtw (Jun 22, 2017)

Where will you put the furniture with the TV where you have it.
In your drawing you have a wall going around the post, just hide the post in a 2x6 wall.


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## harpua728 (Jul 13, 2015)

Nealtw said:


> Where will you put the furniture with the TV where you have it.
> In your drawing you have a wall going around the post, just hide the post in a 2x6 wall.


Yes, my plan is to hide that post in that wall that goes around it. 

As for furniture, I'm picturing having either a section, or two couches, in the bottom left of the sketch (i.e. one along the left wall, and one along the bottom wall).


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## Nealtw (Jun 22, 2017)

I have never seen a gas meter in the house. I don't see anything wrong with your plan. It's like open concept which is common. I was thinking more like home theater which is more the opposite of open.


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## infinitiwindow (Oct 27, 2014)

Whether the laundry door looks good or not really depends on the door you decide on and the overall trim along that wall. I think it would be easy to incorporate it tastefully. You might want a natural wood door and maybe make it a pocket door. Use natural wood trim to blend it into the flow of the wall.

Brad
Inifiniti Window Coverings


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## infinitiwindow (Oct 27, 2014)

Whether the laundry door looks good or not really depends on the door you decide on and the overall trim along that wall. I think it would be easy to incorporate it tastefully. You might want a natural wood door and maybe make it a pocket door. Use natural wood trim to blend it into the flow of the wall.

Brad
Inifiniti Window Coverings


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## Gregsoldtruck79 (Dec 21, 2017)

........................................................


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## Bud9051 (Nov 11, 2015)

Regardless of your intended use, it will be your local building department that decides if you need an egress window. You have a few permits to pull so talk with them as adding egress can change your layout.

Bud


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## Gregsoldtruck79 (Dec 21, 2017)

Now you have dunn went and dun it Bud, you scared the OP away talking permits and all.  And you are 100% right doing so, especially where ever fire escape egress points in basements are in the mix.

If the TRUTH be known, I bet the amount of basements in the USA that were framed up and finished *without permits *are astronomical. No one wants their property taxes to go up with those permits getting filed at city hall. 

And when the home is sold, its value has went up without tax increases with its added to finished basement living space( although it has less $$$ per sq.ft. value than above ground living spaces) . 

The new buyer just says, " Oh, what a lovely downstairs this is " ! Probably few ever asks if the basement was permitted.

At least no one has asked me whenever we sold our basement finished homes, over the passed 25 years. I feel they just assume the home had a finished basement from the original build of the house. JMO


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## harpua728 (Jul 13, 2015)

Haha, yeah, let's not talk about permits please, just the floor plan!


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## Bud9051 (Nov 11, 2015)

Gregsoldtruck79 said:


> The new buyer just says, " Oh, what a lovely downstairs this is " ! Probably few ever asks if the basement was permitted.


harp, not trying to beat on you, but just went through house hunting for someone out of state wanting to move to this area. Had some interesting situations dealing with listings that did not mention permits for improvements that were obvious. In today's world and certainly tomorrows that information is just a few keystrokes away. At one city hall I asked what permits had been pulled and she went to the file and turned around and said, NONE (with emphasis). I recounted some of what I had seen and the smoke started to rise. Basically a total rebuild with no permits. She asked for the listing and agents name, I left. My meeting was set for first thing the next morning and when I arrived the agent had been there early. Apparently she got a call from city hall right after my visit and the listing was withdrawn. I can only speculate what happened thereafter but have seen some disasters where much had to be removed for a full inspection process with taxes and penalties dated back to the last known condition. Add to that the delay and loss in selling price and it can hurt.

It gets worse as the home owner's insurance wants to know how much they are responsible for and banks may want THEIR property protected by good work and all inspections.

As for my/our volunteer efforts on the forum, we have to deal with the before and the after owners and the comments we get from new home buyers about poor work and no permits aren't kind.

When an owner sells they sign a full disclosure and have to deny knowledge and basically lie to the new buyer. The way to avoid all of the above is to just man-up and do it right from the start, it feels good too.

Bud


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## harpua728 (Jul 13, 2015)

Bud9051 said:


> harp, not trying to beat on you, but just went through house hunting for someone out of state wanting to move to this area. Had some interesting situations dealing with listings that did not mention permits for improvements that were obvious. In today's world and certainly tomorrows that information is just a few keystrokes away. At one city hall I asked what permits had been pulled and she went to the file and turned around and said, NONE (with emphasis). I recounted some of what I had seen and the smoke started to rise. Basically a total rebuild with no permits. She asked for the listing and agents name, I left. My meeting was set for first thing the next morning and when I arrived the agent had been there early. Apparently she got a call from city hall right after my visit and the listing was withdrawn. I can only speculate what happened thereafter but have seen some disasters where much had to be removed for a full inspection process with taxes and penalties dated back to the last known condition. Add to that the delay and loss in selling price and it can hurt.
> 
> It gets worse as the home owner's insurance wants to know how much they are responsible for and banks may want THEIR property protected by good work and all inspections.
> 
> ...


Thanks, Bud. Where did this happen? I see that you are up in Maine, so I assume this happened up there?


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## Bud9051 (Nov 11, 2015)

Yes, in Maine and I would actually expect us to be behind the times in terms of modernizing our data systems. When I was in NJ back in the 70's I saw half a garage removed that had not been inspected. You are in NY which has a wide range of code enforcement but most should be very advanced. 

Saw the pictures, nice house by the way.

Bud


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## Gregsoldtruck79 (Dec 21, 2017)

Bud9051 said:


> harp, not trying to beat on you, but just went through house hunting for someone out of state wanting to move to this area. Had some interesting situations dealing with listings that did not mention permits for improvements that were obvious. In today's world and certainly tomorrows that information is just a few keystrokes away. At one city hall I asked what permits had been pulled and she went to the file and turned around and said, NONE (with emphasis). I recounted some of what I had seen and the smoke started to rise. Basically a total rebuild with no permits. She asked for the listing and agents name, I left. My meeting was set for first thing the next morning and when I arrived the agent had been there early. Apparently she got a call from city hall right after my visit and the listing was withdrawn. I can only speculate what happened thereafter but have seen some disasters where much had to be removed for a full inspection process with taxes and penalties dated back to the last known condition. Add to that the delay and loss in selling price and it can hurt.
> 
> It gets worse as the home owner's insurance wants to know how much they are responsible for and banks may want THEIR property protected by good work and all inspections.
> 
> ...


Good points Bud,

But I tell you right now in my state at least, the list of GOOD existing homes on the market for sale now are so small, neither the realtor, the sellers, NOR the buyers want to go down the, " lets hunt or list basement permits" fiasco. 

The home hunters get a home inspection done, then bicker on prices and repair negotiations... and then sign the offer to purchase. JMO


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## Bud9051 (Nov 11, 2015)

I agree Greg, but you left out one, the diligent home inspector with a modern search program that eventually will have direct access to all public records. In the future (not too distant) all public records will be searchable with a few clicks.

Sellers and real estate agents are all too willing to overlook anything that can cloud a sale. However, buyers are becoming more educated and once they do any online reading they will want ALL available information to help then negotiate a lower price. They may still want the house but may have a long list as to why they shouldn't pay full price. 

There's another catch for new home buyers if they want to make further improvements that involve inspections. When they try to go forward all of the un-inspected work may stop the project. Then the finger pointing starts and who knows how long a seller could be held responsible for failing to disclose. A can of worms best avoided right from the start and as previously suggested, a file with pictures and all permits can be valuable.

Bud


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## Gregsoldtruck79 (Dec 21, 2017)

Your plan reads well Bud, but there is a huge loop hole in it also. Date entry. Who is going to starting today, go back through ALL the property files in the USA and compile the basement finishing permit data ? 

Even if they can find it, people have to be hired, ones that understand what they are reading and then, enter the data in to a electronic file ....as to whether or not a basement finished was permitted. 

How does a HI determine while inspecting a home, the basement was finished one year after the home was built, 5 years later, or was it finished when the home was built under the same permit ? 

Why would the HI, even if they have the incentive to do more than plug in a outlet tester or go up on the roof, risk their client base from getting a reputation of busting chops for prospective buys while searching for basement permit's ? I see basements in the overall home purchase, as being a small fish in a big pond. 


I respect your position here as it is well thought out and valid, but with todays climate of housing...I do not see it coming to fruition soon. 

IE: Through my own due diligence of finding our properties surveyor pins, I found our neighbors chain link fence sits BACK from his property line between us, 7 ft. due to a steep grade. So I am maintaining 7 ft. of his property. 

I called the county clerks office and the building codes office and asked how I could find out the "rules" for this scenario. As I had heard, after a* set amount of years, *the maintained property for a neighbor becomes the property of the one maintaining it. 

After getting passed along to several people on the phone, I was finally connected to someone that knew what I was speaking about. Both the CC/BC office people told me the same thing which was, " You would have to know WHEN the chain link fence was installed, because it has to have been in place at least 20 years, before you could call the land you are maintaining as your own. Our offices do not keep such records."

They ended up by telling me, "Even if you find out when the fence was built, a property litigation attorney should be used before assuming any such claiming of the ownership of the maintained land, can be done." 

So knowing this, I could really see how it would work today, if I went down town and asked to see the basement permit for a home that I wanted to buy. Now starting today, if ALL new homes being built has the notation on the original permit stamped stating the newly permitted home, does NOT have a finished basement under it, your plan will work.

But to start today, having home hunters going backwards hunting for basement build permits ? .....good luck on that hunt folks. So many people today in the home buying market will not even take the time to get pre-approved for their house loans, or even take the time to find and hire a really good HI. 

So* in my opinion,* them hunting for basement permits as being on their top of the list for their home search "to do's," ehhh, not happening on a large scale right now. Maybe in the future, and it would be a good thing to help assure buyers get a home FULLY permitted. All JMO though.


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## Bud9051 (Nov 11, 2015)

Once a town crunches the numbers to see how much uncollected revenue they can get many won't have trouble funding the data collection. Even here in Maine many towns have invested in the Graphics Information Services (GIS) to put their entire town online so any and all can check out who owns what and where.

In addition our regional deed registry, and most of the state, now has all deeds and registered data scanned into an online system and that was justified by the labor savings.

So, yes it will take some dollars and manpower but there is a payback that may make that worthwhile.

One of my objectives is my preference to support home buyers and illustrate how they can search and be better informed about what they are getting. It rubs me the wrong way to be helping people deceive and lie to future home owners. Agreed, that isn't really what we are here for but it is a hot button for me. The OP here has building, plumbing, and electrical permits to get and I hope he does so.

Bud


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## Johnpbrown (Mar 27, 2018)

I have recently done Interior decoration for my office. I have seen all new technology which works like photocopy printing on the wall. It's a digital wall printing done very smoothly and with very sharp clarity.


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## kkford10 (May 25, 2018)

There is also one very important factor to consider when deciding to forgo getting the proper permits and building inspections (not saying that is your intent atall, I just feel it needs pointed out for others reading). These codes and regulations are in placefor a reason! ESPECIALLY fire/ life safety code. If your stairs in the basement are on fire and you have no egress window, you, or whoever is down there, is toast. Not to mention that insurance will not cover un permitted work in your home. 
Just something to remember folks.


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## kkford10 (May 25, 2018)

*stairs on fire. 
Sorry for the typo


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