Get a Finished Basement Up to Code

John Hagan is a home inspector with an expertise in North Carolina building codes. In this article, the owner of Hagan Home Inspections walks us through the ways in which a homeowner can obtain the permits to get a finished basement up to code after it has already been remodeled.

If a homeowner has finished a basement in home without getting the proper permits beforehand, all is not lost. It might be a headache and a hassle to get a finished basement up to code, but it can definitely be done if a person is willing to spend the time and the money necessary to do it.

For finished basements, the number one thing that most people need to be concerned with is the electrical work. When it comes to building regulations, electrical work can be among the most tricky areas to sort out. The reason is because electrical codes change often—almost every year, in fact. Sometimes when codes change, there are new requirements for circuits, and different circuits have to be put in. Other times, the code changes may have to do with new outlets, or even smoke detector rules.

But it is important for homeowners to realize that all of these codes, or at least most of them, have to do with safety. So in addition to meeting city or county codes, you are also improving the safety on your finished basement by improving the electrical work.

Another area that homeowners need to think about is the heating and air in a finished basement space. In order to bring that basement up to code, the homeowner has bring someone in to check out the entire heating and air conditioning system down there and bring that system up to meet today’s codes. Unlike electrical work, the heating and air conditioning codes often have more to do with energy efficiency than safety. Nonetheless, as a homeowner you will need to get these systems to comply with regulation and then call a town inspector to take a final look.

Bringing a finished basement up to code is something that some homeowners can do themselves. However, before embarking on a project like this, you need to determine whether you have the time, the patience, and the knowledge to get it all done.

The benefits of hiring an inspector like myself to help get your finished basement up to code are that I have the knowledge of the building codes and experience in the home building industry. So using that information, I can expedite the process of getting a building up to code and get things done much faster than a homeowner could on his own.

When people hire me and ask for me to help them get an after-the-fact permit, they are hiring me because of my experience. They know that I can come into their home, assess the situation, and tell them how much they can expect to spend to get the basement up to code. This can be really beneficial when it comes to setting costs and budgets. And because I do all this before they have hired contractors or paid for any permits, I am also saving them from spending money on certain things that they may not need.

It is also helpful that I can talk to city and county inspectors in their own language, and that I have already built a rapport with these professionals. All that comes together to help my clients get an after-the-fact permit whether that permit is for a finished basement or any other area of the home.

Whether you decide to hire a professional to help with your permits or take on the job yourself, it is important to remember that most of the building codes and regulations were put into place to improve safety in the home. So following these regulations, and bringing a finished basement up to code, is really to your own benefit in the long run.