If you have a finished basement, you don't need to block the view with a door. However, you may want a door to prevent accidental falls down the stairs and onto the concrete floor.
Basements are required to have a certain number of exit points in the event of an emergency if you intend to use them as living spaces. Egress basement doors don't just fit the bill, they also help make your basement somewhere people would want to live, too. Here's what you need to know about egress basement doors.
Close the door to the basement to conserve heat and energy costs. Heat naturally rises from the lower levels of a house upward, but a draft through an opened basement door cuts right into the warmth of the main floor.
If you'd like to brighten your basement, consider a sliding glass or French door. While less secure than a metal door, there are still excellent options for security and energy efficiency. They also provide a welcoming exit to a patio or outdoor lawn area.
You should keep all doors and some windows closed to retain heat in the building, otherwise, you will be wasting money keeping it warm. When you open the door to an air conditioned room in the summer, are you letting cold air out or hot air in? Cold air is heavier than warm air.
We know that cold air is heavier than warm air. Cold air will work its way down until it finds the lowest level of the home or a room that it can not go any further. This leaves the warm air to move up and occupy the upper levels.
It can be tempting to slam the doors and hope the cool air builds up in the areas where you want it, but the fact is that modern air conditioning units are designed as whole-house systems. So when you shut that door, you're only making it much harder for your system to cool your home.
Because basements aren't generally super hard to get into. And considering that they are under the house breaking a window and getting in can happen without somebody inside noticing. So.. it locks from inside of the house so nobody can get inside of the house.
Cellar doors protect it from getting infiltrated by outside leaks and also provide an extra “in” or “out” in case of storms or other emergencies. So the door you choose is important for protection.
Several areas around a home's exterior need to be prepared before a new entrance door can be installed. Contractors will need to dig around the home's foundation so the ground is level with the bottom of the basement. They'll also need to cut directly into the concrete wall to make room for a new door.
Here's what will happen if you get the timing wrong. When you open basement windows in the summer, you're letting in more warm and humid air. This air will cause condensation and worsen the conditions down there. Imagine sipping a cold beverage on a sweltering hot day.
In general, it is usually OK to close vents in a basement. It is on the main floor that you probably do not want to close any vents. Your furnace fan is moving cool air in the summer months. If you reduce the number of exit points for the cool air, your furnace fan can no longer move as much air.
If the basement is a habitable space, and a room that can be used for sleeping, then it does need an egress window. You can't have a legal bedroom in your basement without an egress window installed. If you are renting your basement out to tenants, you must provide options for safe exits in the case of an emergency.
Building codes require a basement bedroom has a window for fire escape purposes. At a minimum the bottom of the window must be no more than 44 inches from the floor and that the actual opening be a minimum of 20 inches wide and 24 inches high.
In most cases, the answer is yes. A finished basement project must incorporate an Egress window if any portion of the space will be used as a bedroom, or if you are creating another habitable space (a family room, for example) that does not already have an Egress window or a door.
Basements and cellars are very different spaces and have different legal uses. A basement is a story of a building partly below curb level but with at least one-half of its height above the curb level. A cellar is an enclosed space having more than one-half of its height below curb level.
BILCO basement doors allow homeowners to add code-compliant living space or storage areas to their home. Large items such games tables and furniture for finished areas, or pool supplies and patio furniture for storage areas, move easily through the wide opening of a BILCO door.
A trapdoor is a sliding or hinged door, flush with the surface of a floor, roof, or ceiling, or in the stage of a theatre. A trap door to a basement in a house is a common use.
Home and garage doors should always be locked. Almost 50% of burglars enter homes and property through unlocked doors and windows. Use your locks. Never leave keys outdoors.
Invest in a quality basement door made from strong wood or metal. For a cheaper option, reinforce your existing door's security with a jammer. Don't forget to consider your basement door lock. Strengthen your security by installing a deadbolt.
Closing Your Basement Vents: The Benefits
If you don't frequently use your basement or the rooms in the lower levels of your home, it's the most cost-effective to seal them off during the summer. This way, you reduce the amount of airflow into those rooms and make them easier to temperature control.
But, if you've used this space to entertain guests or as a playroom for your children in the past and noticed that it can get quite warm down there, AC should be considered. Additionally, if you use your basement for storage and want to keep certain items protected, AC is a must.
Your once stale basement will become more comfortable and habitable just like the living space above. Constant air movement ensures air doesn't stagnate or get stale, which means fewer mold spores and bacteria growing on the basement walls.