Basement Renovation in Snohomish County, WA

A basement renovation usually includes framing and insulating walls, drywall and ceilings, flooring, lighting and outlets, and sometimes a bathroom or bedroom. What yours includes depends on how you want to use the space and what's already there.

They overlap. Finishing usually means turning bare concrete and open studs into finished rooms, while renovation can also mean updating a basement that was finished years ago. We can talk through either at the visit.

Waterproof vinyl plank is a common basement choice because it handles moisture better than carpet or solid wood. At a Marysville coffee stand, we installed waterproof vinyl after replacing the subfloor and reinforcing the substructure, so it could take daily wear.

Usually yes, when you add living space, walls, plumbing or electrical. A basement bedroom also needs an emergency escape window that meets code, and which office issues the permit depends on whether your home is inside a city or in unincorporated Snohomish County.

Deal with it before anything gets finished. Water stains, damp walls or a musty smell mean the source has to be found and fixed first, or new walls and floors will be at risk.

Usually, yes. We keep the work to the basement as much as we can and agree with you on access, noise and which parts of the house we'll pass through.

A basement egress window in Washington needs a net clear opening of at least 5.7 square feet, at least 24 inches high and 20 inches wide, with the sill no more than 44 inches above the floor. Below-grade windows need a well of at least 9 square feet, and wells deeper than 44 inches need a permanent ladder or steps.

In an existing Washington home, a newly finished basement room needs a ceiling at least 6 feet 8 inches high, and bathrooms, toilet rooms and laundry rooms need 6 feet 4 inches. Beams, girders and ducts may drop to 6 feet 4 inches. New homes need 7 feet in habitable rooms, so this basement allowance applies only to existing buildings.

Washington's energy code requires finished basement walls to have R-10 continuous insulation outside, R-15 continuous insulation inside, or R-21 in a framed cavity, plus an R-5 thermal break between slab and wall. R-13 cavity insulation plus R-5 continuous also complies. A basement converted from unconditioned to conditioned space must meet the full code.

Yes. Where the winter design temperature is below 60 degrees F, Washington code requires heat that keeps every habitable room at 68 degrees F, measured 3 feet above the floor, and portable heaters don't count. Habitable rooms also need glass equal to 8 percent of the floor area, unless lighting averages 6 footcandles at 30 inches high.

Yes. Washington's plumbing code requires water heaters to be anchored or strapped to resist earthquake movement, with straps placed within the upper third and lower third of the tank and at least 4 inches between the lower strap and the controls. Finishing the basement around a water heater is a good time to confirm it meets this rule.

Sí. Somos una empresa latina y bilingüe, y todo su proyecto puede hacerse en español, desde la primera llamada hasta la entrega final.