With how frequently basements are
finished in Colorado, it is odd to me that there seems to be very little
forethought regarding their function when the home is designed. Often there is a great deal of tweaking and
adjusting required to make the spaces work.
One thing that must be considered is
head clearance. In order for a basement
to be considered habitable, most municipalities in the Denver region require a
minimum head clearance of 7’-0” throughout the entire area proposed for living
space. This can be a challenge in older
homes when the basement (or cellar) was intended only for coal storage or other
utilitarian functions. Some
municipalities also stipulate that only a certain percentage of the ceiling in
each room can be permitted at 7’-0” (or whatever their regulations
require). With the use of dropped beams
this can be a serious challenge even in newer homes. The key is to do some pre-planning research
so you don’t have to pay for costly redesign fees. Of course, most architects and residential
designers will perform this task before a pencil is set to paper.
The next consideration is head
clearances at doors or doorways. The
code requires that all doors, doorways or openings intended for passage are to
be a minimum of 6’-8”. Some
municipalities allow for exceptions in finishing basements, again, because of
the standard and common use of dropped beams.
Others are more stringent and will not allow for this exception. This could be a real issue and must be addressed
before any design work is to be considered.
This is also something that can easily be overlooked in design review
and create major problems during inspection.
At that point you are entirely at the inspectors’ discretion, which is
not always in your favor. Planning ahead
and placing doorways away from dropped soffits and beams may be inconvenient,
but it could save you a lot of headache and expense later.
Even with the challenges of designing
around beams, the basement can add some much needed space and function.
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