20 Luxury Below Grade Basement

below grade basement walls may need to have the surrounding earth backfilled around them to return the soil to grade A water stop some gravel and a french drain may need to be used to prevent water from entering the basement at the bottom of the wall Walls below grade may need to be sealed with an impervious coating such as tar to below grade basement grade construction and above grade construction specifically the interior living space are very different Most below grade construction basements needs to be dehumidified and warmed The concept of heating and dehumidifying the basement is hard for most building owners to understand

Below Grade A basement is an excavated area below the ground floor typically at least 8 feet in depth which includes the walls a slab floor and a stairway from the ground floor A below grade basement is the portion of the basement that is below the ground or grade level below grade basement basement why add when you If you turn a basement into a family room or a home theater you probably won t need the same number of emergency exits that would be required for a couple of bedrooms Adding a code compliant emergency exit can be expensive in a below grade basement options basement flooringIn some below grade applications condensation may occur on the surface of ceramic tiles making them slippery If ceramic tile is your primary choice for your basement but condensation is a concern consider glazed ceramic floor tiles with an anti slip finish

103 understanding basementsThe structural elements of below grade walls are cold concrete is in direct contact with the ground especially when insulated on the interior The main problem with below grade walls comes during the summer when warm moist air comes in contact with basement cold surfaces that are below the dewpoint of the interior air below grade basement options basement flooringIn some below grade applications condensation may occur on the surface of ceramic tiles making them slippery If ceramic tile is your primary choice for your basement but condensation is a concern consider glazed ceramic floor tiles with an anti slip finish wbdg Building Envelope Design GuideBelow grade systems are often inaccessible for repairs and extremely costly if repairs or modifications are necessary For below grade enclosure systems design and materials must not focus on the first initial cost but consider the life cycle costs of various design options especially costs to repair or replace systems that are buried