Developing a basement in a house that is already lived in. Walls set off out of level floors and out of plumb foundations, without the finish ever showing it.
New construction gives you a level floor and plumb walls to work from. A basement gives you a concrete floor that slopes to a drain, a foundation that is out of plumb in at least one corner, ducting in the way, and a beam sitting exactly where you wanted a doorway. That is normal, and working around it properly is most of the skill.
Walls get set to plumb rather than to the foundation, floors get shimmed rather than followed, and the framing gets planned around the mechanical instead of forcing it to move. Done properly, the finished room reads square even though nothing behind it started that way. Done badly, every door and every trim joint in the basement tells the story.
It is normal rather than a problem. Concrete basement floors are usually poured with a slope toward a drain. Walls get shimmed and set to plumb rather than following the slab, so the finished room reads square even though the floor underneath it is not.
Yes, and it is most of what basement framing actually involves. Bulkheads and soffits get framed to hide services without eating more ceiling height than they need to. We plan that before building rather than discovering it partway through, when moving a soffit means undoing work that is already framed and inspected.
In most municipalities, yes, and the framing gets inspected as part of it. Your permit is between you and the city, but we frame to the approved drawings so the inspection is straightforward rather than a source of surprises for anyone.
Usually a matter of days rather than weeks for a typical residential basement, depending on the size and how much has to be worked around. We give a timeline with the quote and tell you if something we find on site changes it.
Fastest way to get a number is a phone call with the drawings in front of you. The form works too.
Thanks. We will get back to you shortly. If it is urgent, call 587.938.6601. Plan sets can be emailed to [email protected].