Basement finishing in Hagerstown

EPA's Map of Radon Zones places Washington County, Maryland, in Zone 1, the zone with the highest potential for elevated indoor radon.³ On EPA's radon zone map, Zone 1 counties have a predicted average indoor radon screening level above 4 pCi/L and Zone 2 counties between 2 and 4 pCi/L, and the EPA says all homes should be tested regardless of zone.¹³

A zone is a prediction for the whole county, not a reading for your house. The EPA recommends testing for radon on the lowest lived-in level, so a basement that hasn't been tested should be tested before it is remodeled; fixing a radon problem is usually easier and cheaper before the basement is finished.¹⁴ The Maryland Department of Health says Maryland residents may be eligible for a free radon test kit, through the Maryland Department of the Environment.¹⁵

The EPA's guidance is to fix your home if radon tests at 4 picocuries per liter or higher, and to consider fixing it between 2 and 4.¹⁶ A mitigation system usually means a pipe and fan drawing air from under the slab, and it is far easier to route before the new walls and ceiling go in. Hand the test result to every company that quotes the job.

Before turning basement space into living space, the EPA advises checking it for leaks and other signs of moisture and fixing any moisture problem first, because damp basements promote mold and other biological growth.¹⁴ The EPA advises cleaning and repairing gutters regularly and making sure the ground slopes away from the foundation so water does not enter or collect around it.¹⁷

What goes against the foundation matters as much as what keeps water out. Building America advises keeping fiberglass batts and cellulose out of contact with foundation walls, and not putting polyethylene sheeting, vinyl or foil wallpaper, or epoxy, oil or alkyd paint on the inside of basement walls, because they trap moisture.¹⁸ For the inside of basement walls, Building America calls for rigid foam fully adhered to the foundation with sealed seams, or spray foam, and rates closed-cell spray foam as the best moisture control of the interior options.¹⁸

The county's basement checklist asks for exterior wall insulation on the plans, so settle the wall assembly before the drawings go in, not after the inspector asks.

The 2021 IRC requires habitable space and hallways, including the parts of a basement that contain them, to have a ceiling at least 7 feet high, and bathrooms and laundry rooms at least 6 feet 8 inches.¹⁹ Many prewar Hagerstown cellars fall short of that under the joists and the old ductwork.

Inside the city, the same height question applies to existing homes. Hagerstown's property maintenance code requires habitable basement areas to have a clear ceiling height of at least 7 feet; in one- and two-family homes, basement rooms used only for laundry, study or recreation may be 6 feet 8 inches, with 6 feet 4 inches under beams and ducts.²⁰ A low cellar can still become a laundry or workshop; turning it into a bedroom usually means lowering the floor, which is a structural job.

The 2021 International Residential Code requires at least one operable emergency escape and rescue opening in a basement, plus one in each sleeping room, including every bedroom in a basement.¹⁹ An escape window whose bottom sits below the ground outside needs an area well of at least 9 square feet, at least 36 inches out from the wall and 36 inches wide, big enough for the window to open fully.¹⁹ On a narrow city lot, that escape window often has to go at the front or back of the house.

Washington County now allows accessory dwelling units, and a finished basement counts as one. In Washington County an ADU may be no larger than 75 percent of the main house's gross floor area or 1,200 square feet, whichever is less, but that limit does not apply to a finished basement or converted attic.²¹ Washington County requires a sprinkler system in an attached or detached ADU, except that a basement or attic converted into an ADU is exempt when the existing house is not sprinklered.²¹

Inside city limits the rules are different and were still changing when we checked. Read the Hagerstown rental conversion guide before you plan a kitchen down there.

More than one in four adults 65 and older fall each year.²² Older basement stairs are often steep, narrow and dimly lit, which makes them the riskiest part of a finished lower level for a grandparent or a toddler.

Ask for a solid rail on at least one side, a switch at the top and the bottom, and a landing with no loose rugs. NAHB's Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist (CAPS) credential trains remodelers in home modifications for aging in place.²³

Your call to the number on this page is recorded and goes to one independent company that handles basement finishing in the Hagerstown area. Water, radon, headroom, layout and price are for you and them to work through.

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Look the company up on your own before you sign or pay. Maryland's Home Improvement Commission licenses home improvement contractors and salespersons, and its License Search shows whether a license is current.²⁴ Check a Maryland license