Basement finishing in Prince George's County

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.⁷ The EPA says that if wet or damp materials are dried within 24 to 48 hours of a leak or spill, mold will not grow in most cases.⁹ A finished basement hides a slow leak behind drywall, so fix the source first and give the walls a wet season to prove themselves if you can.

The county's Rain Check Rebate program pays property owners back part of the cost of approved stormwater practices such as rain barrels, cisterns, rain gardens and permeable pavement; properties in Bowie aren't eligible because the city runs its own program.¹³ If the company recommends regrading or carrying roof water farther from the foundation, ask whether any of that work fits one of the program's practices.

Finishing the space also raises what's at stake if water does get in. Prince George's County advises residents to review their flood insurance before severe weather, and says its part in FEMA's Community Rating System can mean savings of up to 25 percent on flood insurance premiums.¹⁴ The EPA warns that carpet on a basement slab can stay damp from water or vapor coming up through the concrete, or from room moisture condensing on a slab that is colder than the air, and either can lead to mold.⁷

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.⁷ 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.¹⁵

The Maryland Department of Health says Maryland residents may be eligible for a free radon test kit, through the Maryland Department of the Environment.¹⁶ 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 4.¹⁷ A vent pipe and fan are far easier to route while the ceiling joists are still exposed.

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.¹⁸ Under that code, an escape opening needs a net clear opening of at least 5.7 square feet, at least 24 inches high and 20 inches wide, with its bottom no more than 44 inches above the floor.¹⁸ In a split-level, the lower level often sits only partly below grade with larger windows, which can make an escape opening simpler than in a rambler's deep basement.

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.¹⁸ In a basement with habitable space, beams, girders, ducts and other obstructions may hang down to within 6 feet 4 inches of the finished floor.¹⁸ Measure under the main duct trunk before a bedroom is drawn around it.

Applicants for a county single-family rental license attest that basements, or parts of them, won't be used as bedrooms or habitable space unless the Code Compliance Division of the Office of Homeland Security authorizes it.¹⁹ A bedroom built for your own family isn't automatically one you can rent out.

More than one in four adults 65 and older fall each year.²⁰ With 31%²¹ of the county's owner-occupied homes headed by an older householder, a basement stair worth finishing is worth improving too: rails on both sides, a switch at each end and bright, even light across every tread. NAHB's Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist (CAPS) credential trains remodelers in home modifications for aging in place.²²

Dialing the number on this page connects you, on a recorded line, with one independent company that handles basement finishing in the Prince George's County area. The layout, the timeline and the cost are between you and that company.

Our fee comes from that company, never from you, and we won't call or text you once the call ends. How we make money

Run the company's name through Maryland's license search before you pay anything. Maryland's Home Improvement Commission licenses home improvement contractors and salespersons, and its License Search shows whether a license is current.²³ Check a Maryland license

Ask who will hold the county building permit and who will get the WSSC Water permit. In Prince George's County, installing plumbing or natural gas piping requires an application by a master plumber or gasfitter licensed by WSSC Water, and plumbing installation by a homeowner is generally not permitted.²⁴