Basement finishing in Buffalo

Erie County is one of the 40 counties on the New York State Department of Health's list of high radon area counties, and the department recommends testing all homes for radon.¹³ 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 New York State Department of Health advises testing for radon every five years, every two years if the home has a mitigation system, and also when buying a home and after major renovations.¹⁵ A state test kit costs $12¹⁵. 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

The Buffalo Sewer Authority says that in wet weather stormwater enters its sewer system and mixes with wastewater, and that its permitted combined sewer overflows result from the system's historical design to prevent basement flooding.¹⁷ When those sewers fill in a heavy storm, a floor drain in an older basement is where water can come back up, so ask a plumber whether yours needs a backwater valve before you put finished flooring around it.

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 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.⁵

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.⁷ ENERGY STAR's guidance for existing homes, based on the 2021 IECC, is R5 insulating sheathing or R13 batts on basement walls in climate zone 3, R10 sheathing or R13 batts in zones 4A and 4B, and R15 sheathing or R19 batts in zones 4C and 5 through 8.¹⁸ Flat boards are hard to fit against uneven fieldstone, so ask how the quote deals with it and get the method in writing.

Because finishing a basement changes how air moves through a house, the EPA advises having a professional check afterward that new and existing combustion equipment is not backdrafting.¹⁴ That check matters where a gas furnace or boiler for each flat shares the basement.

Buffalo's inspectors work from New York's code, a state version of the national model; check these model figures with them before framing. 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 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.¹⁹

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 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.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

A basement with its own kitchen changes the building's use. In Buffalo, the nature of the occupancy or use of an existing building cannot be changed without a certificate of occupancy, and an altered building cannot be occupied until one is issued, except for one- and two-family enlargements that add no more than 25 percent of floor area.¹² The rental conversions guide covers the city's registry and inspections.

More than one in four adults 65 and older fall each year.²⁰ The steep, narrow stairs into most Buffalo basements are a likely spot for one. Add a second rail, switches at the top and bottom, and contrasting tread edges while the space is being finished. NAHB's Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist (CAPS) credential trains remodelers in home modifications for aging in place.²¹

When you call the number on this page, a recorded line connects you with one independent company that handles basement finishing in the Buffalo area. What gets built, when and for how much is between you and that company.

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New York State does not license home improvement contractors, but some local governments do, including New York City, the City of Buffalo, and Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester, Putnam and Rockland counties; where a local license is required, the Department of State says to hire only a licensed contractor.²² Check a New York license

A New York homeowner may cancel a home improvement contract until midnight of the third business day after signing, by written notice that shows they don't intend to be bound; the right doesn't apply when the owner called the contractor for a bona fide emergency and signed a handwritten waiver.²³