Basement finishing in Cleveland

Cleveland has a Housing Code of its own on top of the state building code, and it speaks directly to basements. Cleveland's Housing Code bars any cellar from use as a habitable room or dwelling unit, and lets a room below grade be lived in only if it was designed and built, or legally converted, for that use and its walls and floor keep moisture out.¹²

Under Cleveland's Housing Code, a habitable room below grade must have its required light and ventilation openings entirely above the average adjoining grade or facing a window well at least as wide as the window sits below grade, and its finished ceiling must be at least 3 feet 4 inches above the outside grade.¹² In an older house with small glass-block windows set at ground level, that rule alone can decide whether a room counts as living space.

Cleveland's Housing Code requires habitable rooms to have a clear ceiling height of at least 6 feet 9 inches, or over at least half the floor area of a room with a sloping ceiling.¹² The state code allows a slightly lower ceiling in an existing basement, so ask the contractor to design to the city's figure as well.

The Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District says Cleveland's earliest sewers are combined, carrying household sewage, stormwater and industrial waste in a single pipe, and that its overflow points are there to keep that flow from backing up into homes and treatment plants.¹⁴ During a heavy storm, an overloaded pipe can send water back up through a floor drain, which is why a finished basement here should start with a plan for that drain.

If a Cleveland basement floods, the city's Department of Public Utilities says to call Water Pollution Control to investigate the city sewer first, since notifying it before calling a plumber may save unnecessary expense.¹⁵ If the backup traces to your own line, a plumber can talk with you about a backwater valve or an overhead sewer.

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.¹⁶ 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

EPA's Map of Radon Zones places Cuyahoga County in Zone 2, while neighboring Summit County is in Zone 1.¹⁸ On the EPA's radon map, Zone 1 has the highest potential, with average indoor levels that may top 4 pCi/L, Zone 2 a moderate potential of 2 to 4 pCi/L and Zone 3 a low potential under 2 pCi/L; the EPA says homes with elevated radon have been found in all three zones and all homes should be tested.¹⁹

The Ohio Department of Health recommends testing every occupied ground-contact structure in Ohio for radon, and says testing is the only way to know the radon level in your home.²⁰ 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.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 4.²¹ The Ohio Department of Health recommends retesting a single-family home for radon every two years, or after significant renovations that may change how air moves inside it.²⁰

Under the Residential Code of Ohio, an escape opening needs a net clear opening of at least 5.7 square feet, or 5 square feet at grade floor or below grade, with a net clear height of at least 24 inches and a net clear width of at least 20 inches.¹¹ Small glass-block basement windows rarely come close, so plan on a cut foundation wall and a dug well outside.

A bedroom in a short-term rental has its own test. Under Cleveland's short-term rental law, the home needs a certificate of occupancy, lead-safe certification, at least $500,000 in liability insurance, smoke and carbon monoxide alarms and a kitchen fire extinguisher, and a room below grade can't be used as a bedroom unless it meets habitable-room standards.²²

Basement stairs in older Cleveland houses are often steep and narrow, and they are where a finished lower level gets dangerous. More than one in four adults 65 and older fall each year.²³ Ask for a handrail on both sides and good light at the top and bottom.

The National Institute on Aging suggests non-skid surfaces wherever a floor can get wet and a light left on in the bathroom at night.²⁴

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Check the company on your own before signing or paying anything. To build or rehabilitate homes in Cleveland, contractors must be bonded, insured and registered with the Department of Building and Housing, electricians and plumbers must also be licensed, and homeowners can call the department to confirm a contractor is registered.¹³ Check an Ohio license