Adding 1 wall in basement makes it finished. What a joke

7 years ago

last modified: 7 years ago

I am adding a full bathroom in my basement (currently only 1 bath in house). I also wanted to add one wall to divide the two parts of the basement and keep one side as storage/utility and just have a workout area in the other half. I put in a permit application for the bathroom and the addition of one wall. I specified that I was not making it habitable space, I was not finishing the floor or adding a drop celing or sheetrock to any walls (other than the one I was adding under the permit). I was just going to paint the cinderblock walls and put gym mats under the workout equipment so it would be a little more pleasing to the eye when working out.

Inspector came in and approved application for the addition of the bath and wall then called me the next day to say that adding that one wall will make it a finished basement. What????? Are you kidding me!!! I am not going to let them raise my taxes and call it a finished basement. I live outside NYC so my taxes are insanely high already. I told him ok fine just put the permit in for the bathroom. I'm so annoyed. That is so wrong. I will just make it work without putting up a wall.

I'm not asking for suggestions and I am not interested in working around it without them knowing I'm just venting and annoyed that they can't save the increase in taxes for someone who is actually making livable /living space in the basement and adding value to the house. I was just trying to make a nice workout area separate from the ugly oil tank, boiler and other ugly utility stuff.

I should add - as most of you know this type of thing can vary widely from town to town so the above does not mean it would be the same outcome in you own case if you were doing something similar.

Featured Answer

worthy

7 years ago

Cash starved governments need your every last cent or society will collapse, don't you know!

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (10)

worthy
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
Here in Canuckistan we proud peons are eternally grateful for the nearly 58% of our income that the patron graciously allows the average family to spend as they see fit.
Related Discussions
Adding a Basement: Is our contractor doing it right?
Q
Comments (3)
Now that he's broken through one of your basement walls and removed two feet of soil, it's a little late to be having second thoughts!! So it's labour only. Assuming this is a smallish house--say 2,000 sf or so, the price is low. But, for some parts of the country, I suppose, not absurd for a no-invoice deal. But, as you have described it, there may be a lot wrong with the way he's doing it! On a house I bought to renovate, I was presented with a similar situation. The previous owner had lowered the basement floor by about a foot by breaking the concrete floor up and and digging. Then he had laid a new wood floor directly on the soil! (The basement was totally finished when I bought the home, so I didn't realize what I was buying.) In lowering the floor, he had dug lower than the footings--in this case, bricks laid perpendicular to the brick foundation wall. Essentially, he undermined the house. (And since it was a semi-attached, he had partially undermined the adjoining home too.) A professional engineer designed the fix: a rebar reinforced retaining wall around the entire perimeter of the basement to provide lateral support to the footings. Since I was doing that, I also lowered the basement a bit further and put in new sewer lines. My concern on your home is that the excavation has undermined your footings too. He left a foot of undisturbed soil between his excavation and the walls. That's not adequate. Putting up stud walls to secure wall finishings is fine. None of this work was done with a building permit, I take it. Before you proceed any further, I strongly suggest you contact your local building officials or a qualified professional engineer to design this project properly. Don't be surprised if the municipal inspector puts a "stop work" order on it. It's only a bargain if it's done right!!
...See More
Help me make the most of my tiny lot! Adding on to a 2 bed 1 bath
Q
Comments (24)
2 feet in the middle of the closet is a tight squeeze. A reach in with double rod hanging can be more efficient and hold more. 13x13 is a nice size for a master bedroom. The bedroom in my former home was that size and I found it to be very comfortable. I would suggest that you separate the windows on the wall opposite the door to make a natural place for the bed to sit. Otherwise, you'll end up putting the bed in front of the windows, which isn't ideal. In the 2nd bedroom, I would suggest putting the closet to the right of the door on the south wall. Then add a second window on the north wall, separate from each other for the bed. Feng shui says you get the best sleep if your head is opposite the door and your bed is against a solid wall.
...See More
bedroom basement pain? accent wall or 1 color
Q
Comments (15)
Even if only used for the occasional guest, I implore you to invest in an egress window. Fires can break out at any time of day or night and anyone in the basement would need an escape route. Check with your insurance company regarding room/space use and egress.
...See More
Will having a door to finished basement help AC keep 1st floor cool?
Q
Comments (17)
Not an attic fan. The fan that runs when the furnace or AC is running, it can be set to auto or on, is currently on so it pulls up basement air even when AC isn't active. Hubby says all the vents in the basement are closed (there are several vents on each floor). It is still about 20 degrees cooler down there. The stairwell is in center of house and the main floor AC'd air just sinks. Zoning is next. Already foamed the attic. Windows are very poorly oriented so there is no cross flow in the house for overnight cooling. Neither the north or south side have any windows at all, and no space for window fans because screen is on inside of louvred windows. Adding windows is on the to-do list. Black shingles will be switched out for more reflective ones. As I mentioned, I have had three professionals (who could try to sell me a new AC instead) say that I should add a door. So that is the immediate step with the others to follow. Thanks everyone!
...See More
freeoscar
7 years ago
To play devil's advocate, once you've put in a bathroom and closed off the mechanicals, you've basically just left yourself (or a future owner) with non-permit needing work, or things that can easily done without raising awareness of authorities to finish it up.

I've never really understood the concept of different tax rates for finished vs. unfinished basements, because what does it even mean to be finished? I feel it would be much easier overall to just tax basement sq footage at some lower rate - like 30% of above ground space, and call it a day.
worthy
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
And some still wonder why renovations are done sans permits.

Assuring safety is simply the state's ruse for finding a reason to raise the always "desperately needed" revenue.
schreibdave
7 years ago
Do what u want with the space and if u have to challenge your assessment do it.
chispa
7 years ago
A few years ago we built a guest house (with permits) and the county tax assessor came knocking at our door the day after the GC signed/filed the COO ... assessor didn't even wait for the ink to dry on that paperwork! Told the TA to leave since it wasn't a good time for me ... he had all our info, the least he could do was call and set up an appointment!
Sherry8aNorthAL
7 years ago
Put a row of something like this in front of the utility stuff if you could use the storage. http://www.lowes.com/pd/ESTATE-by-RSI-38-5-in-W-x-70-375-in-H-x-20-75-in-D-Wood-Composite-Garage-Cabinet/3400038
andrelaplume2
7 years ago
or how about stringing together a run of those accordion doors as a divider. Or install a bunch of closet sliding door track and pop in a bunch of 36" wide doors....looks decent, easy enough to remove if necessary...
housequester
7 years ago
We are building and our contractor told us that while we can get plumbing TO the areas where we will put a bathroom and kitchenette down the road, we can't do anything besides just the pipe coming in and then being capped off. Otherwise, they'll consider it a finished basement. I'm surprised you can finish the bathroom at all. But it is annoying and I get your frustration.
artemis_ma
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
I'm adding a workroom in my basement. The ONLY reason it is getting walled off is to keep the cats and any future dog out of sawdust and stained glass shards. Fortunately I won't need to sheet rock in the ceiling, but now all concrete on basement walls will need sheet rock. Pfft.

Adding 1 wall in basement makes it finished. What a joke

worthy

Comments (10)

worthy

Related Discussions

freeoscar

worthy

schreibdave

chispa

Sherry8aNorthAL

andrelaplume2

housequester

artemis_ma

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US