Modifying basement in Medford to claim it as square footage?

[Rachel Feng]

Hi! I am thinking about doing some work in the basement in order to create extra sqft from basement. Right now the room is finished and it appears that the room has enough height. There is one exit (door) going out to the yard. It looks like I will need another bigger window for the second exit. I was wondering what's the ballpark number to make a bigger window in the picture attached. What kind of contractor will I need for this kind of project? GC? What is the cheapest option to install some sort of heating system in the basement that is separate from the house (e.g., electrical)? Any comments will be very much appreciated!

[Dan K.]

For the egress window installation you should be able to find a local company that does it all for a reasonable cost. I wouldn't go with a GC. If you already have a door to the outside through the basement as well as an entry to other stairs and door you should be okay.

Absolute cheapest heat to install is electric. You might want to go with a heat pump because it's less expensive to operate. Depending on use, you could even get away with an oil filled radiator heater that runs on 120 volts versus installing a 220 circuit.

The way I did it was to utilize my central gas boiler. We created a "wet loop" off of the boiler to give the basement its own zone with baseboards -- it wasn't expensive because I used a reasonable plumber and the finished basement is right next to the boiler.

Now having the space "legal" for Medford is another story. They will require an inspection, certificate of occupancy, etc. You also need to figure out if you can have the space by right -- research your allowable FAR and your property's zoning. If it's larger than a two-family you will need a GC. Having the space "legal," will allow you to use the square footage in a listing.