It's possible they would let us get away with height violations on the existing stairway to the backyard which is outside the unit, but she didn't think they would be flexible on things like one hour firewall.

.- Safety Issue: The openings in the in the basement stairway railing are large enough to allow a child to fall through.

If the insurance company says a railing is missing on the stairway: fix it, take pictures, document it.

Moved stairways, cut rafters, and joined or replaced.

For the top of stairways, you can get battery operated, motion sensing lights that will come on in the dark - warning guests that they are getting close to a stairway. 

The intent is to leave the upstairs as-is, clean the carpet and repair the carpet on the stairway (see photos below).This is a rental property and I don’t want to over renovate.Scope of Work Details/Estimate: (first pass, before getting inside the property or getting contractor bids): Drywall (Walls) floated & taped all-in @ $7500Insulation all-in @ 1500Paint all-in @ 3000Flooring Install/Carpet Repair all in @ 3500Floor Baseboard all-in @ 1000 Door Jam/Trim all-in @ 750 Kitchen Cabinets all-in @ 5000Kitchen Countertop all-in @ 1500Kitchen Sink/Faucet all-in @ 300Dishwasher all-in @ 600Fridge all-in @ 350Stove all-in @ 350Bathroom Vanities (x1) all-in @ 800Bathroom Shower (x1) all-in @ 3000Bathroom Toilets all-in @ 300HVAC all-in @ 5000 (left in as contingency - HVAC operating OK)Hot Water Heater all-in @ 800 (left as contingency - Water heater operating OK)Interior Doors all-in @ 2000Interior/Exterior Lighting all-in @ 1000Electrical all-in @ 1000Plumbing all-in @ 1000Misc all-in @ 10000 (being my first flood house and limited inspection performed, I'm leaving $10k missed scope/overruns) Project Coordinator all-in @ 1800TOTAL @ 52,000Listing Photos

I should probably add that this stairway is not required for egress.

The city of Raleigh said the only 3 requirements for this to be a utility basement is: 1, A stairway needs to be connecting where I live and where the renter(s) downstairs would live; 2, Utilities need to be shared across the two living spaces; 3, the address needs to remain the same.I've had contractors and engineers visiting giving me quotes and making sure the structure is sound.

Right now we have been basing all our costing for servicing and hard construction on a blend of sqf costs from previous projects AND quotes from 2-3 sub trades to compare... however, sometimes our builds are unique (ie. 3 storey apartment building with 12 units and exterior walkway/stairway) Any recommendations on how to refine our preliminary budgeting other than running around between sub trades for quotes? 

ADA requires that a disabled tenant that wants to say, adapt a bathroom or stairway, be allowed to do so at their own expense, and then return the property to the original condition upon vacating.