Creating Walkout in Existing Basement

[singhr]

I would like to get advise/opinion on whether it’s a good idea to build a walkout in existing buried basement. My main concern is how creating a walkout will affect the foundation. Also please recommend some reputable contractors in Rockville, Maryland area doing this type of work.

Raj

[Wgoodrich]

If you have a drop in your existing yard grade outside you can create this walk out in an existing basement. First concern is ensuring the ability to shed water away from that opening in that basement wall away from the house not into the house. If you have enough fall in your yard to do that then on to step two.

use two posts and a beam to place inside the basement holding the floor joists spanning about 1' past each end of the wall you want to remove. Once those joists are supported then remove you concrete wall squaring off the opening. Then install the needed girder/ header along the top of that wall to permenantly support the structure and as framing for the open wall. Then build your stud wall and windows or doors as needed.

Once the new wall and walk out opening is completed then slowly let down your temporary support posts.

I have no contacts in that area to recommend. Sorry on that one.

Good Luck

Wg

[Unregistered]

Take a look at the March 2005 issue of the Journal of Light Construction. There is an article on building walkout basements...

[Sara in MN]

Hi, My mom and I intend to put a walk-out in our exsisting (buried) block basement and I had a question concerning drainage...We will have the block cut and framed professionally...however we intend to do the excavating and such ourselves...I have been searching on-line quite a bit about drainage for this process and finding very little...do you have any links, book recommendations or advice for drainage away from the house? We will have to do a retaining wall about 8 feet from block wall and 10 feet long, making a "trench" about 8W x 10L X 5D then gradually inclining it to level out as our walk-way enterance. How would the draining work for this since it will run along the house? Would it be the same as an egress window (1' of gravel below our "trench") ?
Any further information you have about this would be much appreciated!
Thanks in advance!!
Sara

[mdshunk]

I'd be more concerned about exposing this previously buried footer to frost. The footer will not longer be below the frost line and you may freeze the footer.

[Wgoodrich]

All you need to worry about if you have fall enough on the lay of the land is creating 6" of fall in 10' from house. This will shed water away from your home. This fall mentioned is required on all houses per Irc rules.

Mdshunk has a point about frost protection. YOu can address that concern by installing 2" styrofoam insulation from surface under your concrete or finished grass grade vertically down to the bottom of your footer and then install 2" styrofoam insulation horizontally out away from the footer. This would create what is called an insulated footer. This should address that frost concern if you have a shallow footer you are exposing which I also suspect.

Good Luck

Wg

[Sara in MN]

Thank you for the information...the frost issue didn't even occur to me...so thanks so much for pointing that out...as well as the additional help for the drainage...I very much appreciate the input!
Sara :O)

[Guido]

Better late than never... but about 10 years ago my dad and I built a walk-in to the basement of his 2-storey brick house. The foundation is poured concrete.

Basically at the bottom of the steps we installed a drain with a weeping tile (perf. plastic pipe) that connects to the existing weeping tile on the footing of the house.
The footing was left in place, but we dug 3-4 feet below it and built a form and poured concrete into it. In total I believe we dug approx. 11 feet, all by hand because a backhoe would't fit between the houses.

The retaining wall is concrete block, with poured concrete steps.

It was inspected and passed no problem. No moisture probelms in the basement and 10 years later not a single crack.