Basement installs are largely about making the space livable and addressing the mechanical systems that serve the whole house.
01Egress window
A basement egress window involves cutting through the foundation wall — this is the part that requires a permit in most jurisdictions and a concrete saw or jackhammer for the opening. The window well is excavated outside and lined with a prefab plastic or metal well. The window itself is typically a casement or single-hung unit set in a pressure-treated frame. This is a project that involves structural work and should be permitted.
02Sump pump installation
A sump pit is either pre-existing or needs to be cut and excavated — again, a permitted project in most areas for new pit installations. An existing pit takes a new pump. Drop the pump in, connect the discharge line to the exterior, plug in or wire to a dedicated circuit, and confirm the float activates at the correct water level. Install a check valve on the discharge line to prevent backflow when the pump shuts off.
03Drop ceiling
Install a perimeter angle along the walls at the ceiling height using a laser level to establish a level line. Snap the main tees into the perimeter angle and hang them from the structural ceiling with wire hangers into the joists above at every 4 feet. Snap the cross tees into the main tees at 2-foot intervals to form a grid. Drop ceiling tiles into the grid. Cut border tiles with a utility knife and straightedge.
04Dehumidifier installation
A whole-basement dehumidifier can be hardwired to a dedicated circuit and plumbed to drain continuously to a floor drain, eliminating the need to empty a collection bucket. Position the unit in a central location with clearance for airflow on all sides. The drain line runs by gravity to the floor drain — confirm the drain line has continuous downhill slope.
Marcus Webb is a general contractor and home maintenance writer based in Columbus, Ohio. He writes about the repairs and installs that come up every year in every house — the practical, repeating work that keeps a home livable.