Installing door to the basement

[Mibin Joseph]

Hi, our SFH in Loveland, CO has a finished 1100 sq.ft basement which is listed as STR. However, the entrance to the space is shared and not private. Could someone advise me on who are the people that I should be talking to see if this is a viable option? I also heard that some counties are not allowing homeowners to install basement doors? Also, is this private entrance going to add value to the home? Thanks!

[JD Martin]

You really need to check with your city/county building department to find out if you need a permit to add an exterior door to your home (most likely yes since you are punching a hole in a load-bearing wall). Beyond that any competent carpenter or contractor can do this job; it's not particularly difficult, even less so if you are only dealing with concrete blocks. You mark out the rough opening, cut out the blocks in question, install the door framing which generally should be a steel lintel but could be framed & headed), then install the door and trim it out.