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!

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. 

Originally posted by @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. 

 Thank you Dan! That was very helpful. Do you happen to know the minimum height requirement? I did some googling and found this document:

 https://www.mass.gov/files/doc...

quoted "ceiling heights in habitable basement, including drop ceilings, shall be a minimum of six feet eight inches". Is this the height standard to go by? 

The Commonwealth's Code versus Medford may differ. That's why it is very important to understand your zoning regulations.

Generally in Massachusetts 7' and 6" is the minimum ceiling height. However there are many caveats. You can view the code at: https://up.codes/viewer/massac...

Exceptions to the code are made regularly, but ceiling height is very important from both a safety perspective as well as livability, legal, resale, rentability perspective.

Originally posted by @Dan K. :

The Commonwealth's Code versus Medford may differ. That's why it is very important to understand your zoning regulations.

Generally in Massachusetts 7' and 6" is the minimum ceiling height. However there are many caveats. You can view the code at: https://up.codes/viewer/massac...

Exceptions to the code are made regularly, but ceiling height is very important from both a safety perspective as well as livability, legal, resale, rentability perspective.

Thank you Dan. I just got a reply from the city and they were quoted as follows: 

"The minimum ceiling height required in a basement is 6 feet 8 inches. You will not find this on the City of Medford website because this is governed by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts State Building Code, and it is not a City Ordinance."