Basements, Cellars, Bulkheads, and Door Installation
The Importance of Basements
While elements of your home such as vinyl siding, windows and insulation are important to maintain structural integrity and temperature, there are parts of a house which can have as large an impact. The basement is an often overlooked component of the home in terms of its impact on the overall quality of a house. Basements are not only below ground and therefore leave you at the mercy of frost, snow, ice and flooding, but they represent one of the easiest entrance points for moisture, cold air and debris to enter your house.
Having a basement door (also called bulkhead, cellar doors, or basement hatch doors) can be a great advantage. You can transport furniture and other materials into your basement easily, and if there are living spaces in your cellar an emergency exit such as a basement door is lawfully required. However, if the door leading to your basement is in poor condition (or there is only a simply wooden door at the bottom of a set of steps), your basement is in danger of being damaged by water, made dirty by leaves and debris, and subject to temperature drops. This also puts the rest of your home at risk.
Purchasing an exterior basement door, whether steel or polyethylene and installing it where your rotten wooden door or rusted metal door once stood will significantly improve the quality of your basement and the aesthetic quality of your yard.
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Making sure you are familiar with the protocols of basement safety is important before redesigning your cellar.
