Basement Doors
Consumer Basement Door Information
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Additional Components for Your Basement Door
Key Lock
While not coming standard with all basement doors, a key lock is nonetheless an important part of your basement or hatch door. While the door at the bottom of your stairs might have a lock, the additional security you will gain from having a solid steel or polyethylene door with a lock on it is significant.
Frame Extension
If you have a large bulkhead or areaway (the space below the door where stairs are found), a basement door that covers the entire span might be impractical or costly. A frame extension is a part of the frame that lies horizontal to the ground directly against your home. The doors themselves now do not need to go all the way from highest step all the way towards the house, but only about 2/3 of the distance.
Foundation Plates
Foundation plates are simply extensions of the frame which cover the foundation around your basement door. They can be used if you do not wish to expose rough parts of the brick or concrete that makes up the foundation, or simply to reduce the amount of space in the stairwell/areaway.
Steel Stringers
Stringers are the parts of a stairwell that run diagonally up the walls and which stairs are attached to. This is, of course, if you do not have stairs made of concrete built into your foundation. If you are replacing your basement door, you might want to consider installing steel stringers to increase the safety of the areaway in your basement.
If you do not have a basement and instead are looking only to finish a crawlspace, make sure you know the steps.