Building Codes

Last night I was reading through the building code looking for minimum lengths for the tapcons. Here are some of the pertinent codes to consider when finishing a basement in Ontario. See my personal notes in italics. I probably should have read through the code during the design phase but better late than never. I just wanted to review so I don't have to rip anything up afterwards.

Basement ceiling height

• 2 100 mm (6'11") over at least 75 per cent of the basement area except that under beams and ducts the clearance is permitted to be reduced to 1 950 mm (6'5")

My ceiling height will be 7'1" and the ducts will be around 6'7".

Door minimums for basement

• width 810 mm (32")height 1 980 (6'6")

Originally I had priced out a 30" door but after seeing the note on my building permit I quickly changed it to 32". It's important that I caught this early because the frame for a pocket door is twice the size as a regular door.

Windows

• By code aren't required in a basement with electric lighting

Smoke Alarms

• there is at least one smoke alarm on each floor level, including basements, that is 900 mm or more above or below an adjacent floor level

I already have two smoke alarms on the basement level.

Bottom plates

• wood framing members that are not pressure-treated with a wood preservative and that are supported on concrete in contact with the ground or fill shall be separated from the concrete by not less than 0.05 mm polyethylene film or Type S roll roofing.

It's was nice to actually read this in the code and it confirms that I have this covered... I will have both pressure-treated wood and 6mil polyethylene.

Nail lengths

• Floor joist to plate – toe nail Minimum Length of Nails, 82 mm (3 1/4") 2 nails
• Stud to wall plate (each end) toe nail Minimum Length of Nails, 62 mm (2 1/2") 4 nails or end nail Minimum Length of Nails, 82 mm (3 1/4") 2 nails
• Interior walls to framing or subflooring Minimum Length of Nails, 82 mm (3 1/4") Maximum Spacing of Nails, 600 mm (o.c.) (2')

I was originally looking for 3 1/2" nails for the framing and 4 1/4" tapcons for the bottom plates. I considered using 2 3/8" nails for the framing gun but in the end my choice of 3 1/4" was perfect. I had trouble finding 4 1/4" tapcons and decided on 3 1/4". Bottom line get at least 3 1/4" nails and screws. Not sure about drywall screws.

Bracing and Lateral Support

• Bracing is not required where the walls are clad with panel-type siding, diagonally sheathed with lumber, or sheathed with plywood, OSB, waferboard, gypsum or fibreboard sheathing.

I have seen a few Web sites that used bracing in the basement. I wasn't planning on bracing and now I glad I won't have to. That would have increased my lumber costs slightly.

Lighting for Recreation rooms

• Minimum Illumination, lx 100
• Minimum Lighting Power Density, W/M2 of floor area (incandescent lighting) 10

I will be calculating my light using W/M2 (watts per square meter).

1 meter = 3.280 feet

10 watts / 3.280 feet

I have roughly 280 square feet and that means that I will need about 860 total watts in the room. My light are 50W so that means I'll need 18 lights total. I have originally priced out or 12 light and I will need to add another pack of 6 thus increasing my costs by $87.50 plus tax.

I'm not sure this will impact how many new switches I need on my electrical board but I'll figure that out later.