RE: Basement Construction,

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It is good to see useful suggestions given by fellows. Khayyam, I personally take basement in a house as a living place and not merely a dumping store. Hence I won’t mind constructing a basement with intent to live, if I have to.
Few important factors that should be considered during a basement construction.
1. Proper location – Choose those two sides of the plot which have mandatory free space around to place your basement. Never mind keeping finished grade level of your house a couple of inches higher than usual. And floor slab above basement (basement roof) to be load bearing type.
2. Water proofing – This is the area that requires special attention during construction. Outer walls should be of concrete (min 8”). Applying bitumen primer and a final protection of bituminous rigid membrane (2”to 4” min) can help you overcome the normally encountered dampness problem.
3. Toilet & Bath – Normally toilets or baths are avoided in the basement due to sewage disposal complications. It is advisable to have a toilet and a couple of floor drains in the basement. Drainage of the bath can be diverted towards a sump pit out side through gravity flow. From where it can be forced to the manhole through a submersible pump (does’nt cost much). Remember this sump pit should not be exposed to rain water.
4. Ventilation – It is very important to have proper ventilation in the basement as at times you feel suffocation in there. Installation of rightly sized exhaust fan or a window to be considered. It will also help improve the indoor air quality (IAQ). Further considering the climatic conditions of Islamabad and the fact that the temperature of the basements remain lower than other areas by few degrees (3 to 5 deg C), I think requirement for a split a/c should not be that desperate.
5. Humidity – Humidity levels in the basements usually stay higher than other areas and a proper arrangement for de humidification can be helpful.
Hope it helps.