Finishing basement of brand new house

11/30/2015 at 12:07:20 PM

Hi!

Home builders require that you do not build the finished basement for a period of one year. In new construction, it takes that much time at the very least for the foundation to settle down.

Once you do build your basement, and if the walls and floor are covered there is no way of knowing if the walls or floor developed any cracks. Minor surface cracks usually appear on the basement floor, however if any big cracks appear then you may experience moisture or water leaks.

Hope this helps.

11/30/2015 at 12:24:34 PM

I would agree with Vince, the house needs a year or two to settle. The rule of thumb is generally 2 years.

You should have a better indication of any water leaks or moisture issues after the spring melt and rain. I'd advise you wait a little longer. Your finished basement shouldn't effect your warranty as long as it's done to code. Nothing structural should be modified to the original home. Basically you're building floating walls within an existing structure.

11/30/2015 at 4:10:05 PM

Nick,

I totally agree with the others who suggest waiting. In my line of work, I see hidden damage simply because walls and floors were covered, either too early after being poured, or to hide something. Heed the advice and wait for everything to settle into it proper place. After the time has passed, small cracks may be visible in the floor and this is not unusual due to shifting and general ground movement. Anything major may be a concern but can be remedied at that time. Hope this helps and gives you an opportunity to plan your basement project.

11/30/2015 at 5:24:42 PM

Hi Nick,

It can take a while for the existing materials to dry out completely, framing and concrete.

Take your time and wait a year.

Dave

360renos

11/30/2015 at 6:02:06 PM

Thank you everyone for your replies.

I will wait for 1 year before starting on the basement.

Regards,

Nick

11/30/2015 at 7:48:23 PM

Hi nick,

As long as you are concerned about the builder warranty. The only way is to wait for longer time to finish your basement. Hair cracks expected but there is no danger of this and will not be able to see the bigger cracks after finishing the basement unless you have a water leakage through these cracks. To keep your warranty on, try to wait a bit more before finishing the basement as long as you are not in rush to finish such project.

12/11/2019 at 10:05:32 PM

Hi brother how was your experience to get the basement finished for new builder house. Are we facing any problem to get this legal. I am in same position of yours. I have recently bought home from reputed builder and now I wish to build the legal basement for my new house. What is your advise. Should I go ahead or should i wait. Thanks.. Vivek