Basement As Office Space?
I know about not being able to use a basement as living space, but can I legally renovate a basement to rent as office space?
I know about not being able to use a basement as living space, but can I legally renovate a basement to rent as office space?
I have said this before, Brownstoner should have reliable professionals who understand brooklyn and it’s zoning/building codes do a series of posts on this topic.
How it relates to the typical one family, two family, three family/multiple dwelling in Brooklyn. With pictures, floorplans, other visual aids.
“Rule of thumb is that cellars(50% below curb levels) are never “habital spaces”.”
“Basements can be as long as they meet egress,light and air, c of o requirements”…..which is where there is so much misinformation being posted. I know their are a few expeditors/architects who seem to answer these forum posts on a regular basis. Maybe Mr.B can work some deal that will allow them to unravel the basement/cellar controversy for good in exchange for free advertising.
rob, even though you think I am master of the ridiculous you know that I hold your opinions in high regard. I think you are correct. the poster “young archi” will lecture that it depends on whether a space is more than 50% below grade, but in reality the DOB interprets that with flexibility, so in the real world if you enter a level under a stoop, bingo! that’s a basement, if you enter a level through a hatch in the areaway or down a set of stairs in the basement bingo! thats a cellar.
is that too geeky? I don’t want to start sounding like young archi.
yeah a basement is as the BASE of the house, regardless of how much is above or below ground. a celler is fully under the ground, as in you gotta walk down a flight of stairs essentially to be inside. think of the movie The Amitville Horror, they had a cellar (even tho they may have called it a basement…) nightmare on elm street. freddy lived in the cellar (well technically the boiler room part of the cellar).
to the OP, do whatever you want. as long as you dont have nosey neighbors who dont mind their own business and youre not creating a public nuisance, who cares? it’s your property.
hell there are buildings in chinatown where people live in 4×4 illegally converted rooms resembling CHICKEN COOPS! the city knows about it, they dont really care. (this was written about in a recent village voice article) and most of queens’ private houses and half of long island now have illegal basement conversions.
*rob*
I give up!
There is no way most people will ever understand the difference between a basement and a cellar. People who grew up in modern houses in the suburbs use the terms interchangeably, but in the city, a basement and a cellar mean very different things.
forget it, it’s hopeless.
As long as were talking terminology, better define “livable”– that just means bedroom. You can advertise cellar space as part of the square footage of a residence, which brokers usually do, calling it a “rec room” or something like that. So, one of the main differences between basement and cellar may be the “livable space” thing, but just so you’re not confused bigmag, that probably doesn’t impact the commercial space question. you just need permit, zoning, and as DIBS said, walled of mechanic etc
Hmmm…Doctor’s Row in Bay Ridge has almost all the offices in the “Cellar.” I’m not looking to convert to a doc office (stricter regs), but to rent to somebody like an accountant. No bedroom, no kitchen. Bathroom you need; separate electric too.
OK…first I didn’t see “rent” as an office space.
HIGHLY UNLIKELY
bigmag…the terminology here is a bit weird
A basement = English Garden = garden level and is 50% or more, above ground with windows. I know, it’s weird.
The space down below with the stone walls and cement floor is always called the cellar here and is typically not leaglly livable space. This is what’s usually called a basement in the rest of the country.
It’s > 50% below grade but has windows. Isn’t that a BASEMENT?
I think the OP means cellar. It is >50% below grade and has no windows, correct?