Removing Cellar door, legal?

I have a partial under ground basement that starts a 3 feet below grade in the front of the house and ends and approximately 5 feet below grade at the back. There are five windows along the west side, perhaps 40 inches tall. in the front on the side of the house is an open stairway with three steps and a drain at the bottom. The door is full size, outdoor steel door. In the back of the house there is a cellar door that opens to 5 steps down to another steel door (no drain in this one). We never use the door in the back and would like to remove the cellar door and steel door to the basement. We would brick up the entry way and fill in the old stairs and pave over. This would give us some much needed extra room in our small back yard and remove a sometimes leaky cellar door. My question, is it legal to remove the back cellar door? Has anyone done this? Thanks.

mkatanov01

in Cellar 9 years and 5 months ago

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germaineson73 | 9 years and 5 months ago

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Watch egress. Could cost you later if you sell.

dorkofwindsor | 9 years and 5 months ago

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i would personally not remove egress – for both safety and resale. You want to remove them both? The basement is reno’d and used, this seems foolish. Have you thought of other alternatives? In the back you could retrofit (removable) heavy steel grates into the stairway opening and top with bluestone etc (which could be removed come resale) and leave the front / side steel door. Or instead of a steel grate, how about a flat heavy steel trap door (like the kind you walk over along sidewalks of commercial stores). Might save you a ton of headache and expense as well. Just a suggestion. I don’t know if PE’s such as scott schnall et al would draw plans for such a job as you are envisioning, but you could try.

mkatanov01 | 9 years and 5 months ago

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Any rec’s on getting this filed with DOB? I really don’t want to hire an architect. Anyone out there that has experience doing foundation work and will file the paperwork as part of the job? ~Thanks!

thetinkerswagon | 9 years and 5 months ago

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I am not sure myself but I suspect an architect should draw it and yes, it would have to be filed with the dob. if it is filed it will be legal, once signed off on. you are correct to question how the legality may come into play during a sale. some people may walk away if they discover the alteration or may demand a guarantee that if the illegal work is discovered by the dob, that the seller will cover costs to make it legal. one of my neighbors went through this – Steve

mkatanov01 | 9 years and 5 months ago

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Thanks… I will. The leaking is primarily due to the above ground cellar door being old a rusted out. My main concern is doing some illegal that would be an issue when selling. I suppose that would be sorted out if i file the change with the city?

workisfun | 9 years and 5 months ago

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Don’t count on it eliminating the leaks. Talk to a variety of experts about that.

mkatanov01 | 9 years and 5 months ago

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Thanks. It is a finished basement, however it’s not a basement apartment. It’s attached to the first floor apartment (duplex). There are proper stairs to the first floor.

thetinkerswagon | 9 years and 5 months ago

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no one is living down there so it should be ok. but any change in egress is supposed to be filed. Steve