Finished Driveway and Basement Walkout for a Herriman Home
Hello, I’m Caleb with Dansie Design Build. Today I want to take you on a walkthrough of a project that we recently completed in Herriman, Utah, of a driveway and basement walkout.
Maximizing the Driveway Square Footage
The driveway is 80 feet long by 40 feet wide in the back; it has a gentle taper to the property line. So because parking was significant to these owners, we maximized the square footage; we went to the property line minus a five-foot setback.
How to Gain Square Footage for a Driveway
It was supposed to be a 10-foot setback, but we reduced that to a five-foot setback by getting the utility company’s easements relinquished along the side of the property with the driveway. So we gained 5-feet, which is excellent news.
Engineerings for the Basement Walkout
We did some engineering to calculate the wall’s strength and determine our building materials. There’s a lot of rebar and some deadman walls, essentially foundation walls that run perpendicular to the main foundation wall so that it won’t tip over or move in that direction. So we put an eight-inch wall every ten feet underneath the slab; everything’s tied together with rebar structurally and poured together.
Step 1: Install the Electrical Conduit
Before pouring the concrete, we installed an electrical conduit that ran from the house, around the foundation’s edge, and over to the light pole. Inside is a 40 amp 220 circuit to either have power for running an RV air conditioner or charging an electric car. On the inside of the box, we have our electric or RV air conditioning 220 outlet and a light switch that runs the top of the light pole.
Ensuring Light Is NOT an Issue
There are LED lights that put out 57,000 lumens when it’s turned on to full brightness. So it lights up the entire driveway, backyard, and the park close to the home. So for any events, the family is looking to do at night, the lighting will not be an issue. So that is a great amenity that is included on the driveway.
Relocating Utilities, Adding Storage Space, and the Staircase
We had to relocate the condensing units, the power lines, and the air conditioning Freon line sets to the inside of the TJI floor space and out the backside of the home to tie into the existing air conditioning units. So, we created a pad as part of the walkout for additional storage space underneath for the family. So moving from the driveway into the backyard, we put in a staircase with Trex stairs and powder-coated steel handrailings that lead down into the backyard.
Basement Walkout Entrance
The walkout area is a foot-wide staircase, so it’s spacious, leading up to a new doorway that we cut in. We were able to use a four-foot-wide window and install a three-foot-wide full-light glass door to maintain natural lighting; any natural lighting can come into the basement through that window.
Conclusion
If you’re considering a basement apartment in your home or want an accessory dwelling unit on your property in Herriman City, Utah, request a consultation or call us at (801) 341-9690. We’d love to talk to you and see how we can help you and your family. Thank you for your time, and have an excellent rest of your week.
