ᐅ Exterior Basement Staircase

Hello,

I am new to this forum. I couldn’t find any posts related to my topic, so I’m starting a new thread.

We are facing a small problem:

We have bought a house built around 2000, with a basement made of reinforced concrete and EPS insulation.

That’s the basic information for now.

We plan to install a basement door on the side, so we started digging and, as expected, there is no frost protection strip beneath the basement (which is 2.5m (8 feet) below ground level). Below the 25cm (10 inches) slab, there are about 10–20cm (4–8 inches) of gravel, and underneath that is rocky soil.

How should we proceed to avoid damaging the house during this work? A basement entrance door is essential in our case, so there is no alternative.

I would appreciate any quick advice.

Best regards

A structural engineer has already approved the breakthrough, so there is no issue there. There was previously a window in this location. My main concern is to avoid unnecessary delays in the planning process. The work will most likely be carried out by a company because we are not confident handling a concrete slab ourselves. However, I do not want to receive advice without being informed. I won’t be on site for the next two weeks, and if I have to wait for an appointment with the structural engineer and then with one or more construction companies for comparison, and then find a free date, this won’t happen this year.

What exactly do you want to know?
Do you want to handle the planning yourself?

Regards

No. I want to know if it is sufficient to pour a slab in front of the house’s slab with a channel connection in the middle (already existing) and if the supporting walls around it are sealed (cast in place) and insulated all around (if so, what thickness of insulation is needed), or if I still need a frost protection edge (frost skirt) under the slab, or possibly an additional frost protection edge for the house’s slab. In our case, that would be very disadvantageous because we are building on rock that starts about 15cm (6 inches) below the slab.

...so you want to handle the planning yourself, or have someone from the forum provide a remote assessment 😎
That won’t work. Why didn’t you ask your structural engineer?

I understand that you don’t need professional plans for every single task you carry out on the house. But an external basement stairway, added later with connection to the existing slab including insulation and all the necessary details, is a very sensitive area that requires some expertise.

Regards

The planning should be done by the construction company carrying out the work. The structural engineer who already visited was unfortunately not consulted, but bringing them back would probably cost a significant amount again... If I order a prefabricated exterior staircase, I don’t need an architect for that, right?