We moved to our current home in 2006. One thing we were looking for was a house with a space for a pool table. The house we bought is a ranch with a full basement. The basement has indoor-outdoor carpet on the floor, but is otherwise just a giant open space.

I mentioned something to DH last week about putting up a couple of stud walls down there. He said we couldn't because we don't have an egress window. I thought those were only required if you planned to have a basement bedroom, so I called the local building department today to ask.

It turns out that, technically, we are already in violation, because basements without egress windows are only supposed to be used for storage. We have computers down there, and DH and DD use the open area for hockey practice.

Now, I understand the safety concerns, and the reasons why an exit is required. However, I also know that our neighbors have a giant, wall-sized projection TV in their basement, and they spend most of their time down there.

I'm not sure how DH is going to react to this. There really isn't anyplace else to put the computer area. To be honest, I wouldn't have been as interested in this house if I had known that we couldn't use the basement for a family room. There's no good way to add on to the house, so I fear that my dream of a pool table is going out the window (so to speak).

Sorry, just needed to vent a little!
Tammy