In today’s episode of The Build Show, Stephanie Dailey takes you through an unfinished basement and explains what homeowners can expect when choosing to leave this space unfinished during the build. She highlights the key structural elements that still need to be completed, including framed and sheathed shear walls, interior bearing walls supporting floor joists, and a large steel beam with supporting posts. Stephanie also walks through how builders separate finished areas—like stairways and hallways—from unfinished basement space using strategically placed walls and doors. Along the way, she shares critical planning tips such as properly sizing stair landings, framing openings for future pocket doors, and keeping door header heights flexible to accommodate HVAC drops later. Plus, she explains why framing early can save time, cost, and hassle when finishing the basement down the road.

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