OP, it sounds like your dh has more problems than the room. If you can afford to buy the house that doesn't need to be fixed up, buy that one!

I would not. Even for a weekend. If it’s tight would have one of the kids double up with their sibling and give the teen their own room upstairs.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why won’t your husband consider a window? A fire could happen at any time and one of your immediate family members could be trapped down there...

OP here. Because he's an idiot.

This house actually has a lot of issues we will need to spend money to fix.
There was another house that was perfectly fine, but my husband thought it was priced about $20,000 too high (this is not in the DC area--this "other house" was priced around $230,000, my husband wanted to pay $210.) Those sellers wouldn't budge on the price.

So now we are buying a different house (about $140,000) but it is not nearly as nice as the other house. There are a lot of problems we will have to fix. We will probably end up spending way more for a much smaller house (literally about half the size--and exact same neighborhood, literally just one street over.)
He's being penny wise and pound foolish.

Wow. This is a very bad idea. Fixer uppers always have more problems than it seems at first. Only handy people with common sense should buy one.

Nope. Couldn’t live with myself if someone died in a fire. Put teenage boy on the couch on the main level.

Anonymous wrote:you could always have your own kids sleep down there and the visitors take your kids room. If it's good enough for the guest to be down there, then it's good enough for your own kids, right?

Yes. put your kids down there.

I would offer it to the teenage guest. I agree with PPs that two egress routes + working smoke detectors make it acceptable.

BUT also if you are having a bunch of other work done, check on the add-on price of a new/bigger window.

My basement's ceilings are too low (or something) for my basement space to count as a legal bedroom, but I wanted to have it as an option for guests.

I had 2 small windows made into legal egress size for my own peace of mind and I was surprised at how low the added cost was (I want to say $3K but don't remember exactly). I do know that it was a small enough number that I didn't think twice.

OP, a nice big window will make the space much better and appealing in many ways, so at least check on price when you are arranging for other work.

Anonymous wrote:Are you all aware that Tony Hsieh, the billionaire founder of Zappo's, died in exactly this manner just a couple of months ago? Sleeping in a basement and the house caught on fire.

Op here
I actually was not aware of that so I googled

https://www.courant.com/breaking-news/hc-br-new-london-tony-hsieh-20201223-v3xxzroihjbajor5mjdbn5ure4-story.html

The article calls it an “attached pool shed” not a basement.

Also it seems he was not sleeping, but actively doing illegal drugs and intentionally creating fire hazards to accentuate the intensity of the drugs. The homeowner was well aware of the unsafe situation and the fire department had been called out at least twice in the preceding days.
We wont allow our young guests to do whippets in the basement .

Anonymous wrote:Are you all aware that Tony Hsieh, the billionaire founder of Zappo's, died in exactly this manner just a couple of months ago? Sleeping in a basement and the house caught on fire.

Except this basement has two exits.

Are you all aware that Tony Hsieh, the billionaire founder of Zappo's, died in exactly this manner just a couple of months ago? Sleeping in a basement and the house caught on fire.

It’s fine OP, it’s not a legal bedroom, but it’s fine for a night or two once in awhile. If I was you guest I’d rather the basement than the couch.

FYI basement square footages are not supposed to be counted in a real estate listing.

Anonymous wrote:you could always have your own kids sleep down there and the visitors take your kids room. If it's good enough for the guest to be down there, then it's good enough for your own kids, right?

OP here
Yes, I would be ok with my own kids sleeping there.

Anonymous wrote:A windowless basement is illegal in every jurisdiction.
In the area. If there is a fire then a fireman in full regalia cannot get in and person would die. I do not know how this passed inspection and I suspect it did not and that you did this illegally.

Windowless basements are not illegal in any jurisdiction

you could always have your own kids sleep down there and the visitors take your kids room. If it's good enough for the guest to be down there, then it's good enough for your own kids, right?

Anonymous wrote:Yes, of course. Beggars can’t be choosers.

Maybe not, but they can sure die of smoke exhalation and 3rd degree burns.

Anonymous wrote:Why won’t your husband consider a window? A fire could happen at any time and one of your immediate family members could be trapped down there...

OP here. Because he's an idiot.

This house actually has a lot of issues we will need to spend money to fix.
There was another house that was perfectly fine, but my husband thought it was priced about $20,000 too high (this is not in the DC area--this "other house" was priced around $230,000, my husband wanted to pay $210.) Those sellers wouldn't budge on the price.

So now we are buying a different house (about $140,000) but it is not nearly as nice as the other house. There are a lot of problems we will have to fix. We will probably end up spending way more for a much smaller house (literally about half the size--and exact same neighborhood, literally just one street over.)
He's being penny wise and pound foolish.