About the Editor

Background and writing history

My background is in financial education. I run Arc Genesis Finance (arcgenesisfinance.com), and most of what I do there is take complicated financial subjects and write them so someone with zero background can actually follow along. No jargon. No assuming you already know the lingo.

So why basements? Honestly, the skill carries over more than you'd think. Permit code, egress requirements, ejector pumps, radon levels. It's the same problem as a dense financial topic. There's a pile of technical information that matters to a homeowner, and most of what's written about it either assumes you already speak the language or skips the specific numbers that actually matter to your decision.

So that's my job here. Take the source material, figure out what actually matters to you, and write it down in a way you don't have to work hard to understand. The credibility on this site comes from being specific and showing where the numbers come from, not from me claiming to be something I'm not.

How the research actually works

Let me be straight about how this site gets made, because most sites won't be. The factual heavy lifting (the permit fees, the code requirements, the radon numbers, the ADU rules) is researched, compiled, and cross-checked using AI tools that read the primary sources directly: the actual city fee schedules, the code chapters, the state data. My job is the editorial side. Figuring out what a homeowner actually needs to know, and writing it in plain language you don't have to work to understand.

So why tell you that? Honestly, because it's the truth, and because the accuracy doesn't depend on you taking my word for it. Every number that matters is linked or named below, straight to the source. You can go check any of it yourself in about thirty seconds. That's the part that counts, no matter who or what pulled it together.

Sources used across the site

The major primary sources cited across this site, with direct links where they're publicly available:

Eagle Mountain

• Eagle Mountain Building Department
• Eagle Mountain Consolidated Fee Schedule (PDF)
• EMMC Chapter 17.70 — Accessory Dwelling Units
• EMMC Chapter 16.60 — Building Permits
• Eagle Mountain 2nd Kitchen Agreement (PDF)

Saratoga Springs

• Saratoga Springs Building Department
• Saratoga Springs Basement Permit Guidance
• Saratoga Springs LDC Chapter 19.20 — IADUs (PDF)
• Saratoga Springs Building Permit Application (PDF)
• Saratoga Springs Accessory Units FAQ

Utah state and county

• Utah DEQ Radon Program
• Utah DEQ — High Radon Levels Guidance
• Utah Property Rights Ombudsman — ADU statute (Utah Code §10-21-303 and §17-80-303)
• Utah Geological Survey — Cedar Valley Hydrogeology (PDF)
• Utah DOPL License Verification

Code references

• 2021 International Residential Code (IRC) with Utah state amendments — adopted by both Eagle Mountain and Saratoga Springs effective July 1, 2023.
• 2021 IBC, IPC, IMC, IFC, IECC, IFGC and 2020 NEC — companion codes adopted with the IRC.

Contact

For editorial questions, corrections to facts on the site, or general inquiries about the research: editor@embasementfinishing.com.

For anything to do with finishing a basement (estimates, scheduling, questions about your specific home), the right path is to call the contractor at (801) 555-0184. The editorial side and the build side are separate. More about how this site works here.