See - Kodak Corporation's PDF Document "Darkroom Design for Amateur Photographers" - A free technical bulletin from Kodak.

Also try library books, - above all, remember to keep the wet and dry sides of the room separate!....you don't want any chemical contamination around the enlarger and paper storage areas.
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You can pour used chemicals down the drain in most communities if you are connected to a local sewer system. If you have a septic tank, it is recommended that you do not introduce photographic chemicals.

Kodak has a vast resource on Waste Management - see it at Waste Management
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All enlargers are capable of making black and white prints from either black and white, or color negatives. When using variable contrast paper, prints are made with the aid of thin acetate filters that can be temporarily inserted into the enlargers filter drawer (my Beseler 23C is one). These filters are variable density and specifically made for use with black and white negatives. If printing a color print from color negatives then you would use filters specifically made for use with color negatives. These filters are magenta, yellow, and cyan in color. By combining the various filters, you can balance the b&w or color negative for the paper being used and thus obtain a good finished print.
Where a true color enlarger differs is that it has a "color head". The color head contains the light source and also has 3 dials or switches (one each for magenta, yellow and cyan). After using a color negative analyzer to determine the filtration necessary, you would simply set the color dials to the correct values and set the timer for the correct exposure time and expose the paper. See the "Color Head Enlarger" section of my Equipment page.
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I use a condenser type enlarger (Beseler 23C) and love it. There are two types of enlargers.

Also see the "enlargers" section of my Equipment page.
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None of the chemicals for darkroom use are flammable, so you can build it right next to the furnace and water heater, which is right where I built mine. Just remember that if the furnace or heater is in the darkroom, that the flame will give off light - and of course both the furnace and the gas water heater would also circulate dust.

Both would also heat the surrounding area, so if they are part of your darkroom, it may be nice and warm, but would not be good if you are storing unexposed paper or film in the room. Unexposed film and paper will deteriorate faster if exposed to higher temperatures.
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You can work for about half an hour in a darkroom that does not have an exhaust fan before the fumes become annoying (you start to taste the fixer). However, I don't recommend that you work without an exhaust fan. It is best to vent the exhaust through an exterior wall of your basement, however, my darkroom is in a corner of the basement and I vent the fumes, using an exhaust fan, into an adjoining hallway in the basement. Since I don't use the darkroom for more than a couple of hours a day, I consider the concentration of potential toxins in the house to be quite low due to the circulation of the air.
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See my Darkroom Construction Page -- Scroll down the page and read - "Temporarily Light Proofing A Window Or Door",

I would, build temporary frames, larger than the openings and fasten them securely in place. I would construct these with 2x2 lumber, with a cheap plywood coating. If the basement has concrete walls and floor, then you could fasten the frames in place with a nail gun. These could be removed a few years later when you decide to permanently partition and finish the basement. Make sure that after the frames are in place, you light proof the seams with caulking. Use a dark brown or black caulk that will adhere to both concrete and wood. Use the same caulking around the top and sides of the "regular" door - for the bottom, you will have to install a proper threshold (and fit the door to it), or place something at the bottom of the door and duct tape it into place each time you use the room. Note: You may have to also caulk around the base of any existing walls, as there could be gaps through which light can enter.
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First you must be sure that your darkroom is light proof - See my web page "The Room" for the method of testing to see if the darkoom is light proof.

If the room is light proof, then he best way to check the safelights, is to do a test print. Turn off the darkroom lights and put a blank piece of photographic paper on the darkroom counter and partially cover it with a book or something. Then turn on the safelight(s) and leave on for 5 minutes - develop the paper and see if you can see a change from the white of the paper to a grey shade where the paper was exposed to the safe light. If there is a difference in shade then your safe light is not adequate.
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• When working with unprocessed film, (loading film reels for processing) there cannot be any light in the room - not even a safe light. Read my Film Development page.

• You will need to use a safelight while exposing paper and processing prints. You can of course do this in total darkness (without a safelight), but it is rather ackward to place your hands on the devices that you may need to use while exposing the paper. It would also be difficult to develop the paper, since you cannot see the development trays, paper, tongs, etc.

• Buy a proper safe light enclosure - you cannot use a red light bulb!
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If you live in a major city, there should be something available. Ask at photographic supply stores - they should be able to refer you to a source. Also search out photography clubs -they would be a good resource. Failing that, go to a library or bookstore and find a good book on black and white darkrooms / photography.
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Yes the developers are different for film and paper. The stop bath is the same and you can use a non-hardening fixer for both the film and the paper. Dump the developer and the stop bath down the drain after you have finished your printing or film developing session, but retain the fixer, it is more expensive and can be used many times. After I develop film, I pour the used fixer into a gallon jug which contains used fixer from my previous printing sessions. This fixer will last for months - just use a "hypo chek" every few weeks to see if the fixer is still good (couple of drops of "hypo chek" into the fixer - if white precipitate forms, then fixer is exhausted).
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Paper will deteriorate with time. The best way to store it for an extended amount of time of over 6 months would be to seal it well and then put it in a freezer. When you decide to use it again take out the whole package, leave it unopened and let it come to room temperature over a period of 3 to 6 hours. As for paper that has been sitting in the darkroom - I have used paper that has been lying in a cool darkroom for 2 years, and it still produces very good prints. (I am talking about black and white paper here - color paper would deteriorate more rapidly).
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The only chemical that I would be concerned about aging would be developer. If it is a bottle that has never been opened and has been stored in a cool dark room, I would guess that shelf life should be a year or more. If the bottle has been opened and has any amount of air in it then the developer will oxidize fairly rapidly and be useful for only a month or two. If it has oxidized it will turn brownish in color, as compared to a relatively clear new solution. If on the other hand, you have poured out some of the concentrated developer and then squeezed the air out of the plastic bottle before recapping it, then the concentrate should last much longer before oxidizing.

Concentrated fixer and stop bath have a very long life and I would not be too concerned about either of these chemicals.
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Since you are new to darkroom work and might not have a properly exposed and properly developed negative, start with a filtration of 2.0. If the negative was truly properly exposed and properly developed you could probably print with a filter pack of either 0 or 1. See my "Making the Print" page for more info.
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