Add a basement to a house

BlueFox

Does anyone have any experience or knowledge of the feasibility and cost of adding a basement to a house? It occurred to me that a basement would make the ideal listening room and HT. However, my house, as does many homes in CA, does not have a basement.

The house sits on a concrete slab, so a basement would need to support it. On the other hand, that would really help to keep the noise of the world out, and keep the basement noise in the basement.

For a rough cost estimate, let's say the basement will be 1000 square feet, with two rooms, a bathroom, an interior entrance, and outside entrance.

While anything is possible if you throw enough money at it, let's say no more than 100K, or less. Is that reasonable or fantasy?

ntculenuff

had a friend in idaho add a partial basement to his house. couldn't tell you the cost but it was done. i would say your first step would be to contact a contractor and go from there

Conradicles

Really?

BlueFox

Lasareath wrote: »

I think they would have to hoist up the house first

I was hoping it could just be dug out while I continue to live there. Also, the cost was just getting an unfinished basement installed. The finishing comes later. I agree I need to talk with a contractor. My logic is that 100K for a basement is better than 700k for a new house that probably will not have a basement, but have another 1000 square feet of floor space.

F1nut

However, my house, as does many homes in CA, does not have a basement.

I've noticed that, why is it so?

BlueFox

I think I better forget this fantasy, and concentrate on my winning the lottery fantasy. :biggrin:

decal

BlueFox wrote: »

I think I better forget this fantasy, and concentrate on my winning the lottery fantasy. :biggrin:

I agree completely.

BlueFox

F1nut wrote: »

I've noticed that, why is it so?

I have no idea. I moved here from Maryland where it seemed everyone had a basement.

jeremymarcinko

Frostline. Pipes in the northeast and Midwest need to be buried deeper. Basements became typical in these areas to keep pipes from freezing and for the storage of coal for the stove or boiler. Warmer areas of the country never needed basements so they never became common.

Toxis

With all the clay and sand in the ground, Florida doesn't do basements either. Too much of a flood potential. Maybe Cali is similar?

jbooker82

Does your area have a high water table? That is another reason why some places dont have basements.

mrbigbluelight

BlueFox, you can do what a family in our little berg did back in the day. After building a French-style chateau, Mr. Desloge decided that, darn it, a basement would be a swell idea. So they lifted the entire mansion on steel I-beams, dug him a basement, and then lowered it back down. He was happy.


From the front:

From the rear:

Bluefox, Desloge was in the lead mining business. You might consider taking up lead mining. Although, when the locals started questioning how the heck he could afford to build his palace complex during the depression doing lead mining, he added, "Uhm ... oh, I do silver mining, too, out in Colorado". He didn't mention anything about smuggling booze from Canada down the river and unloading it on his property. You might need to consider smuggling booze, too. Raising a house isn't cheap.

oldmodman

F1nut wrote: »

I've noticed that, why is it so?

No tornadoes in California.

But we are known for our earthquakes.

Do you really want to be in a hole in the ground when the earth starts to dance? Especially after your first and second floors come down to visit.

tonyb

Yep, earthquakes. Also because of that situation, your bound to get cracks in the walls of a basement which will turn into water leakage. Sure, you can repair cracks but with the amount of tremors Cali has it would be a nonstop process of keeping those cracks sealed. Too costly in the end.

tophatjohnny

F1nut wrote: »

I've noticed that, why is it so?

because the earth is so unstable in CA hence "earthquake Valley" But nonetheless "I can dig it"!! get it?? Dig it??

Mepooooo

The first and most important thing that any owner of a basement that will be remodeled needs to do is to decide exactly what for the new space will be used for

txcoastal1

I know to put a 1000-2000sqft house on stilts after hurricane Ike was 35-50k, so it would probably cost double that and that would exclude interior build out of basement.

Reason why we don't have basements in south Texas is we are at or nearly at sea level and ground water is barely 18" at most parts.

Mike Reeter

if your home is built on a slab, it has no floor joists or sub-floor, no beams that support the joists and subfloor. So, there is no way to raise the house and be able to dig underneath the structure, at least an affordable option.

I've been through a project on our first home where we had the house raised and replaced an existing foundation,never,never again. A HUGE PITA that was nothing short of a living nightmare. This was with a house that had a subfloor structure also, so it was fairly easy to raise.

If you have the real estate, I would just build on a new room, insulate well and call it good, you will be much better off mentally and financially.

cfrizz

No basements in CA...really do you think it might be because of all the EARTHQUAKES CA is always getting??? This isn't rocket science people! Maybe you just want an instant burial to save the time and expense of a funeral.:rolleyes: And to want to do this just to add a HT? unbelievable.

hochpt21

All you need is a village...it takes one to raise a house. Or is that a child to raise a village...

BlueFox

cfrizz wrote: »

No basements in CA...really do you think it might be because of all the EARTHQUAKES CA is always getting??? This isn't rocket science people! Maybe you just want an instant burial to save the time and expense of a funeral.:rolleyes: And to want to do this just to add a HT? unbelievable.

That is probably a once in a 1000 year scenario. However, the ground constantly shifting, along with the micro cracks inevitably occurring, is a good source of potential problems. On the other hand, basements do exist. They just aren't standard as back east.

jbooker82

It would probably be cheaper to build a bunker / basement next to your house. Then have an access point / steps built into or on to the side your house.

michael1947

Last I saw here in the Midwest was $25k for an 1100 foot house. Check the DIY chnel and look for "re-hab addict" and the gal staring in the show just did one in Minne appolis and it was pretty good footage. I think it is the best money spent on square footage plus it gives you :cool:a place to keep your spiders.

badchad

Although I miss the storage, I really like NOT having a basement. I'm on a slab and have corkboard and hardwood floors. The slab gives the entire floor a very "solid" feel, and the corkboard feels a little softer to offset that. There are no creaks or sound as you walk across it. I'd keep the slab.

ken brydson

Mepooooo reported

cowtrimmer

I know a guy who moves houses for a living and just to jack one up and put cribbing underneath while someone else does the basement costs about $10-1200. Its almost always cheaper to go up then it is down for extra square feet.

sucks2beme

Bottom line- bad idea- move on.
I don't have a basement either, and my understanding is it's a pretty bad idea
in North Texas. The black clay expansion and contraction destroys them.

Upstatemax

badchad wrote: »

Although I miss the storage, I really like NOT having a basement. I'm on a slab and have corkboard and hardwood floors. The slab gives the entire floor a very "solid" feel, and the corkboard feels a little softer to offset that. There are no creaks or sound as you walk across it. I'd keep the slab.

+1

I like the storage I get from my basement, but I hate dealing with it. We have a high water table here so water is a constant fear for me. I've never flooded but people around me have. We have an underground stream in my area and after Hurricane Irene one of my neighbors had five foot of water in his basement and has had flooding issues ever since, it seems the stream busted a new branch right at his house...

Plus my floors don't have that nice solid slab feel. I'm looking at adding more joist to my floors in the basement to take some of the "spring" out of my floors.

basements are VERY common up here. The only homes that don't come with them at this point are very small starter homes or townhomes... Neither are an option for me.

If you do one, they need to be done right; high ceilings, insulated concrete, water sealing inside and out, proper french drain...

It's expensive to do one right and most builders skip a lot of steps on them. You have to watch them like a hawk.

mrbiron

Step #1 - Cut hole in concrete slab. preferably in a closet.
Step #2 - Dig
Step #3 - Hanger pictures on dirt walls.

Wala!

Caution. With dirt walls, be prepared to have every worm on a 1/4mile radius in your new HT. They like vibrations and your sub will become their vest friend.

cnh

jbooker82 wrote: »

It would probably be cheaper to build a bunker / basement next to your house. Then have an access point / steps built into or on to the side your house.

I'm with booker on this one! A friend of mine had his house "extended". He already had a basement so what they did is added a Master suite to the back of the house with a New "basement" under that. That would certainly be easier. This was done in the mid-nineties and not in Ca. but in Me. where building costs are a FRACTION of what you guys pay in "overpriced" real estateville! He spent about $70,000 on the entire project but this including the expansion of the first floor, master suite and an extra bedroom and bath on that first floor, the roofing and the poured concrete basement.

As for earthquakes! There is a kind of reinforced concrete with metal fibrous materials mixed into it that the Japanese use that is, I believe, 50 times greater in strength than common concrete walls. I have no idea what that would run, but it's 'designed' for earthquakes!

cnh

tonyb

Your correct on the earthquake proof concrete. Much times it's used in footings for taller buildings and bridges. But for the average homeowner, the cost would be out right crazy. Incidently, nothing is earthquake proof so to speak. These special concretes are designed to be more flexible for the many minor quakes areas such as Cali gets. Given a large quake however, crap comes down no matter what you do. Unless they start designing buildings that float on air, everything is anchored to the ground which can move alot in an earthquake zone. A basement may stay intact, but the cracks that would be created would make it unlivable/usable afterwards.