In addition to technology to eliminate the moisture from basements, thus making them much more habitable, society has evolved to require much less storage in our homes. In the sandy soil compositions found in states from Maryland to Florida and as far out west as California, many homes were never built with basements.
Basement Pros and Cons
- 3 Basement Pros. Extra Storage. Extra storage space is always welcome. Having a place to keep miscellaneous odds and ends is crucial for overall tidiness.
- 3 Basement Cons. Maintenance Required. Given that they are underground, basements need a lot of work for usability.
In the United States, on average, finishing a basement will give you a return of 70 to 75% of your investment. For example, if you spent $1,000 on improvements, it would increase the value of the property by about $700. If you spent $10,000 on improvements, it would increase the value of the property by about $7,000.
The construction of an unfinished basement can increase the total cost of a home significantly - up to 20% - compared to the use of a slab-on-grade foundation. This shows that constructing a livable basement is a much cheaper way to increase the square footage of a house, compared to building more above-grade space.
How to Sell a House Without a Basement
- Find out About Other Homes in Your Area.
- Talk to Other Homeowners.
- Play up the Other Advantages of Your Home and the Disadvantages of a Basement.
- Build a Basement.
- Drop the Price.
Slab-on-grade or floating slab foundations are a structural engineering practice whereby the concrete slab that is to serve as the foundation for the structure is formed from a mold set into the ground. The concrete is then placed into the mold, leaving no space between the ground and the structure.
Price: Generally, slab foundations are your cheapest option when it comes to foundations, an excellent choice if budget is front-of-mind. Low Maintenance: Of all foundation-types, slabs require the least amount of maintenance, adding to their pricing value.
In Minnesota and other northern, temperate continental climates, most homes have historically been built with basements. The primary reason is because the foundation must be below the frost line to prevent a building from shifting in the freeze-thaw cycle and with soft soil basements are relatively easy to construct.
Where the water table is high, it is simply not feasible to dig too deep underground. In Florida, Alabama, Louisiana, and Eastern Texas, the soil is particularly damp, which explains the minimal number of basements there.
Basements are more common in some other parts of the country than in Middle Tennessee, where rocky conditions encourage the use of crawl spaces or concrete slab construction. “Many people relocating from areas where basements are a staple are really excited to see them here because they are so rare,” said Lucy.
A few houses in Las Vegas do have basements, but most don't. The main reason for the lack of basements in Las Vegas, Nevada, is due to caliche, an impermeable layer of sedimentary rock-like material that occurs in deserts and arid areas. Basements are too difficult to dig in Las Vegas.
Are there basements in North Carolina? There are basements, just not many. Most are walk out with doors and windows. Our soil is heavy clay and doesn't drain well and the frost line is shallow so builders don't need to go deep with the foundation footings.
Why do Canadian houses have basements? Soil contains water and Canada is a country of temperature extremes. In the winter the ground freezes and expands; in the summer it thaws and contracts. The depth at which groundwater freezes is called the frost line.
The least-expensive option for basement construction involves the use of concrete blocks or masonry. The walls are made of cinder blocks and can be constructed in a fraction of the time it takes to create a poured concrete wall. Steel rebar is generally used to reinforce the strength of these walls.
The most common reason builders don't offer basements is because parts of Arizona and the Phoenix Valley have some pretty hard soil. Called Caliche (pronounced kah-leech-chay) It is a form of calcium carbonate and it is so hard you can actually see sparks fly off your shovel if you try to dig into it.
In a closed foundation, the foundation wall extends from the footing to the first floor around the perimeter of the building. The foundation wall encloses a basement, a crawlspace, or the soil below a slab- on-grade.
Even though basements ensure privacy, they are not always the quietest places in the house. Anyone living in a basement is vulnerable to all sorts of noises coming from the ground floor. Basements often become harvesting grounds for small insects such as spiders and mice, which at times can be quite unsanitary.
But chances are your house has (or will have) one of these three foundations: full basement, crawlspace, or slab-on-grade. Other variations are possible. Here are the three main types of house foundations that you will encounter in residential construction.
Average foundation repair cost for homeowners is typically just over $4000, or between $1800 and $6500. Minor patching of small cracks is often as low as $500, whereas major structural repairs or underpinning might cost over $10,000.
Basements are used as living space while a crawl space usually only provides room enough for light storage. For that reason, crawl spaces are not classified as basements. Basements are more functional and also increase the value of a home significantly more than a crawl space.
There are two methods of lowering the floor of your basement. One is called Underpinning and the other Benching. Both involve structural changes to your foundation walls and footings that will enable you to have more useable space and allow you to have the basement waterproofed.
For a modest sized home, a concrete foundation will cost you easily between $20,000 and $30,000. Factor in a subfloor and finished flooring, you'll be lucky to stay under $40,000. Building basements 'just because' invites unnecessary costs, potential humidity problems, and greater environmental consequences.
If you're building a home, a concrete slab makes sense because of its low cost. It's the cheapest option available, and, comparatively speaking, it's the quickest solution. Another benefit of a slab foundation is the fact that there's no airspace in between the home and the foundation.
Slab – The Most Popular Foundation TypeBecause a slab is by far the most cost-effective choice, customers flock to this budget-friendly option. It's quick and easy, as far as foundations go – a slab can often be poured directly on the ground or on a bed of gravel.
Poor construction or finishing techniques can create uneven spots and uneven floors. Also, water or moisture can rise through any crack in the slab damaging floors finishes. Ultimately, concrete slab foundations can be considered cheap and negatively impact a house's resale value.
Most homeowners spend anywhere between $3,700-$6,000 to raise their house. Very involved projects can run more than $100,000. Seasoned pros can complete the process in a few days.
A Michigan basement is a crawl space that has been converted into a basement. The crawl space footings are covered, which creates the shelf or ledge. The center of the crawl space inside this ledge is then excavated, creating a basement portion. This new basement is then filled in with concrete, either poured or block.
