Living in the upper-midwest, almost everyone I know has a basement. The extra square footage, tornado protection and how cool they stay in the summer makes them almost mandatory. I never understood why other states didn't have them. Thanks to your video, I now understand. Thanks.
Yes, always had a basement in the Midwest (Chicago.) No problem with mold or mildew either. Or rarely water issues. That's what sump pump's are for :-) Great to go downstairs (basement) on a 95 degree day, even if you do have central air!
Same, basements in OH is mandatory, I wouldn't buy a slab home around here. Of course not all basements are equal some of them smell and aren't maintained or built correct.
Basement foundations make sense wherever heating or cooling cost are significant and where the water table allows, so almost anywhere. Modern building materials allow for better waterproofing of said basement so they can be used in a wider range of locations. Up north they will save you thousands a year on heating costs, down south you will enjoy the same savings on cooling. The earth is a massively underutilized source of thermal regulation. Its the og of passive cooling/heating Great video again Belinda, keep hustling :)
My friend's old uninsulated basement was always about 68 degrees, summer and winter. I always wondered why there is such an emphasis on insulating modern basements.
I'll have to disagree. I live in climate zone 7 in northern Maine. I built my own house in 2009. Heated slab on grade, monolithic pour. My heating costs are half that of any other home in this area, some family members have a home 1/3 the size, and their hearing costs are the same as mine.
@@taylorsutherland6973 you build it well, good for you but just because your house performs well and others near you were poorly built, doesn't mean that the whole science about passive heating/cooling is wrong. That being said i take back saying "almost anywhere" as it too broad. What i mean is basements can perform really well in a wide variety of climates if implemented well
Originally from MA (had basement with 1 above ground side). In Texas now (apartment, no basement) The basement benefits: 1) Store the furnace & oil tank 2) Store washing machine & water tank. If either ever leaked it wouldn't destroy your floors/ceiling 3) The main house entrance/exit. Saves on heating costs by acting like an airlock and keeps mud/dirt out of the house 4) Utility lines are completely visible and surrounded by concrete. Repairs/shut offs are easy. If a pipe bursts its not a huge deal I personally see basements as an asset that makes homes easier to maintain and less prone to certain damage
Being Minnesota born and raised. It was actually shocking to me to learn (years ago) that people build houses WITHOUT full basements 😂 Now, of course, I completely understand why it’s done. But it’s still off putting to me to see a basement-less home when I go home shopping. Some of you may recognize Minnesota on the chart Miss Belinda showed as being one of the darkest colored, or frost heavy states. So it’s just known that if you’re going to build here. You’re doing a basement. You’ve got to go down 8-12 feet for water mains here. So if you’re digging that deep anyway. You’d might as well take the time to dig a basement. Plus there’s actual issues with slab on grade here too, frost heaving! A poorly planned or constructed slab on grade foundation here will be subject to frost heaving forces so extreme that it will make a brand new home look forgotten and abandoned after just a season or two. Yes our basement, being a field stone foundation, has water issues. But as long as our sump pump is working. It’s never an issue. Personally, I won’t buy a house without a full basement. The extra space, storage and ease of servicing utilities is hard to pass up once you’ve had it.
Totally agree. Love a basement in particular for storage! And nice for laundry, too. I am in Seattle now and can't stand that basements really don't exist here. So no more storage space. I also never understood why all states don't have them, but Belinda's video clears that up.
Love my basement here in Wisconsin. It’s also worth mentioning that when you have the duct system all inside the heated envelope it makes the house much easier to heat and cool, as opposed to having all the ducts in the attics.
If you have ducting in the attic, you should insulate it differently so that it is part of the conditioned space. I've seen homes in Texas that insulate the underside of the roof and the attic is just an unfinished "room". The house just needs to be designed properly.
I love my basement! Good lighting is less expensive today so it is very well lit. I have been obsessed with water so I have a backup sump pump, downspouts redirection, French drain, and proper grading. It is a nice extension of the living space in our house.
Belinda, there is one type of basement construction that you left out: permanent wood foundation. I live here in Alaska and had to go down six feet for frost and went another foot to start my footings. I framed the walls using 2x10, and pressure treated 3/4 inch plywood. I waterproofed and insulted before backfill. With ten foot ceilings I am able to build an aquaponics garden and now feed my family fresh produce which normally is expensive here in Alaska.
I was going to cast a vote for wood foundations, but you beat me to it. My father had one in northern Wisconsin and I have one in central Wisconsin. They are considerably less expensive to build than concrete. They are warmer in the winter and less humid in the summer. I was born in 1956 and have lived in ten different houses in Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, Illinois, and Texas. All of them had full basements except the one in Texas, which was a rental. We moved there because my employer transferred me. I hated the lack of storage and workshop space, not to mention no safe space in a tornado. It was like having half a house We didn't even bother unpacking my tools and other items that had been in our basement because (1) there was no place to put them and (2) we knew we would be getting out of there ASAP. Seven months later, I found a good job back in Wisconsin and never looked back. (Of the 67 people who were transferred to Texas, seven of us ended up in the same office in Wisconsin.) I now have an 1856 ft² basement. At 1332 ft², my basement workshop has a larger footprint than some homes.
With climate change, I have heard of issues with houses that are built ON TOP OF the permafrost (that is, unlike yours). At least, that is my understanding. Apparently the permafrost is not so "perma"nent anymore. Forests are susceptible to being blown over! Also, there are cellars in Alaska that are used for meat storage, right? I saw something where one was just waterfall cascading into it during the summer. I am a huge fan of using underground space, for energy, utility and safety issues. I think a little digging up front goes a long way later. I especially like "Earthships," which can be built into a hillside and naturally ventilated with pipes that go into the ground and rise up from the hill behind the house, in my idealized case.
This is an interesting Idea I never thought of. I always wanted a subterranean greenhouse in the backyard to grow massive tomato plants...never thought of putting it under the house.
When I was in my teens we lived in a house that was 250' from a river. In the space between was a 10+ foot earth dike with a highway on top of it. Most of the time it was fine but a couple times the river filled up to near the top of the dike which meant that the water level was actually higher than the gutters on the house. One year the water pressure was so bad that the slab heaved and cracked. We got less than 1 inch of water, luckily the sewer was able to drain fast enough, their was no sump pump. It was an old house, not sure when it was built but it had a coal furnace, and the electric was tube and post wiring that was added after the initial build. Oh, and the bathroom looked like it had been retrofit into a previous walk in closet (very small). Despite this no problem with mold or anything else.
Miss my folks basement back in Jamaica NY. It wasn't insulated, but it was a cool getaway. And music recording was ALL me & my brothers and sister &cousins did back then in the basement. The idea of the water table being so close here in Florida just give me the mind chills. I need a basement.
Here in Seattle, there are lots of basements. In fact, most of the homes that have been built in the 20th century (craftsman style bungalows) have them. Depending on their location in the city they'll have more or less attention paid to waterproofing: there are lots of hills here, and almost all of the hills are mostly glacial till on top, where the houses are built. This means that the ground higher up percolates quite well, and a French drain is plenty to keep your basement snug and dry. Down low towards the water, and nearer to the lakes (or in drainage areas that were reclaimed e.g. surrounding Greenlake) the ground is essentially swampy and doesn't perc' very well at all. Still, basic water management is incorporated, for the most part, and a drain into the side sewer is sufficient to keep water from accumulating. The way the property slopes (here, there is usually a slope of some sort) is considered and drains built into the property channel water away from the basement walls, and overhangs on the South side of the house (most of the weather comes from the South) are all water management practices. New construction here seems like basement foundations are pretty standard. We are priced out of owning our own home, but I would no question pay more for a house with a basement. Thanks Mrs. Carr, you are wonderful.
I would never consider building a house on anything other than a basement. But I live in Ohio. Water can be an issue, but so long as it's built properly the risks are largely eliminated.
Tried finding a house with a basement in my part of California... Almost no amount of money will get you one, even for new construction. They really only do them in areas with height restrictions and property values over 3M.
Thanks for the video and information. I live in an "average" home in North Texas and wish that I had a basement. I believe that the home builders never made basements a priority to save money, inflate profits, and build faster. I used to think our clay soil was a factor but no longer believe that because there are ways to mitigate it. I have family in Colorado where basements are the standard and expected (for all socioeconomic levels), and the cost of the homes are the same, but their homes include a basement (and double the sq.ft.). In my opinion the lower standards of construction established by North Texas home builders in the late 70s and 80s have influenced the low cost and quality of construction (and lack of basements) that we see today. There is a drawback to having generations of pro-profit elected officials in Texas, that allow for either low standards or non-enforcement. (A potential future video could look at the historical standards of home construction and how they influence current construction and cost vs. profit.)
Great explanation of the benefits and drawbacks. I would suggest the decline in percentage of new homes built without basements is because of a population shift to the south and west where basements are either not possible - like Florida - or less practical like in Texas or other areas. The cost to build in the north is relatively little as the frostline in the mid Atlantic states up to Canada is 3-5 feet deep. So you have the equipment there to dig so go a little deeper anyway so might as well add cheap space to the house. Have to have the footers and some form of foundation anyway and no additional cost for your roof, etc. Our houses have always had walkout basements as there are major advantages with drainage. The ground slopes away from the house - so even the water around the buried portions of the house can be directed away from the house by gravity and down the hill. No need for sump pump and you are good to go as long as gravity works. Also a walkout allows for a window meeting the code to allow for a bedroom. Regardless, in finished areas, you need to run a dehumidifier during the warm humid months in order to avoid mold problems. So, as mentioned, the issue is more in practicality than cost - if you live in an area like Florida - you can forget it - and if more people are moving into these areas so of course fewer new homes will be built with basements.
Our home in northern Colorado (20-odd miles north of Denver) was built in 1997 and has a full, finished basement including two bedrooms separated by a jack-n-jill bathroom and a so-called "long room" (just a room that runs the width of the house). It has four large windows (one of which we converted into an outside entrance). Of course, it contains the HVAC closet, water heater, etc. The ceiling height is eight feet. We bought the house in 2015. We have never had even a minor issue with water/mold/etc. We find the basement nice to have for extra guest rooms, storage, our home gym, etc. Never a single issue with the basement
It may be more expensive in Arizona or places like it, but the cost of AC in the summer here makes me think it should be considered to have houses partially in ground.. not to mention the extreme strain running these AC units has on our energy grid ..
@@donamills there are rocks, clay and caliche but we had our septic put in and it was no problem to dig through. we have a 6 foot deep hole for a cistern/stock pond so it is completely doable to have basements in arizona.... I just think that saving energy/being more efficient is not a priority for development companies and the status quo is to continue to build the same cookie cutter houses because profit rules....
NM has "earth" homes where they are built on the surface and then earth added to the sides & top.... Been done for hundreds of years as nature's temperature mitigation both summer & winter before "insulation was developed.
My parents old house in Ohio had a water infiltration problem in one part of their basement. There was a crack we could see from the outside. Me and a friend dug the soil away from the outside of the foundation, following the crack. When we hit the footer, we cleaned the exposed wall. We then covered the crack in tar, and cover that in a plastic film. They had no more problems for the next 12 years they lived there.
I would also mention that some municipalities have height restrictions in certain residential zones and by adding a basement or partial basement, you can get around the height restrictions.
Check out the extravagant excavations being done for the ultra wealthy under existing homes in London. They can’t go up so they go down. Swimming pools, bowling alleys, cinemas, wine cellars. Some have all that and more on two, even three level projects. Insane!
My grandparents home when I was a child had walk-out basement on both the house and the garage as the grade on that property absolutely necessitated it. Having a partially finished walk-out basement is awesome. You can have an unfinished space for utilities in the below-grade side, then finish the rest of it additional living and storage space, all while having none of the potential moisture problems of a fully below grade basement and most of the heating and cooling benefits. If the property makes it reasonable I'd highly recommend it even in a more southern state.
I'm Ukrainian, and my advice from personal experience, please build basement always if you can. Basements saves lives. Literally. In case of bombardment it can be the only one safe place around.
@@arni291 wow how quickly you forgot Civil War, Pearl Harbour and 9.11. But i got it. I leave all my life with same thoughts. Thinking I'm safe. But here I am now, thanking God and whoever build my home that he bless my family with good solid cement basement. You newer know if some crazy old dictator with too much power and to damaged brain wanna roleplay Hitler. Never say never, it is better to be prepared even if nothing happens.
I always learn so much from your videos. I finally understand why my relatives in the Northeast have basements but nobody I know in Texas or Colorado does!
@@biteme294 I assume you're just trolling Mr. Kriebel in good fun, but I'll clarify for those who might take your remarks at face value. All of the utilities that would be encased in concrete in a house built on a slab are in the basement and accessible by stepladder - no jackhammer required. I am in the middle of a major remodeling project in which I have moved several walls. After I've pulled the Romex that ran up the old walls down into the basement, I just add a junction box down there and extend the runs to the new walls. Easy peasy. I'm also enlarging the main bath and moving the fixtures around. Again, I'll be cutting the old pipes off in the basement and routing the new ones up through the floor. Same with the ductwork. The HVAC system is right out in the open in the basement - no crawling around in the attic to make changes and repairs. The only criticism that has some merit is the possibility of flooding, but houses on slabs flood all the time. I've had one basement flood in 66 years. It was in a house that was built in 1930 with no drain tiles or sump pump. The basement was unfinished, so I just had to have the furnace repaired, replace the washer and dryer, and clean my tools. I'd much rather have ten basement floods than one main floor flood that destroys everything I own.
Let me apologize first, because I wasn't going to listen to this video to the end. But once I started, you answered all of my questions that I ever had about basement. You did an amazing job in this video. You made it simple, clear, and easy to understand. You went straight to the point. Thank you so much.
Thank you. I've never understood not adding such incredibly cheap additional square footage to a building. Not to mention a safety area for bad weather.
I love my basement. As long as the water table is below the basement floor, it's really easy to build one without any moisture issues. As long as the basement walls are built water proof (or mostly water proof) and the insulated floor slab is on top of crushed stone with proper drainage pipes underneath the slab and at the walls to a sump pit that can pump the water somewhere else, it works great. It's not too expensive to do it right, but very expensive to do it wrong. Always build it assuming water will get in. Big problems arise when people finish them too early and not allow the concrete to cure properly and dry out before trying to seal them up with walls.
One of the reasons basements have become less prevalent as a percentage of the total number of houses is that the population is aging - more older folks moving into the west and south and also, those that stay in the north and northeast just don't want the stairs. It is extremely rare to find a basement in the newer over 55 communities being built anyway in the country.
I know it's out of your usual ballpark, but you should do a video on landscaping techniques and the science behind it. I recently started a landscaping job and would really love to know more about the mechanics of what's actually going on.
@@xeriscapeguy I think we do. We are more focused on lawn maintenance, laying mulch, hedge trimming, and planting foliage. Our company isn't really in the business of landscape architecture either, so we aren't the ones designing the landscape of any given property. Although it's a pretty diverse operation. We also do patio construction and fence installation.
@@xeriscapeguy lol my guy, if I want a greenass lawn in the middle of the mf'n Sahara desert, then I'm going to have a greenass lawn in the middle of the mf 'n Sahara desert 😄 Subdue the earth immediately
In Minnesota, since you have to get footings below the frost line (5-7 feet) anyway, at that point you might as well put a full basement in, because the cost is only slightly higher than doing a crawlspace, slab on grade or partial basement. It also provides freeze protection for your plumbing and water heater. Course the soil is sandy, so it drains well, and is easy to excavate.
Our Midwest home has a walk-out basement. An oddity: our basement has no sump pump, and (recent reno dragging basement out of 1970s aside), have never had to 'do' anything re: water. Our gutters kick water out 20+ feet from foundation. We do have a radon detector and removal system. NOTE to any builder/homeowner- with basement,p+beam, or slab DO NOT put bushes or trees within 10 feet of the house! It can only cause problems down low or up high (critters, roof damage, gutters filling up, etc.) Walk around a 30+year old neighborhood and look at houses whose maintenance has been lackluster, you'll see bushes (or trees) run amok too close to the house
So our neighborhood here in the appalachian mountains was built in the 50's-70's and the quality of the homes here far exceeds new construction in every way except price lol. We never had water issues, and finished the basement a few years back, digging out and expanding a window well for emergency escape in the event of fire. This window well was located on a very large courtyard with a full perimiter brick wall. When we dug out the window well, it had a 2' brick wall surround, which was removed and NOT replaced-for more sunlight. Well apparently over time, the patio has settled towards the house, directing rain water away from the opening for the gate, and towards the low point. Which just so happened to be the bedroom window well... Record setting rain made it look like a fish tank. That's the only time we've gotten water in there. The brick has been replaced.* Basements are so, so great. They are just different than another floor up. They're always fun, cool and unique spaces totally suited to what YOU want.
I have a walkout basement outside of Nashville. It had water issues because it's a cavity wall construction (cinderblock, then a gap, then brick on the outer side). The cavity would fill with water during rain, which would then seep into the basement. The crazy thing is moisture problems like this are considered "normal" in the area and many people live with basements that repeatedly flood with water. Re-grading the outside and adding gutter extensions didn't help. I had several companies come and offer solutions, some of which were terrible ideas, one would have compromised the structural integrity of the footings. Ultimately a local branch of Basement Systems installed what's essentially an interior french drain under the concrete floor and also a perimeter above ground channel, all feeding to a sump pump. I added a housewrap vapor barrier in front of the cinderblock so any seepage is directed down into the channel. Studs, insulation and drywall are in front of the housewrap and channel. It's been a few years and the basement's been dry ever since. It was not cheap but totally worth it. It went from an unusable, unhealthy space to my awesome workshop (and storm shelter). I guess I'm particularly proud of it because I spent a ton of time researching water intrusion issues, building science, and options, before successfully solving the problem.
My house was built in 1957, it has a full basement with two steel I-beams to distribute the weight. I don’t have a sump pump & oddly, there’s not even a cistern or equivalent place to install one. It generally stays pretty dry, although I utilize a dehumidifier in the warm months but mainly for comfort. We’re lucky that our house was built on the high point of the lot & has a wide overhang. When it rains, the water stays away from the foundation & usually drains off pretty quickly due to the grade.
I'm in charge of maintaining several small buildings in the upper-midwest. All are between 90 and 110 years old. All have basements. They're extremely useful spaces for utilities and storage. None are finished, there are water issues with all of them; there was a mold problem with one of them. On normal ground - Good gutters with downspouts that release rain-water 7 feet away from the building, and making sure the ground slopes away from the building, are the two most important factors to keeping the basement "dry" (no visible water). A simple home-depot dehumidifier per 1500sf can take care of the dampness. On ground that's been reclaimed from a more watery situation, you're going to have more significant challenges....
Basements are somewhat costly to build but I still like having one. After I installed outside water drainage board, tile and 4 inches of foam insulation my humidity level is 30 to 40%! What a difference..
I’m wondering if the numerical change in types of basements is more to the increased construction in the south, the decreased construction in the north, with each using the historic norm as far as type of basements employed.
I live in the mid-west (Missouri) and I’m currently renovating a 124 year old brick house that was built with a fieldstone foundation on top of red clay dirt. My house was abandoned for 8 years and had a bad roof with no gutters for about 10 years. A house that should be very sturdy decided to settle recently and I’m currently trying to fix it/stabilize it. But overall, I’m very happy to have my basement even though it’s currently a pain to repair. You get built in storage that you can covert to living space if you want. And you get a built in storm shelter and easy access to your house’s utilities. It’s worth the price/repair.
I grew up in Michigan. Almost all the homes I lived in had finished basements that added wonderful additional living space. Fortunately, we never experienced any leakage problems. I just moved to South Carolina and we've been house hunting for six months and, to my great disappointment, we have only come across one house with a basement. I thought it all had to do with water table, but your video nicely explained many other reasons. Thank you. I enjoyed this informative video.
Another great video! Two more reasons why basements aren't very popular: 1. Most real estate rules don't allow you to count it toward the advertised square footage of the home, so though you might have 3000 ft2 of finished living area, you can only advertise your home as 1500 ft2 in most areas. 2. Basements in the Midwest are TERRIBLE for leaking. This has caused a stigma that simply doesn't exist in the extreme north (homes in Alberta almost always have basements). There are bad building practices in the construction of basements today, but there is no reason to ever have a leak in any basement other than negligent building or poor training.
One concern I've seen in New Hampshire is tree-root damage, both in a house out in the woods and an upscale one downtown, both over 100 years old. I doubt such concerns are prevalent enough to address, maybe? But then any kind of foundation can suffer the same old or new yeah?
In Manitoba Canada roots are not the biggest threat to basement foundations as they are to sewer systems. Especially in older established areas where the popular trees in the late 1800's and early 1900's were Dutch Elms. They used clay pipes back then because they handled the frost heaves of the soil but the Elms roots would wrap around and break them causing significant issues in the 60's and 70's. Most of the old clay sewer pipes were replaced at that time with pvc which seems to have rectified the issue. Sadly Dutch Elm disease has and continues to decimate the large portions of them.
@@rockys7726 Building a house less than 100 feet from nearby trees is the real problem. They seem far enough away, including the newer ones so it must be okay! 50+ years later it starts to not be okay....
In my area, I sincerely doubt that the "popularity" of basements has NOT declined. I don't know, maybe more new homes are being built without basements. But that's not the same as "popularity". Basements are highly valued. It is possible that between skyrocketing house prices and corner cutting by builders that fewer homes are being built without basements. In addition, an oddity in house marketing requires that when a house is listed for sale, the basement space is NOT listed in the square footage. Odd. So two identical houses, except one with a basement and one without, are listed with the same square footage. Misleading and undervalues the house with the basement. For example, my basement has the furnace, hot water heater, laundry, a full bathroom, a workshop, abundant storage space and more. Children's play areas, guy's club houses, etc are also common. (And unlike in the south, plumbing items cannot be moved to the attic or the garage due to pipes freezing.) Take those functions out of the basement and put them on the upper floors and that same house becomes much, much smaller. So if builders are skipping the basement, perhaps part of that is how the house is listed / marketed. But basements in my area are still "popular".
Our oldest daughter lived in Dallas TX area all of HVAC was in the attic which left the floors uncomfortably cold much worse than our home in Chicago area. I have had this experience in other‘southern’ homes. We’re moving shortly to the Tulsa area and slab homes loose many points on our lists, crawl space homes gain points.
Extremely rare to find a home in Canada without a full basement. My attic has 40 inches of fiberglass insulation, so there is no opportunity for HVAC or other services in the attic. Water pipes can never be run through the attic due to extreme cold winter temperatures. Only electrical wiring and air vent pipes are permitted in the attic.
Live in Illinois and Michigan. Lots of basements. Concrete Block: Cotton wood trees 9 in back yard and water sitting on the ground when really bad rain. Back wall bowed in. Another house the shrubs at the front of the house and the back fill settled causing the water to flow to the home and under the big front concrete porch. solution to fix the slop and put a plastic barrier as part of that fix. Then hydraulic concrete to fix wall cracks. Poured concrete basement. Home was an island for 20 minutes if received more then 3" of rain in a few hours. City replace 1 foot drain with 2 foot. However before that removed window wells by previous owner. I fixed a crack from top to bottom near two corners. Home located in a saddle sloping from above and down below. Didn't need sump pump. Parent home had an sewer below frost line at about 4 foot. In a flood plain. Neighborhood flooded streets. sump pumps keep basements free of standing water. North Carolina home on a slab. This home in a high water table or clay at about 18 inch. Thus trapping rain on the surface. Few full basement homes in the older ones but the newer ones have them.
The biggest problem with basements where I live in Virginia is the contractors building them. Improper site grading and preparation, lack of drainage, the neighbors yards graded towards yours, and the total lack of water proofing such as a rubber membrane are at the top of the short list of basements. I have a split foyer house with a fully finished downstairs. I don’t refer to it as a basement. The downstairs is about three feet below grade. The sump pump is under the front entry/foyer. Over the years I have built a number of solutions to mitigate the issues I mentioned. I think most people shy away from basements because they hear the horror stories which typically can be traced to the contractor. Contractors stop building them because it’s cheaper and less headache not too. Which is too bad because they can serve an important function depending on where you live. In the summer, my downstairs is the place to be. Thanks for the vid.
Where I am from, partially finished walk-in basements are very popular. Usually a "living room" on the walk-in side to allow for east facing windows, and allow heating with an easy way to bring in firewood to heat the floor above. Then an unfinished "utility" room on the high side to house HVAC and allow access to plumbing and wiring above (and storm shelter/storage). Walk-in basements are much more pleasant and useable. Granted, this is in rural areas where people can choose where to put their home, rather than a development where houses are placed anywhere possible, even on top of a spring, and it's the buyer's problem. Modern building techniques (drains, swales) remove most leak and moisture issues. Always freaked me out how a stick on slab structure can be infested by termites with no external visibility.
Another reason for basements is what you touched on but did not tie together completely. You did mention the footers and frostline. The cost of a basement in the northern region is cheaper because they already have to excavate 4-6 feet deep for the footers. I am not sure of the percentage but maybe 20% is already paid into the footers and you only need the other 80% to complete it. For the footers, you can also engineer in Frost Protected Shallow Foundations to save money, excavation, pump trucks.
Maybe a bit off-topic, but I really like your earrings and that top! They go great together, and work well with the lighting. Back on-topic: I'm currently dual-quoting a new build for a client (in the northeast) for either a FPSF monolithic or a full basement because the construction costs are pushing more buyers than ever (including this one) to the edge of their budget for even basic builds, and a slab is a HUGE cost saver if the basement space isn't really needed. People often don't think about all the subflooring and floor joists and beams and posts that aren't needed with a slab; it's a lot of labor and materials cut out of the equation even before figuring in the less excavation, concrete, insulation, and water mitigation required.
I grew up out west, and hardly knew anyone that had basement. I moved northeast, and I have a basement now and love it. Moisture is definitely something I keep an eye out for, but, overall, I love having the convenient storage
I had a pipe leak recently. I walked down to my basement, cut out a section of pipe and soldered in a new section. About $10 in total to repair. On a slab, that may very well be a multi-thousand dollar repair. Nope, I'd accept nothing less than a crawl space at minimum.
As European, I can barely imagine a house without it. Many homes are small and thus, you'd be screwed without them, plus they halp to isolate against the cold and keep food cool. Oddly enough, I've seen basements that appear to have no foundation, just gravel floors.
I’m in Chicago, living in a one-story 68 year-old home with a basement. There is a small crack in one of the walls and some water does come in, but it's nothing that the floor drain can't handle. Yes, it can get damp and musty down there, but I don't even need a dehumidifier; in many cases one can simply use ventilation fans that move that damper air upstairs where it is quickly exhausted through windows and doors and/or absorbed by the drier air, which is especially welcome in the winter where homes with forced air gas furnaces (such as mine) get very dry. The only thing that I wish was different in my basement was that it had been dug just a little bit deeper. From the floor to the floor beams above, is just under seven feet, making this very difficult to turn into a truly livable space, but I do have some. In the summer it's much cooler, so I have a small secondary bedroom down there for sleeping, which cuts down on my air conditioning costs. Some other homes on my block do have deeper basements, and have been remodeled into beautiful spaces, and at least two rental apartments. I know that Belinda mentions the added cost of a basement to not be worth it as far as payback is concerned, but I absolutely disagree with this. When dug out and sealed properly, you are essentially getting twice the space out of the same footprint. Furthermore, all of the mechanicals such as furnaces and water heaters, plus laundry and the like, can be located there, out of sight, not taking up space in your primary living area and certainly much quieter for upstairs. And as mentioned before, if you can turn some or all of that basement into rental space, there is absolutely no way that it cannot be economically worth the added cost, unless you’re in a low lying area as mentioned, or one that requires blasting through stone. Being able to create underground living spaces could alleviate some suburban sprawl which is horrible in the United States. Zoning laws have to be changed to allow rentals of basement apartments. I can’t imagine ever giving up my basement unless I downsize. For me, the good vastly outweighs the bad.
Thank you for this interesting video. I just subscribed. A friend in Minnesota has a basement, but part of the ventilation issue is that radon collects in it. I suspect a lot of basements suffer from this, since a large part of the country has radon in the ground (I think there are maps available, including on the U.S. EPA's website). We just don't know about it because no one tests for radon. Everyone should test for it though, especially if you live in a high radon area. Test kits are available at hardware stores. There is a fix, but I think it costs thousands of dollars for a crew to dig and install vents outside the foundation, and you can vent the interior of a basement as well, perhaps using a heat exchanger. Crawl spaces have less of an issue, and it's easier to fix them with venting. However, homeowners have to deal with wildlife setting up in the crawl space. A friend in San Francisco had skunks in her crawl space! I have heard of even slab foundations--which also have issues with radon--being a problem with wildlife, since there are burrowing rodents, including rabbits, that can get under. I'd love for you to expand your video into these topics. Matt Rislinger made some videos that speak about different kinds of foundations in different parts of the country, on "The Build Show." Maybe you two could make one together. I think he is in Texas or the South too. Lastly, I feel that you could include another category of creating more square footage. I have seen in desert areas that architects like to play with the whole indoor/outdoor definition. They will pour slabs that are part of the outside, and build sliding glass or other kinds of moving walls that allow residents to open up their living space to the outdoors. Much preferable over the dank dungeons represented by lots of basements. I have to admit though, I love basements. My grandparents had one in Chicago. Half was for recreational use and half was utilities and a workshop. I wonder how they got a full-size pool table down there.
Most of the homes being built in the US right now is in the south west where it doesn't make as much sense to have a basement-hence the data on why basements are getting less popular overall in the US
Confirmation bias tells me I need to like this. Do we have any kind of map confirming it? Cuz I feel like if you have a slab on grade in the north (at least midwest north) and you're not on a lake with a very high water table, you've just dumped some seriously important home value. Not sure I'd even look at a house that didn't have a basement unless it was that lake house with high water table.
Hi Belinda. You have any thought on crawl space encapsulation, or things I should be asking if need it/or would even benefit from it? Oh and yes, Ive dealt with a leaky basement in the past. In talking back in the early days of the internet. 14.4k modem days. Had a crack in the wall right at the window cut out, in the corner. It wasn't too bad of a fix (I really wouldn't say it was a pro job, but it worked in my budget) I dug down from the outside of the home to where the crack appeared to stop and added another foot or so. Scrubbed and cleaned the area, applied some tar based foundation sealant. I then added a membrane of some sort over that. Used a "J" roller to get most of the air out, and to get the membrane properly stuck. Not sure if it was an ok, or awful way to do it. I just remembered... It was a lot of physical labor. A heck of a lot cheaper. and It stopped the leak.
I'm 2 hours north of Seattle. Always had basements. But just inherited a 1940's farm house with an ultra modern for then full poured cement and old growth hand hewn timber beam basement. It's only 6 feet high, and 81 years old, but it's pretty amazing. We're converting it into a hydroponic garden as it's under our kitchen. 😆👍
Well done factual video.......... One point regarding walk out basement depends on the grading of the land being built on ........ As a resident of Texas I would prefer for my home being built on a CRAWLSPACE due to getting the best of both worlds..... This type of home provides best insulation along with moisture control compared to a home built on a slab........Your videos are top notch..... Keep up the good work.
Even though I consider basements a bit of a liability, I will say that a finished basement is always the best place in any home. Less noise, more comfortable without the use of an air conditioner, and they can get plenty of light into them with properly placed windows. Someday I'd like to build a house where the primary living space is all underground; I've been in houses like that, and they are always cool.
Dealing with the construction and use of basement living spaces takes an extra knowledge-base. If you don't know what you're doing, you end up with a musty pit. If you do know what you're doing, you get a safe, comfortable, quiet, occupiable space that doesn't push you towards the local building height restrictions, If it's allowed, the best way to build them is to excavate no further than you need to, and dump fill to bring the yard up to the level you want it. That solves the expansive clay problem and the water intrusion problem. And with some planning, gets you some natural daylight. I think the decreasing popularity is more about builders than homeowners. Basements take longer, cost more and add complexity. If people are willing to buy a plywood box on a slab, why offer them anything better?
I love my basement. Main reason I bought my house was because of the extra storage of a similar priced and similar sized house. And if it is too hot, I can run downstairs and it is always below 68 without any AC.
THANKS BELINDA 🤗 for explaining this and why it isn’t practical for most of the southeast I’m for building homes for people to live in for long term...builders are looking to make as much money 💴 and build as many as possible and as cheaply as possible…A BIG REASON WHY BUILDING CODES AND INSPECTIONS ARE NECESSARY 🥺
I love basements. One of my houses had a moisture problem, but it was an 80 yr-old house and there was no moisture block on the outside. A French drain helped a lot. It is definitely necessary to make sure there is a thick moisture barrier, but I am wondering about insulation. Is it better to insulate well or not? Do we want the summer cooling more than the winter warm coziness? It certainly depends on where we live.
In the north, the climate requires a deep footing. Going further down to have the height for a usable basement doesn't add as much cost compared to adding a basement in a climate that doesn't have a frost layer. There are other areas of the country where the ground is very hard and that increases the cost.
It seems to me that the reason for the percentage discrepancy is that most new homes are built in the South, where basements are neither necessary nor cost effective. In other words, nothing has changed economically over time. Rather, sometimes we build in one place and at other times we build in another place, and as a consequent the popularity of a given product shfts.
I couldn't live in a house that doesn't have a basement, I have to be able to get to the utilities under the home for maintenance and I'm not crawling around for that, lol.
Had a basement apartment in my 20s and I hated every water pumping moment of it. Crack in the foundation, septic pump failure, dishwashing liquid soap in the laundry machine, a cracked furnace were just a few major ones.
Popularity might not be the right word. I live in Denver metro and most would perfer our houses to have basements but most of the building is done by companies are building cheap and fast.
I am reminded by some comments about another aspect of open underground basements. The Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago built a four story underground parking garage, next to Lake Michigan! They had to install reinforcing bars deep into the soil to hold the whole structure in the ground, or risk the whole thing rising up and floating like a ship due to all the water volume displaced. The nearby University of Chicago built a similar structure for their relatively recent Mansueto Library, which was featured in the film series Divergent as the home base of the educated elite group. The Mansueto Library goes down maybe six stories! And it also has to tie into the ground to keep that thing in the ground and not floating up. The library only looks like a slim glass dome on the surface, hence its use in the film. None of the lower levels are meant for human use. Those levels store books and media that are brought up to users in the dome by a robotic retrieval system.
I grew up in western Texas. Most homes (like the one I grew up in) had pier-and-beam foundations, but a few were slab-on-grade. Most now are slab. One family I knew built a partial basement for their home extension & it was great as a rec room and storm shelter. It was nice and cool in the summer. Out there, the soil is about 18" of sand over a 10" or more layer of caliche (limestone), then more sand. Now I live in north Texas, I suspect near you, Belinda. I would love a foundation, but nobody here builds them due to the clay soils. In college (Tx A&M), many of the campus buildings and even many commercial buildings in Bryan/College Station had basements and they worked well.
Love the channel and the way you explain every angle. I live in north Carolina in Pinehurst the changing from crawlspace to slap houses for lower costs. I'm building a new house as we speak and I choose a no vented crawlspace.
I grew up in an area where no houses had basements, then moved to another state and bought a home with a basement. Quite an experience--such a big new feature. I agree with everything said, although on the issue of cost, how does it compare to building a second story on a home, since a full basement is essentially a second floor? My home's basement isn't fully buried, so it still has some natural light coming in from small-ish windows. Another problem with basements is the same problem as with 2-story houses: they need a stairway for access. That chews up a lot of valuable floor space (on both levels) and is difficult for older people or those with handicaps to climb. One trick to reduce the risk of leaking I've discovered is surrounding the exterior of the home with concrete walkways/patios, to divert more water away from the home.
Isn't a predominant driver in basements in the North vs. South the required frost line for a foundation? In the North the frost line often extends down to 48" which is half way to a full height basement.
Living in Washington State many older homes have basements. Depending on the soil in the area it can be perfectly fine. Many areas have sand and/or rocky soil. Not all need sub pumps. We have one with our 1960's rancher. Yes there is some cracking in the foundation, but that happens with any foundation basement or not as a home naturally settles over time. It is just more apparent as you can walk around and see the walls or floors if they are not finished. I like having a basement. We have extra large windows in the recroom and it gets plenty of light from the West and 2 bedrooms with large egress windows get sun from the South. We have central air and if you want to skip using it as much to save on your bill then you can hang out in the basement where it is much cooler. But I would say that you should have a radon test done and install a radon mitigation system in it if need be. We did with ours even though the levels were only a little above recommended levels. New homes already have these in place. We don't really have a moisture or mold problem. But that might be more common with rock foundations and those homes that are insulated too well and retain moisture. Especially if you have a bathroom shower in the basement. I would make sure you have a decent fan and good venting. You can have your home too air tight and your home does not get good air circulation. Concrete underground does have moisture in it even if you don't see it. But making sure you control humidity levels and leaks like water tanks and pipes and not having things too air tight and good venting(yard sloping too)will go a long ways to prevent mold. Sealing cracks in the foundation will help too... 😊 Still we love our basement. Nice and cool in the Summer and much quieter since the concrete walls are a great sound barrier.. Basements are great for Theater rooms.. A place to duck into with tornadoes too. Although we rarely get them... 😊
I've lived in multiple states in homes with basements, crawl space and slabs. I hated having a damp basement. Other people love them, but imo not worth the hassle. Crawl space floors can feel springy and be uneven with settling. And pray you never need to jackhammer your slab. That's why I live in a tent now.
From professional experience, I've found that correcting settling related to tent-based construction is no easy task. Things such as pinecone removal, etc. add to overall cost as well.
I have to ask, does your tent somehow have modern amenities like plumbing and electricity, or do you believe that such amenities aren't worth the hassle of maintaining a foundation?
I’m on a pier type (in SC). During a very big flood we had in 2015, the upper part of the ground / soil, was relatively ok afterwards, but the water soaked through the dirt and sand and traveled on top of a clay layer. This eroded an area about 1-2 feet below the surface. It wasn’t until 2016 that it was noticeable. A lot of the piers sunk a little or leaned over facing down slope. It cost me around $7,000 to fix everything up. If I were on a slab I would have been in bigger trouble by far. Several houses in the neighborhood were having foundations warp and crack.
@@donamills I live in the "New" subdivision around Columbia. These home were built in the min to late 80's. The "Old" section the homes were built in the 60-70's. There are a few homes from later years.. and a couple from the early 2000's. I live a few miles from the Lake Murray (it's pretty big) and a creek runs through the very edge of my backyard. The topo-geography is all over the place. If you stand on my back deck the neighbor behind me on the next road over and about 50 meters away... you are above their roof. The back yard slopes pretty steep all the way to the creek. To my West that house is separated from me by a 2 meter or so tall retaining wall. They are way lower than my house. The house to the East is only a meter or so higher than me. I have a feeling most of the neighborhood's storm drains and such, run through just 5 of us or so. It's been really stable since I moved in in 2007. No issues.
Moisture control has improved in just last few years. Use to be put in a basement and call it good. But now the moisture control starts with construction. After the concert is poured and cured, insulation and water proofing goes on the outside of the concrete, sealing it from outside moisture in the ground. Water proof membranes are used to divert water along with materials like pea rock and drainage tile to move any water in the soil away from the structure. Inside the concrete walls are commonly covered with either ridged board foam insulation or spray foam insulation, both materials maximize coverage, preventing condensation and mold. The advantage of closed cell foam it’s a great insulation and is naturally anti mold and a moisture blocker. Also, these foams are the vapor barrier for conditioned air space. The final element for a healthy basement enclosure, the whole house for that mater, is air exchange. All modern homes are built so tight air exchange is a problem. Meaning fresh air needs to be brought into the structure by controlled means to vent out stale air, indoor pollutants, (many times indoor air is more contaminated than outside air) and high humidity. That means the use of either an ERV, Energy Recovery Ventilation or HRV, Heat Recovery Ventilation unit along with a *dehumidifier. As to which you use will depend on which part of the country you live. *A dehumidifier would not necessarily be needed in an areas like the South West, were humidity levels tend to be very low year round, like say Nevada, or Arizona. But in areas like the Deep South, like Florida or even up North in the upper Midwest like Minnesota, (in the summer months the upper Midwest can experience subtropical humidity levels) a dehumidifier in addition to having a EVR or HVR should be used. Also, depending on your location, all new structures should include a Radon Gas Evacuation System, RGES. These can be added to any plan for very little cost. At the time of construction, a few hundred dollars in most cases, and commonly is incorporated with the water drainage system. To retrofit RGES can cost closer to $2000 for an average home. These measures will keep a home save, mold and gas free and comfortable for years to come. Even with slab on ground you should consider incorporating a Radon gas removal system and some kind of air exchange system.
When we moved to the OK panhandle, we were very surprised that none of the houses we looked at had a basement. The one time we had a tornado warning, we went to a shelter that was packed to overflowing, because people didn't have a place to go in their house. I can't imagine what they did if there was a tornado warning in 2021.
The house I grew up in Indianapolis had a basement and it flooded many times, water and moisture were a constant problem. Was a huge problem as the water pump, and laundry were down there. In hindsight, the house never should have had a basement in the first place, there was a creek and lake less than 200 ft away, and no doubt unfavorable soils. The house I live in now in Portland, Oregon has a full finished basement and I’ve never had any problems with moisture or flooding. In Indy the basement was a liability-except when the tornado sirens were going off!-and in Portland it’s been a big benefit. It’s an older house (1942) and there’s no central AC, but the basement is great for hot summer days. And while we don’t have tornadoes in the PNW we have had smoke form wildfires and a heat dome in the past couple years, so it’s been nice to have a place to bunker down.
Really high quality, informative content as always. I've just bought a home with a massive, tall crawl space that could be converted to a daylight basement. This was really helpful!
Modern slab basements often require French drains and sump pump, and it seems pretty much foolproof. My parents move around a lot and just about all of their unprotected basements occasionally flooded. Personally I always have a dehumidifier controlling humidity running and it does a great job keeping the basement pleasant. I cant imagine a house without at least a partial basement. I put them to full use.
Growing up in the Midwest, I had never seen a house without a basement. Moved to the west coast and the south for a while and was shocked to not find any. Thankfully we found a house on the west coast with a full basement that is nice and cool when it’s warmer out.
I live in the northeast, tri-state area with 104 year old house with stone basement. We never get water on floor, or wet walls thankfully, but humidity down there is comstant. We leave a dehumidifier on 24/7 set at 50% from March to Nov. Winter is bone dry without it running. The whole house smells fresher and is drier when you have a demidifier running in basement. Another thing with stone foundation is constant grit etc on the floor. I guess it petmeats through the stone wall from the earth behind it. You can shopvac the whole basememt and in no time it looks like you never vacuumed. Its constant.
Doing a project that requires sewer lateral inspection/dye testing/repair before the sale of any property. I think it would be cool to see a video about the old vitrified clay pipe vs newer plastic, the cameras they use to inspect them, and/or grease and stench traps and backflow preventers
Belinda, I live in Germany, and I love my basement. My basement was built in a factory. The basement is placed on a poured concrete slab. It consists of two concrete shells that are placed side by side at the homesite, and filled with concrete. My concrete is a type of concrete that does not allow water to penetrate through the walls. The sealing at all the joints keep it free of water up to the level of the bottom of any basement windows. The basement is finished off with a concrete ceiling. My house is wood, platform framing, and it sits on the basement walls. The floors are built up with foam insulation which also carries electrical, water, and heating lines, then finished with 5 cm of a flowing gypsum based subflooring that takes 6 or 7 weeks to dry. I found that the cost of a basement is not so much more than the cost of a slab. This is because the government requires a non-moveable foundation. This means they have to dig down to a solid underground, and refill the hole with crushed rock. My neighbor had to dig out basically the same amount of dirt for his slab foundation as I did for my basement. Check out the Glatthaar Fertig Keller technology on YT
In Utah a home without a basement is a huge negative. We have a very low water table, so as long as the basement is built properly it’s a major asset whether it’s finished or not finished
I live on the Canadian prairies, and pretty much every home has a basement. That said, they are VERY wasted spaces. Yes, they often mirror the area of the upper first floor, but they are usually unfinished (bare concrete walls, tiny windows pushing up against would-be ceilings, exposed heating & plumbing ducts, etc.). They can be converted into additional living space, but the susceptibility to damp and flooding make that a liability risk. And, of course, it's very expensive to do. So most just leave them as dank, dingy storage areas that almost always harbour things you don't really want anymore, yet can't bare to throw out. No wonder they are associated with nightmares.
Cool video. I have a basement that is 100 years old and suffers from water intrusion so I agree with your conclusions. It's really cool on hot days though, (without any active cooling) which is a nice perk.
Excellent topic. In the northern portion of NC basements we're about one in every five homes. As I moved to the middle portion that seems to have dropped to one in twenty. My guess is the cost. Real estate developers are trying to build homes quickly and opt for the slab foundation and build two story units. More custom homes may have basements and as far as leaks or dampness it depends on the builder, quality, materials and the home owner.
Living in the upper-midwest, almost everyone I know has a basement. The extra square footage, tornado protection and how cool they stay in the summer makes them almost mandatory. I never understood why other states didn't have them. Thanks to your video, I now understand. Thanks.
Yes, always had a basement in the Midwest (Chicago.) No problem with mold or mildew either. Or rarely water issues. That's what sump pump's are for :-) Great to go downstairs (basement) on a 95 degree day, even if you do have central air!
Same. Midwesterner here. If a house doesn’t have a basement, I’m not buying it.
Same, basements in OH is mandatory, I wouldn't buy a slab home around here. Of course not all basements are equal some of them smell and aren't maintained or built correct.
I live in texas and have never been or seen a residential basement
@@joebyron9 thats bc you need dynomite to dig it there. Same in CA the ground is a rock
Basement foundations make sense wherever heating or cooling cost are significant and where the water table allows, so almost anywhere. Modern building materials allow for better waterproofing of said basement so they can be used in a wider range of locations. Up north they will save you thousands a year on heating costs, down south you will enjoy the same savings on cooling. The earth is a massively underutilized source of thermal regulation. Its the og of passive cooling/heating
Great video again Belinda, keep hustling :)
Going in the basement during summer was always nice. So much cooler.
My friend's old uninsulated basement was always about 68 degrees, summer and winter. I always wondered why there is such an emphasis on insulating modern basements.
@@billvojtech5686 To keep warm air from hitting the cool concrete wall and condensing causing mold.
I'll have to disagree. I live in climate zone 7 in northern Maine. I built my own house in 2009. Heated slab on grade, monolithic pour. My heating costs are half that of any other home in this area, some family members have a home 1/3 the size, and their hearing costs are the same as mine.
@@taylorsutherland6973 you build it well, good for you but just because your house performs well and others near you were poorly built, doesn't mean that the whole science about passive heating/cooling is wrong. That being said i take back saying "almost anywhere" as it too broad. What i mean is basements can perform really well in a wide variety of climates if implemented well
Originally from MA (had basement with 1 above ground side). In Texas now (apartment, no basement)
The basement benefits:
1) Store the furnace & oil tank
2) Store washing machine & water tank. If either ever leaked it wouldn't destroy your floors/ceiling
3) The main house entrance/exit. Saves on heating costs by acting like an airlock and keeps mud/dirt out of the house
4) Utility lines are completely visible and surrounded by concrete. Repairs/shut offs are easy. If a pipe bursts its not a huge deal
I personally see basements as an asset that makes homes easier to maintain and less prone to certain damage
Being Minnesota born and raised. It was actually shocking to me to learn (years ago) that people build houses WITHOUT full basements 😂 Now, of course, I completely understand why it’s done. But it’s still off putting to me to see a basement-less home when I go home shopping.
Some of you may recognize Minnesota on the chart Miss Belinda showed as being one of the darkest colored, or frost heavy states. So it’s just known that if you’re going to build here. You’re doing a basement. You’ve got to go down 8-12 feet for water mains here. So if you’re digging that deep anyway. You’d might as well take the time to dig a basement. Plus there’s actual issues with slab on grade here too, frost heaving! A poorly planned or constructed slab on grade foundation here will be subject to frost heaving forces so extreme that it will make a brand new home look forgotten and abandoned after just a season or two.
Yes our basement, being a field stone foundation, has water issues. But as long as our sump pump is working. It’s never an issue.
Personally, I won’t buy a house without a full basement. The extra space, storage and ease of servicing utilities is hard to pass up once you’ve had it.
agree, here in Canada pretty much need it due to frost depth for sewers and water lines. it saves very little just doing footing or piers.
I love basements. Safe storage for food as a cool/dry space, safety from storms, laundry space, easy access of utilities
Totally agree. Love a basement in particular for storage! And nice for laundry, too. I am in Seattle now and can't stand that basements really don't exist here. So no more storage space. I also never understood why all states don't have them, but Belinda's video clears that up.
We miss the cool area for food storage. We had to build a slab on our Off-Grid home because of all the rock.
Love my basement here in Wisconsin. It’s also worth mentioning that when you have the duct system all inside the heated envelope it makes the house much easier to heat and cool, as opposed to having all the ducts in the attics.
Me to i love my basement
If you have ducting in the attic, you should insulate it differently so that it is part of the conditioned space. I've seen homes in Texas that insulate the underside of the roof and the attic is just an unfinished "room". The house just needs to be designed properly.
I love my basement! Good lighting is less expensive today so it is very well lit. I have been obsessed with water so I have a backup sump pump, downspouts redirection, French drain, and proper grading. It is a nice extension of the living space in our house.
Cincinnati! Actually north of Cincy but close enough.
Done right they are great
@@1970EModel Im in Cincinnati too. I won't buy a house without a basement
😮 if you have a sump pump in your basement what happens when the electric goes out you have to have a backup generator
Belinda, there is one type of basement construction that you left out: permanent wood foundation. I live here in Alaska and had to go down six feet for frost and went another foot to start my footings. I framed the walls using 2x10, and pressure treated 3/4 inch plywood. I waterproofed and insulted before backfill. With ten foot ceilings I am able to build an aquaponics garden and now feed my family fresh produce which normally is expensive here in Alaska.
I was going to cast a vote for wood foundations, but you beat me to it. My father had one in northern Wisconsin and I have one in central Wisconsin. They are considerably less expensive to build than concrete. They are warmer in the winter and less humid in the summer.
I was born in 1956 and have lived in ten different houses in Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, Illinois, and Texas. All of them had full basements except the one in Texas, which was a rental. We moved there because my employer transferred me. I hated the lack of storage and workshop space, not to mention no safe space in a tornado. It was like having half a house We didn't even bother unpacking my tools and other items that had been in our basement because (1) there was no place to put them and (2) we knew we would be getting out of there ASAP. Seven months later, I found a good job back in Wisconsin and never looked back. (Of the 67 people who were transferred to Texas, seven of us ended up in the same office in Wisconsin.) I now have an 1856 ft² basement. At 1332 ft², my basement workshop has a larger footprint than some homes.
With climate change, I have heard of issues with houses that are built ON TOP OF the permafrost (that is, unlike yours). At least, that is my understanding. Apparently the permafrost is not so "perma"nent anymore. Forests are susceptible to being blown over! Also, there are cellars in Alaska that are used for meat storage, right? I saw something where one was just waterfall cascading into it during the summer. I am a huge fan of using underground space, for energy, utility and safety issues. I think a little digging up front goes a long way later. I especially like "Earthships," which can be built into a hillside and naturally ventilated with pipes that go into the ground and rise up from the hill behind the house, in my idealized case.
This is an interesting Idea I never thought of. I always wanted a subterranean greenhouse in the backyard to grow massive tomato plants...never thought of putting it under the house.
When I was in my teens we lived in a house that was 250' from a river. In the space between was a 10+ foot earth dike with a highway on top of it. Most of the time it was fine but a couple times the river filled up to near the top of the dike which meant that the water level was actually higher than the gutters on the house. One year the water pressure was so bad that the slab heaved and cracked. We got less than 1 inch of water, luckily the sewer was able to drain fast enough, their was no sump pump. It was an old house, not sure when it was built but it had a coal furnace, and the electric was tube and post wiring that was added after the initial build. Oh, and the bathroom looked like it had been retrofit into a previous walk in closet (very small).
Despite this no problem with mold or anything else.
Miss my folks basement back in Jamaica NY. It wasn't insulated, but it was a cool getaway. And music recording was ALL me & my brothers and sister &cousins did back then in the basement. The idea of the water table being so close here in Florida just give me the mind chills. I need a basement.
Here in Seattle, there are lots of basements. In fact, most of the homes that have been built in the 20th century (craftsman style bungalows) have them. Depending on their location in the city they'll have more or less attention paid to waterproofing: there are lots of hills here, and almost all of the hills are mostly glacial till on top, where the houses are built. This means that the ground higher up percolates quite well, and a French drain is plenty to keep your basement snug and dry. Down low towards the water, and nearer to the lakes (or in drainage areas that were reclaimed e.g. surrounding Greenlake) the ground is essentially swampy and doesn't perc' very well at all. Still, basic water management is incorporated, for the most part, and a drain into the side sewer is sufficient to keep water from accumulating. The way the property slopes (here, there is usually a slope of some sort) is considered and drains built into the property channel water away from the basement walls, and overhangs on the South side of the house (most of the weather comes from the South) are all water management practices. New construction here seems like basement foundations are pretty standard. We are priced out of owning our own home, but I would no question pay more for a house with a basement. Thanks Mrs. Carr, you are wonderful.
All the 50+ yr old homes in my area have basements but they all leak and don't have enough head room to actually finish.
I would never consider building a house on anything other than a basement. But I live in Ohio. Water can be an issue, but so long as it's built properly the risks are largely eliminated.
Water basement issues are a problem here in Kansas too. Every one has a sump pump or even better if the drain tile around the footing can daylight.
@@bigal8725 It also helps to not plant trees stupidly. A tree with strong roots planted too close to your house WILL push at the basement wall.
@@MonkeyJedi99 And push a slab up
Tried finding a house with a basement in my part of California... Almost no amount of money will get you one, even for new construction. They really only do them in areas with height restrictions and property values over 3M.
Four of my five houses in my life had water issues in the basement. Not fun.
Thanks for the video and information. I live in an "average" home in North Texas and wish that I had a basement. I believe that the home builders never made basements a priority to save money, inflate profits, and build faster. I used to think our clay soil was a factor but no longer believe that because there are ways to mitigate it. I have family in Colorado where basements are the standard and expected (for all socioeconomic levels), and the cost of the homes are the same, but their homes include a basement (and double the sq.ft.). In my opinion the lower standards of construction established by North Texas home builders in the late 70s and 80s have influenced the low cost and quality of construction (and lack of basements) that we see today. There is a drawback to having generations of pro-profit elected officials in Texas, that allow for either low standards or non-enforcement. (A potential future video could look at the historical standards of home construction and how they influence current construction and cost vs. profit.)
Great explanation of the benefits and drawbacks. I would suggest the decline in percentage of new homes built without basements is because of a population shift to the south and west where basements are either not possible - like Florida - or less practical like in Texas or other areas. The cost to build in the north is relatively little as the frostline in the mid Atlantic states up to Canada is 3-5 feet deep. So you have the equipment there to dig so go a little deeper anyway so might as well add cheap space to the house. Have to have the footers and some form of foundation anyway and no additional cost for your roof, etc. Our houses have always had walkout basements as there are major advantages with drainage. The ground slopes away from the house - so even the water around the buried portions of the house can be directed away from the house by gravity and down the hill. No need for sump pump and you are good to go as long as gravity works. Also a walkout allows for a window meeting the code to allow for a bedroom. Regardless, in finished areas, you need to run a dehumidifier during the warm humid months in order to avoid mold problems. So, as mentioned, the issue is more in practicality than cost - if you live in an area like Florida - you can forget it - and if more people are moving into these areas so of course fewer new homes will be built with basements.
Our home in northern Colorado (20-odd miles north of Denver) was built in 1997 and has a full, finished basement including two bedrooms separated by a jack-n-jill bathroom and a so-called "long room" (just a room that runs the width of the house). It has four large windows (one of which we converted into an outside entrance). Of course, it contains the HVAC closet, water heater, etc. The ceiling height is eight feet. We bought the house in 2015. We have never had even a minor issue with water/mold/etc. We find the basement nice to have for extra guest rooms, storage, our home gym, etc. Never a single issue with the basement
It may be more expensive in Arizona or places like it, but the cost of AC in the summer here makes me think it should be considered to have houses partially in ground.. not to mention the extreme strain running these AC units has on our energy grid ..
Is it too rocky there?
@@donamills there are rocks, clay and caliche but we had our septic put in and it was no problem to dig through. we have a 6 foot deep hole for a cistern/stock pond so it is completely doable to have basements in arizona.... I just think that saving energy/being more efficient is not a priority for development companies and the status quo is to continue to build the same cookie cutter houses because profit rules....
NM has "earth" homes where they are built on the surface and then earth added to the sides & top.... Been done for hundreds of years as nature's temperature mitigation both summer & winter before "insulation was developed.
My parents old house in Ohio had a water infiltration problem in one part of their basement. There was a crack we could see from the outside. Me and a friend dug the soil away from the outside of the foundation, following the crack. When we hit the footer, we cleaned the exposed wall. We then covered the crack in tar, and cover that in a plastic film. They had no more problems for the next 12 years they lived there.
I would also mention that some municipalities have height restrictions in certain residential zones and by adding a basement or partial basement, you can get around the height restrictions.
Check out the extravagant excavations being done for the ultra wealthy under existing homes in London. They can’t go up so they go down. Swimming pools, bowling alleys, cinemas, wine cellars. Some have all that and more on two, even three level projects. Insane!
My grandparents home when I was a child had walk-out basement on both the house and the garage as the grade on that property absolutely necessitated it. Having a partially finished walk-out basement is awesome. You can have an unfinished space for utilities in the below-grade side, then finish the rest of it additional living and storage space, all while having none of the potential moisture problems of a fully below grade basement and most of the heating and cooling benefits. If the property makes it reasonable I'd highly recommend it even in a more southern state.
I'm Ukrainian, and my advice from personal experience, please build basement always if you can. Basements saves lives. Literally. In case of bombardment it can be the only one safe place around.
US has never been and never will be bombarded so we dont need basements although my house has it.
@@arni291 wow how quickly you forgot Civil War, Pearl Harbour and 9.11. But i got it. I leave all my life with same thoughts. Thinking I'm safe. But here I am now, thanking God and whoever build my home that he bless my family with good solid cement basement. You newer know if some crazy old dictator with too much power and to damaged brain wanna roleplay Hitler. Never say never, it is better to be prepared even if nothing happens.
Good point
Good luck over there.
Slava Ukraini!
I always learn so much from your videos. I finally understand why my relatives in the Northeast have basements but nobody I know in Texas or Colorado does!
Here in Michigan. A basement doesn't go towards the sq.footage of your home.
So you don't get taxed on it.
That made it feel like free space.
Ugh, I'll never live in a house without a basement. Electrical, heating and plumbing don't belong in the main level.
You put all your electrical sockets, showers, and vents in the basement?
@@biteme294 no, just the back sides of them.
@@matthewkriebel7342 they live in your walls Matt, you can't stop them they're already there
@@biteme294 I assume you're just trolling Mr. Kriebel in good fun, but I'll clarify for those who might take your remarks at face value. All of the utilities that would be encased in concrete in a house built on a slab are in the basement and accessible by stepladder - no jackhammer required. I am in the middle of a major remodeling project in which I have moved several walls. After I've pulled the Romex that ran up the old walls down into the basement, I just add a junction box down there and extend the runs to the new walls. Easy peasy. I'm also enlarging the main bath and moving the fixtures around. Again, I'll be cutting the old pipes off in the basement and routing the new ones up through the floor. Same with the ductwork. The HVAC system is right out in the open in the basement - no crawling around in the attic to make changes and repairs. The only criticism that has some merit is the possibility of flooding, but houses on slabs flood all the time. I've had one basement flood in 66 years. It was in a house that was built in 1930 with no drain tiles or sump pump. The basement was unfinished, so I just had to have the furnace repaired, replace the washer and dryer, and clean my tools. I'd much rather have ten basement floods than one main floor flood that destroys everything I own.
Let me apologize first, because I wasn't going to listen to this video to the end. But once I started, you answered all of my questions that I ever had about basement. You did an amazing job in this video. You made it simple, clear, and easy to understand. You went straight to the point. Thank you so much.
Always great to see a new upload 👍
Thank you. I've never understood not adding such incredibly cheap additional square footage to a building. Not to mention a safety area for bad weather.
Out west , some of the soils will expand 15% when they get wet. We are talking 5/8 rebar on 6 inch centers.
Great as always! I love basements and would love to see if there is any new research on cost efficient ways to build them. TY
I love my basement. As long as the water table is below the basement floor, it's really easy to build one without any moisture issues. As long as the basement walls are built water proof (or mostly water proof) and the insulated floor slab is on top of crushed stone with proper drainage pipes underneath the slab and at the walls to a sump pit that can pump the water somewhere else, it works great. It's not too expensive to do it right, but very expensive to do it wrong. Always build it assuming water will get in. Big problems arise when people finish them too early and not allow the concrete to cure properly and dry out before trying to seal them up with walls.
One of the reasons basements have become less prevalent as a percentage of the total number of houses is that the population is aging - more older folks moving into the west and south and also, those that stay in the north and northeast just don't want the stairs. It is extremely rare to find a basement in the newer over 55 communities being built anyway in the country.
I know it's out of your usual ballpark, but you should do a video on landscaping techniques and the science behind it. I recently started a landscaping job and would really love to know more about the mechanics of what's actually going on.
I second this
@@xeriscapeguy I think we do. We are more focused on lawn maintenance, laying mulch, hedge trimming, and planting foliage. Our company isn't really in the business of landscape architecture either, so we aren't the ones designing the landscape of any given property. Although it's a pretty diverse operation. We also do patio construction and fence installation.
@@xeriscapeguy lol my guy, if I want a greenass lawn in the middle of the mf'n Sahara desert, then I'm going to have a greenass lawn in the middle of the mf 'n Sahara desert 😄
Subdue the earth immediately
I recommend the You tube channel :
Stanley "Dirt Monkey" Genadek
@@peterrose5373 thanks for the recommendation, I just checked out his channel and it's awesome.
In Minnesota, since you have to get footings below the frost line (5-7 feet) anyway, at that point you might as well put a full basement in, because the cost is only slightly higher than doing a crawlspace, slab on grade or partial basement. It also provides freeze protection for your plumbing and water heater. Course the soil is sandy, so it drains well, and is easy to excavate.
Our Midwest home has a walk-out basement. An oddity: our basement has no sump pump, and (recent reno dragging basement out of 1970s aside), have never had to 'do' anything re: water. Our gutters kick water out 20+ feet from foundation. We do have a radon detector and removal system. NOTE to any builder/homeowner- with basement,p+beam, or slab DO NOT put bushes or trees within 10 feet of the house! It can only cause problems down low or up high (critters, roof damage, gutters filling up, etc.) Walk around a 30+year old neighborhood and look at houses whose maintenance has been lackluster, you'll see bushes (or trees) run amok too close to the house
So our neighborhood here in the appalachian mountains was built in the 50's-70's and the quality of the homes here far exceeds new construction in every way except price lol.
We never had water issues, and finished the basement a few years back, digging out and expanding a window well for emergency escape in the event of fire. This window well was located on a very large courtyard with a full perimiter brick wall. When we dug out the window well, it had a 2' brick wall surround, which was removed and NOT replaced-for more sunlight.
Well apparently over time, the patio has settled towards the house, directing rain water away from the opening for the gate, and towards the low point. Which just so happened to be the bedroom window well...
Record setting rain made it look like a fish tank. That's the only time we've gotten water in there. The brick has been replaced.*
Basements are so, so great. They are just different than another floor up. They're always fun, cool and unique spaces totally suited to what YOU want.
I have a walkout basement outside of Nashville. It had water issues because it's a cavity wall construction (cinderblock, then a gap, then brick on the outer side). The cavity would fill with water during rain, which would then seep into the basement. The crazy thing is moisture problems like this are considered "normal" in the area and many people live with basements that repeatedly flood with water. Re-grading the outside and adding gutter extensions didn't help. I had several companies come and offer solutions, some of which were terrible ideas, one would have compromised the structural integrity of the footings. Ultimately a local branch of Basement Systems installed what's essentially an interior french drain under the concrete floor and also a perimeter above ground channel, all feeding to a sump pump. I added a housewrap vapor barrier in front of the cinderblock so any seepage is directed down into the channel. Studs, insulation and drywall are in front of the housewrap and channel. It's been a few years and the basement's been dry ever since. It was not cheap but totally worth it. It went from an unusable, unhealthy space to my awesome workshop (and storm shelter). I guess I'm particularly proud of it because I spent a ton of time researching water intrusion issues, building science, and options, before successfully solving the problem.
My house was built in 1957, it has a full basement with two steel I-beams to distribute the weight. I don’t have a sump pump & oddly, there’s not even a cistern or equivalent place to install one. It generally stays pretty dry, although I utilize a dehumidifier in the warm months but mainly for comfort. We’re lucky that our house was built on the high point of the lot & has a wide overhang. When it rains, the water stays away from the foundation & usually drains off pretty quickly due to the grade.
I'm in charge of maintaining several small buildings in the upper-midwest. All are between 90 and 110 years old. All have basements. They're extremely useful spaces for utilities and storage.
None are finished, there are water issues with all of them; there was a mold problem with one of them.
On normal ground - Good gutters with downspouts that release rain-water 7 feet away from the building, and making sure the ground slopes away from the building, are the two most important factors to keeping the basement "dry" (no visible water). A simple home-depot dehumidifier per 1500sf can take care of the dampness.
On ground that's been reclaimed from a more watery situation, you're going to have more significant challenges....
Basements are somewhat costly to build but I still like having one. After I installed outside water drainage board, tile and 4 inches of foam insulation my humidity level is 30 to 40%! What a difference..
I’m wondering if the numerical change in types of basements is more to the increased construction in the south, the decreased construction in the north, with each using the historic norm as far as type of basements employed.
I live in the mid-west (Missouri) and I’m currently renovating a 124 year old brick house that was built with a fieldstone foundation on top of red clay dirt. My house was abandoned for 8 years and had a bad roof with no gutters for about 10 years. A house that should be very sturdy decided to settle recently and I’m currently trying to fix it/stabilize it. But overall, I’m very happy to have my basement even though it’s currently a pain to repair. You get built in storage that you can covert to living space if you want. And you get a built in storm shelter and easy access to your house’s utilities. It’s worth the price/repair.
We are building a new house currently, and due to the slope, deep frost line, and cost considerations, we went with a walkout basement.
I grew up in Michigan. Almost all the homes I lived in had finished basements that added wonderful additional living space. Fortunately, we never experienced any leakage problems. I just moved to South Carolina and we've been house hunting for six months and, to my great disappointment, we have only come across one house with a basement. I thought it all had to do with water table, but your video nicely explained many other reasons. Thank you. I enjoyed this informative video.
Another great video!
Two more reasons why basements aren't very popular:
1. Most real estate rules don't allow you to count it toward the advertised square footage of the home, so though you might have 3000 ft2 of finished living area, you can only advertise your home as 1500 ft2 in most areas.
2. Basements in the Midwest are TERRIBLE for leaking. This has caused a stigma that simply doesn't exist in the extreme north (homes in Alberta almost always have basements).
There are bad building practices in the construction of basements today, but there is no reason to ever have a leak in any basement other than negligent building or poor training.
One concern I've seen in New Hampshire is tree-root damage, both in a house out in the woods and an upscale one downtown, both over 100 years old. I doubt such concerns are prevalent enough to address, maybe? But then any kind of foundation can suffer the same old or new yeah?
In Manitoba Canada roots are not the biggest threat to basement foundations as they are to sewer systems. Especially in older established areas where the popular trees in the late 1800's and early 1900's were Dutch Elms. They used clay pipes back then because they handled the frost heaves of the soil but the Elms roots would wrap around and break them causing significant issues in the 60's and 70's. Most of the old clay sewer pipes were replaced at that time with pvc which seems to have rectified the issue. Sadly Dutch Elm disease has and continues to decimate the large portions of them.
Newer reenforced walls can handle some tree growth but definitely lt a 100yr old home.
Why would anyone plant a tree so close to the house to begin with? You're just creating problems for yourself.
@@rockys7726 Building a house less than 100 feet from nearby trees is the real problem. They seem far enough away, including the newer ones so it must be okay! 50+ years later it starts to not be okay....
If you do not live in an area that requires the foundation below the frost freeze line, of course it's more popular and cheap.
In my area, I sincerely doubt that the "popularity" of basements has NOT declined. I don't know, maybe more new homes are being built without basements. But that's not the same as "popularity". Basements are highly valued.
It is possible that between skyrocketing house prices and corner cutting by builders that fewer homes are being built without basements.
In addition, an oddity in house marketing requires that when a house is listed for sale, the basement space is NOT listed in the square footage. Odd. So two identical houses, except one with a basement and one without, are listed with the same square footage. Misleading and undervalues the house with the basement. For example, my basement has the furnace, hot water heater, laundry, a full bathroom, a workshop, abundant storage space and more. Children's play areas, guy's club houses, etc are also common. (And unlike in the south, plumbing items cannot be moved to the attic or the garage due to pipes freezing.) Take those functions out of the basement and put them on the upper floors and that same house becomes much, much smaller. So if builders are skipping the basement, perhaps part of that is how the house is listed / marketed.
But basements in my area are still "popular".
Our oldest daughter lived in Dallas TX area all of HVAC was in the attic which left the floors uncomfortably cold much worse than our home in Chicago area. I have had this experience in other‘southern’ homes. We’re moving shortly to the Tulsa area and slab homes loose many points on our lists, crawl space homes gain points.
Then turn down the a/c plus during the summer is 100F here so cold A/C is what we want 😁
Extremely rare to find a home in Canada without a full basement. My attic has 40 inches of fiberglass insulation, so there is no opportunity for HVAC or other services in the attic. Water pipes can never be run through the attic due to extreme cold winter temperatures. Only electrical wiring and air vent pipes are permitted in the attic.
Live in Illinois and Michigan. Lots of basements. Concrete Block: Cotton wood trees 9 in back yard and water sitting on the ground when really bad rain. Back wall bowed in. Another house the shrubs at the front of the house and the back fill settled causing the water to flow to the home and under the big front concrete porch. solution to fix the slop and put a plastic barrier as part of that fix. Then hydraulic concrete to fix wall cracks.
Poured concrete basement. Home was an island for 20 minutes if received more then 3" of rain in a few hours. City replace 1 foot drain with 2 foot. However before that removed window wells by previous owner. I fixed a crack from top to bottom near two corners. Home located in a saddle sloping from above and down below. Didn't need sump pump.
Parent home had an sewer below frost line at about 4 foot. In a flood plain. Neighborhood flooded streets. sump pumps keep basements free of standing water.
North Carolina home on a slab. This home in a high water table or clay at about 18 inch. Thus trapping rain on the surface. Few full basement homes in the older ones but the newer ones have them.
The biggest problem with basements where I live in Virginia is the contractors building them. Improper site grading and preparation, lack of drainage, the neighbors yards graded towards yours, and the total lack of water proofing such as a rubber membrane are at the top of the short list of basements. I have a split foyer house with a fully finished downstairs. I don’t refer to it as a basement. The downstairs is about three feet below grade. The sump pump is under the front entry/foyer. Over the years I have built a number of solutions to mitigate the issues I mentioned. I think most people shy away from basements because they hear the horror stories which typically can be traced to the contractor. Contractors stop building them because it’s cheaper and less headache not too. Which is too bad because they can serve an important function depending on where you live. In the summer, my downstairs is the place to be. Thanks for the vid.
Love your videos Belinda, keep them coming , have a blessed day & have a good weekend, love from Maine.
just found your channel, i absolutely love your content. cant wait to go through all your videos! thank you
Where I am from, partially finished walk-in basements are very popular. Usually a "living room" on the walk-in side to allow for east facing windows, and allow heating with an easy way to bring in firewood to heat the floor above. Then an unfinished "utility" room on the high side to house HVAC and allow access to plumbing and wiring above (and storm shelter/storage). Walk-in basements are much more pleasant and useable. Granted, this is in rural areas where people can choose where to put their home, rather than a development where houses are placed anywhere possible, even on top of a spring, and it's the buyer's problem.
Modern building techniques (drains, swales) remove most leak and moisture issues.
Always freaked me out how a stick on slab structure can be infested by termites with no external visibility.
Another reason for basements is what you touched on but did not tie together completely. You did mention the footers and frostline. The cost of a basement in the northern region is cheaper because they already have to excavate 4-6 feet deep for the footers. I am not sure of the percentage but maybe 20% is already paid into the footers and you only need the other 80% to complete it.
For the footers, you can also engineer in Frost Protected Shallow Foundations to save money, excavation, pump trucks.
Maybe a bit off-topic, but I really like your earrings and that top! They go great together, and work well with the lighting. Back on-topic: I'm currently dual-quoting a new build for a client (in the northeast) for either a FPSF monolithic or a full basement because the construction costs are pushing more buyers than ever (including this one) to the edge of their budget for even basic builds, and a slab is a HUGE cost saver if the basement space isn't really needed. People often don't think about all the subflooring and floor joists and beams and posts that aren't needed with a slab; it's a lot of labor and materials cut out of the equation even before figuring in the less excavation, concrete, insulation, and water mitigation required.
I grew up out west, and hardly knew anyone that had basement. I moved northeast, and I have a basement now and love it. Moisture is definitely something I keep an eye out for, but, overall, I love having the convenient storage
Where in the west? Utah, Idaho, Colorado are mostly basements.
I had a pipe leak recently. I walked down to my basement, cut out a section of pipe and soldered in a new section. About $10 in total to repair. On a slab, that may very well be a multi-thousand dollar repair. Nope, I'd accept nothing less than a crawl space at minimum.
As European, I can barely imagine a house without it. Many homes are small and thus, you'd be screwed without them, plus they halp to isolate against the cold and keep food cool. Oddly enough, I've seen basements that appear to have no foundation, just gravel floors.
I’m in Chicago, living in a one-story 68 year-old home with a basement. There is a small crack in one of the walls and some water does come in, but it's nothing that the floor drain can't handle. Yes, it can get damp and musty down there, but I don't even need a dehumidifier; in many cases one can simply use ventilation fans that move that damper air upstairs where it is quickly exhausted through windows and doors and/or absorbed by the drier air, which is especially welcome in the winter where homes with forced air gas furnaces (such as mine) get very dry.
The only thing that I wish was different in my basement was that it had been dug just a little bit deeper. From the floor to the floor beams above, is just under seven feet, making this very difficult to turn into a truly livable space, but I do have some. In the summer it's much cooler, so I have a small secondary bedroom down there for sleeping, which cuts down on my air conditioning costs.
Some other homes on my block do have deeper basements, and have been remodeled into beautiful spaces, and at least two rental apartments. I know that Belinda mentions the added cost of a basement to not be worth it as far as payback is concerned, but I absolutely disagree with this. When dug out and sealed properly, you are essentially getting twice the space out of the same footprint. Furthermore, all of the mechanicals such as furnaces and water heaters, plus laundry and the like, can be located there, out of sight, not taking up space in your primary living area and certainly much quieter for upstairs. And as mentioned before, if you can turn some or all of that basement into rental space, there is absolutely no way that it cannot be economically worth the added cost, unless you’re in a low lying area as mentioned, or one that requires blasting through stone. Being able to create underground living spaces could alleviate some suburban sprawl which is horrible in the United States. Zoning laws have to be changed to allow rentals of basement apartments.
I can’t imagine ever giving up my basement unless I downsize. For me, the good vastly outweighs the bad.
Thank you for this interesting video. I just subscribed. A friend in Minnesota has a basement, but part of the ventilation issue is that radon collects in it. I suspect a lot of basements suffer from this, since a large part of the country has radon in the ground (I think there are maps available, including on the U.S. EPA's website). We just don't know about it because no one tests for radon. Everyone should test for it though, especially if you live in a high radon area. Test kits are available at hardware stores. There is a fix, but I think it costs thousands of dollars for a crew to dig and install vents outside the foundation, and you can vent the interior of a basement as well, perhaps using a heat exchanger. Crawl spaces have less of an issue, and it's easier to fix them with venting. However, homeowners have to deal with wildlife setting up in the crawl space. A friend in San Francisco had skunks in her crawl space! I have heard of even slab foundations--which also have issues with radon--being a problem with wildlife, since there are burrowing rodents, including rabbits, that can get under. I'd love for you to expand your video into these topics. Matt Rislinger made some videos that speak about different kinds of foundations in different parts of the country, on "The Build Show." Maybe you two could make one together. I think he is in Texas or the South too. Lastly, I feel that you could include another category of creating more square footage. I have seen in desert areas that architects like to play with the whole indoor/outdoor definition. They will pour slabs that are part of the outside, and build sliding glass or other kinds of moving walls that allow residents to open up their living space to the outdoors. Much preferable over the dank dungeons represented by lots of basements. I have to admit though, I love basements. My grandparents had one in Chicago. Half was for recreational use and half was utilities and a workshop. I wonder how they got a full-size pool table down there.
Most of the homes being built in the US right now is in the south west where it doesn't make as much sense to have a basement-hence the data on why basements are getting less popular overall in the US
Confirmation bias tells me I need to like this. Do we have any kind of map confirming it? Cuz I feel like if you have a slab on grade in the north (at least midwest north) and you're not on a lake with a very high water table, you've just dumped some seriously important home value.
Not sure I'd even look at a house that didn't have a basement unless it was that lake house with high water table.
Hi Belinda.
You have any thought on crawl space encapsulation,
or things I should be asking if need it/or would even benefit from it?
Oh and yes, Ive dealt with a leaky basement in the past.
In talking back in the early days of the internet. 14.4k modem days.
Had a crack in the wall right at the window cut out, in the corner.
It wasn't too bad of a fix (I really wouldn't say it was a pro job, but it worked in my budget)
I dug down from the outside of the home to where the crack appeared to stop and added another foot or so.
Scrubbed and cleaned the area, applied some tar based foundation sealant.
I then added a membrane of some sort over that.
Used a "J" roller to get most of the air out, and to get the membrane properly stuck.
Not sure if it was an ok, or awful way to do it.
I just remembered...
It was a lot of physical labor.
A heck of a lot cheaper.
and It stopped the leak.
I'm 2 hours north of Seattle. Always had basements. But just inherited a 1940's farm house with an ultra modern for then full poured cement and old growth hand hewn timber beam basement. It's only 6 feet high, and 81 years old, but it's pretty amazing. We're converting it into a hydroponic garden as it's under our kitchen. 😆👍
Well done factual video.......... One point regarding walk out basement depends on the grading of the land being built on ........ As a resident of Texas I would prefer for my home being built on a CRAWLSPACE due to getting the best of both worlds..... This type of home provides best insulation along with moisture control compared to a home built on a slab........Your videos are top notch..... Keep up the good work.
Even though I consider basements a bit of a liability, I will say that a finished basement is always the best place in any home. Less noise, more comfortable without the use of an air conditioner, and they can get plenty of light into them with properly placed windows. Someday I'd like to build a house where the primary living space is all underground; I've been in houses like that, and they are always cool.
Dealing with the construction and use of basement living spaces takes an extra knowledge-base. If you don't know what you're doing, you end up with a musty pit. If you do know what you're doing, you get a safe, comfortable, quiet, occupiable space that doesn't push you towards the local building height restrictions, If it's allowed, the best way to build them is to excavate no further than you need to, and dump fill to bring the yard up to the level you want it. That solves the expansive clay problem and the water intrusion problem. And with some planning, gets you some natural daylight. I think the decreasing popularity is more about builders than homeowners. Basements take longer, cost more and add complexity. If people are willing to buy a plywood box on a slab, why offer them anything better?
I love my basement. Main reason I bought my house was because of the extra storage of a similar priced and similar sized house. And if it is too hot, I can run downstairs and it is always below 68 without any AC.
THANKS BELINDA 🤗 for explaining this and why it isn’t practical for most of the southeast
I’m for building homes for people to live in for long term...builders are looking to make as much money 💴 and build as many as possible and as cheaply as possible…A BIG REASON WHY BUILDING CODES AND INSPECTIONS ARE NECESSARY 🥺
I love basements.
One of my houses had a moisture problem, but it was an 80 yr-old house and there was no moisture block on the outside.
A French drain helped a lot.
It is definitely necessary to make sure there is a thick moisture barrier, but I am wondering about insulation. Is it better to insulate well or not?
Do we want the summer cooling more than the winter warm coziness?
It certainly depends on where we live.
In the north, the climate requires a deep footing. Going further down to have the height for a usable basement doesn't add as much cost compared to adding a basement in a climate that doesn't have a frost layer.
There are other areas of the country where the ground is very hard and that increases the cost.
It seems to me that the reason for the percentage discrepancy is that most new homes are built in the South, where basements are neither necessary nor cost effective. In other words, nothing has changed economically over time. Rather, sometimes we build in one place and at other times we build in another place, and as a consequent the popularity of a given product shfts.
I think you're right. No one is building with a slab instead up north, but would got to a crawlspace, but that graph shows steady crawlspace share.
I would love to hear a segment on mold remediation. We just had our house tested and of course the results are not good.
I couldn't live in a house that doesn't have a basement, I have to be able to get to the utilities under the home for maintenance and I'm not crawling around for that, lol.
Had a basement apartment in my 20s and I hated every water pumping moment of it. Crack in the foundation, septic pump failure, dishwashing liquid soap in the laundry machine, a cracked furnace were just a few major ones.
Popularity might not be the right word. I live in Denver metro and most would perfer our houses to have basements but most of the building is done by companies are building cheap and fast.
Basement moisture is kind of an “old house” or “bad house” issue.
Keep the gutters in good shape and a well built and graded house will not leak.
I am reminded by some comments about another aspect of open underground basements. The Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago built a four story underground parking garage, next to Lake Michigan! They had to install reinforcing bars deep into the soil to hold the whole structure in the ground, or risk the whole thing rising up and floating like a ship due to all the water volume displaced. The nearby University of Chicago built a similar structure for their relatively recent Mansueto Library, which was featured in the film series Divergent as the home base of the educated elite group. The Mansueto Library goes down maybe six stories! And it also has to tie into the ground to keep that thing in the ground and not floating up. The library only looks like a slim glass dome on the surface, hence its use in the film. None of the lower levels are meant for human use. Those levels store books and media that are brought up to users in the dome by a robotic retrieval system.
I grew up in western Texas. Most homes (like the one I grew up in) had pier-and-beam foundations, but a few were slab-on-grade. Most now are slab. One family I knew built a partial basement for their home extension & it was great as a rec room and storm shelter. It was nice and cool in the summer. Out there, the soil is about 18" of sand over a 10" or more layer of caliche (limestone), then more sand. Now I live in north Texas, I suspect near you, Belinda. I would love a foundation, but nobody here builds them due to the clay soils. In college (Tx A&M), many of the campus buildings and even many commercial buildings in Bryan/College Station had basements and they worked well.
Enjoy your channel and your opinions its obvious that you educated and well informed.
Love the channel and the way you explain every angle. I live in north Carolina in Pinehurst the changing from crawlspace to slap houses for lower costs. I'm building a new house as we speak and I choose a no vented crawlspace.
I grew up in an area where no houses had basements, then moved to another state and bought a home with a basement. Quite an experience--such a big new feature. I agree with everything said, although on the issue of cost, how does it compare to building a second story on a home, since a full basement is essentially a second floor? My home's basement isn't fully buried, so it still has some natural light coming in from small-ish windows.
Another problem with basements is the same problem as with 2-story houses: they need a stairway for access. That chews up a lot of valuable floor space (on both levels) and is difficult for older people or those with handicaps to climb.
One trick to reduce the risk of leaking I've discovered is surrounding the exterior of the home with concrete walkways/patios, to divert more water away from the home.
Isn't a predominant driver in basements in the North vs. South the required frost line for a foundation? In the North the frost line often extends down to 48" which is half way to a full height basement.
I love your channel ! Well done ! ❤️
Living in Washington State many older homes have basements. Depending on the soil in the area it can be perfectly fine. Many areas have sand and/or rocky soil. Not all need sub pumps. We have one with our 1960's rancher. Yes there is some cracking in the foundation, but that happens with any foundation basement or not as a home naturally settles over time. It is just more apparent as you can walk around and see the walls or floors if they are not finished. I like having a basement. We have extra large windows in the recroom and it gets plenty of light from the West and 2 bedrooms with large egress windows get sun from the South. We have central air and if you want to skip using it as much to save on your bill then you can hang out in the basement where it is much cooler. But I would say that you should have a radon test done and install a radon mitigation system in it if need be. We did with ours even though the levels were only a little above recommended levels. New homes already have these in place. We don't really have a moisture or mold problem. But that might be more common with rock foundations and those homes that are insulated too well and retain moisture. Especially if you have a bathroom shower in the basement. I would make sure you have a decent fan and good venting. You can have your home too air tight and your home does not get good air circulation. Concrete underground does have moisture in it even if you don't see it. But making sure you control humidity levels and leaks like water tanks and pipes and not having things too air tight and good venting(yard sloping too)will go a long ways to prevent mold. Sealing cracks in the foundation will help too... 😊 Still we love our basement. Nice and cool in the Summer and much quieter since the concrete walls are a great sound barrier.. Basements are great for Theater rooms.. A place to duck into with tornadoes too. Although we rarely get them... 😊
I've lived in multiple states in homes with basements, crawl space and slabs. I hated having a damp basement. Other people love them, but imo not worth the hassle. Crawl space floors can feel springy and be uneven with settling. And pray you never need to jackhammer your slab. That's why I live in a tent now.
From professional experience, I've found that correcting settling related to tent-based construction is no easy task. Things such as pinecone removal, etc. add to overall cost as well.
I have to ask, does your tent somehow have modern amenities like plumbing and electricity, or do you believe that such amenities aren't worth the hassle of maintaining a foundation?
I’m on a pier type (in SC). During a very big flood we had in 2015, the upper part of the ground / soil, was relatively ok afterwards, but the water soaked through the dirt and sand and traveled on top of a clay layer. This eroded an area about 1-2 feet below the surface. It wasn’t until 2016 that it was noticeable. A lot of the piers sunk a little or leaned over facing down slope. It cost me around $7,000 to fix everything up.
If I were on a slab I would have been in bigger trouble by far. Several houses in the neighborhood were having foundations warp and crack.
Wow thats crazy. So it took a yr for that to show up?
Were these newer homes?
@@donamills I live in the "New" subdivision around Columbia. These home were built in the min to late 80's. The "Old" section the homes were built in the 60-70's.
There are a few homes from later years.. and a couple from the early 2000's.
I live a few miles from the Lake Murray (it's pretty big) and a creek runs through the very edge of my backyard.
The topo-geography is all over the place. If you stand on my back deck the neighbor behind me on the next road over and about 50 meters away... you are above their roof. The back yard slopes pretty steep all the way to the creek. To my West that house is separated from me by a 2 meter or so tall retaining wall. They are way lower than my house. The house to the East is only a meter or so higher than me. I have a feeling most of the neighborhood's storm drains and such, run through just 5 of us or so.
It's been really stable since I moved in in 2007. No issues.
@@sreed16 When you think of the crazy storms we now experience it definitely would worry me, but hopefully you won't have to.
Moisture control has improved in just last few years. Use to be put in a basement and call it good. But now the moisture control starts with construction. After the concert is poured and cured, insulation and water proofing goes on the outside of the concrete, sealing it from outside moisture in the ground. Water proof membranes are used to divert water along with materials like pea rock and drainage tile to move any water in the soil away from the structure. Inside the concrete walls are commonly covered with either ridged board foam insulation or spray foam insulation, both materials maximize coverage, preventing condensation and mold. The advantage of closed cell foam it’s a great insulation and is naturally anti mold and a moisture blocker. Also, these foams are the vapor barrier for conditioned air space. The final element for a healthy basement enclosure, the whole house for that mater, is air exchange. All modern homes are built so tight air exchange is a problem. Meaning fresh air needs to be brought into the structure by controlled means to vent out stale air, indoor pollutants, (many times indoor air is more contaminated than outside air) and high humidity. That means the use of either an ERV, Energy Recovery Ventilation or HRV, Heat Recovery Ventilation unit along with a *dehumidifier. As to which you use will depend on which part of the country you live. *A dehumidifier would not necessarily be needed in an areas like the South West, were humidity levels tend to be very low year round, like say Nevada, or Arizona. But in areas like the Deep South, like Florida or even up North in the upper Midwest like Minnesota, (in the summer months the upper Midwest can experience subtropical humidity levels) a dehumidifier in addition to having a EVR or HVR should be used. Also, depending on your location, all new structures should include a Radon Gas Evacuation System, RGES. These can be added to any plan for very little cost. At the time of construction, a few hundred dollars in most cases, and commonly is incorporated with the water drainage system. To retrofit RGES can cost closer to $2000 for an average home. These measures will keep a home save, mold and gas free and comfortable for years to come. Even with slab on ground you should consider incorporating a Radon gas removal system and some kind of air exchange system.
Always so informative
I just always think, where do you go when there's a tornado? Seems like where there are tornados there would be basements
When we moved to the OK panhandle, we were very surprised that none of the houses we looked at had a basement. The one time we had a tornado warning, we went to a shelter that was packed to overflowing, because people didn't have a place to go in their house. I can't imagine what they did if there was a tornado warning in 2021.
@@freethebirds3578 crazy. I'd worry about that all the time if I lived there with no basement
The house I grew up in Indianapolis had a basement and it flooded many times, water and moisture were a constant problem. Was a huge problem as the water pump, and laundry were down there. In hindsight, the house never should have had a basement in the first place, there was a creek and lake less than 200 ft away, and no doubt unfavorable soils.
The house I live in now in Portland, Oregon has a full finished basement and I’ve never had any problems with moisture or flooding.
In Indy the basement was a liability-except when the tornado sirens were going off!-and in Portland it’s been a big benefit. It’s an older house (1942) and there’s no central AC, but the basement is great for hot summer days. And while we don’t have tornadoes in the PNW we have had smoke form wildfires and a heat dome in the past couple years, so it’s been nice to have a place to bunker down.
Really high quality, informative content as always. I've just bought a home with a massive, tall crawl space that could be converted to a daylight basement. This was really helpful!
4:38 throwback to "Twister". Nice 👍🏼
Modern slab basements often require French drains and sump pump, and it seems pretty much foolproof. My parents move around a lot and just about all of their unprotected basements occasionally flooded.
Personally I always have a dehumidifier controlling humidity running and it does a great job keeping the basement pleasant. I cant imagine a house without at least a partial basement. I put them to full use.
Growing up in the Midwest, I had never seen a house without a basement. Moved to the west coast and the south for a while and was shocked to not find any. Thankfully we found a house on the west coast with a full basement that is nice and cool when it’s warmer out.
I live in the northeast, tri-state area with 104 year old house with stone basement. We never get water on floor, or wet walls thankfully, but humidity down there is comstant. We leave a dehumidifier on 24/7 set at 50% from March to Nov. Winter is bone dry without it running. The whole house smells fresher and is drier when you have a demidifier running in basement. Another thing with stone foundation is constant grit etc on the floor. I guess it petmeats through the stone wall from the earth behind it. You can shopvac the whole basememt and in no time it looks like you never vacuumed. Its constant.
Thank you for covering this subject as well!
Fascinating! Thank you for sharing your expertise.
Doing a project that requires sewer lateral inspection/dye testing/repair before the sale of any property. I think it would be cool to see a video about the old vitrified clay pipe vs newer plastic, the cameras they use to inspect them, and/or grease and stench traps and backflow preventers
Belinda, I live in Germany, and I love my basement. My basement was built in a factory. The basement is placed on a poured concrete slab. It consists of two concrete shells that are placed side by side at the homesite, and filled with concrete. My concrete is a type of concrete that does not allow water to penetrate through the walls. The sealing at all the joints keep it free of water up to the level of the bottom of any basement windows. The basement is finished off with a concrete ceiling. My house is wood, platform framing, and it sits on the basement walls. The floors are built up with foam insulation which also carries electrical, water, and heating lines, then finished with 5 cm of a flowing gypsum based subflooring that takes 6 or 7 weeks to dry.
I found that the cost of a basement is not so much more than the cost of a slab. This is because the government requires a non-moveable foundation. This means they have to dig down to a solid underground, and refill the hole with crushed rock. My neighbor had to dig out basically the same amount of dirt for his slab foundation as I did for my basement.
Check out the Glatthaar Fertig Keller technology on YT
In Utah a home without a basement is a huge negative. We have a very low water table, so as long as the basement is built properly it’s a major asset whether it’s finished or not finished
I live on the Canadian prairies, and pretty much every home has a basement. That said, they are VERY wasted spaces. Yes, they often mirror the area of the upper first floor, but they are usually unfinished (bare concrete walls, tiny windows pushing up against would-be ceilings, exposed heating & plumbing ducts, etc.). They can be converted into additional living space, but the susceptibility to damp and flooding make that a liability risk. And, of course, it's very expensive to do. So most just leave them as dank, dingy storage areas that almost always harbour things you don't really want anymore, yet can't bare to throw out.
No wonder they are associated with nightmares.
Cool video. I have a basement that is 100 years old and suffers from water intrusion so I agree with your conclusions. It's really cool on hot days though, (without any active cooling) which is a nice perk.
Excellent topic. In the northern portion of NC basements we're about one in every five homes. As I moved to the middle portion that seems to have dropped to one in twenty. My guess is the cost. Real estate developers are trying to build homes quickly and opt for the slab foundation and build two story units. More custom homes may have basements and as far as leaks or dampness it depends on the builder, quality, materials and the home owner.
Thank you for this video, you explained things very well and gave me a great understanding of basements