Why We Aren't Building A Basement...But You Might
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- Опубліковано 8 тра 2018
- Basements are really wonderful, and well worth the money (when done right). That being said, we have chosen not to build one on our spec house project. A basement is not cheap, and we are building this house for the purpose of selling it. Building a two story house is less expensive per square foot - and ensures this house will be able to capitalize on the view our lot offers.
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Thank you, be safe, and be grateful.
I’m 40 years old. Been involved in construction for the last 20+ years, mostly remodels. Been in thousands of houses, never been in a single house with a basement. Just seen them in movies. Really interesting how construction varies throughout the country. Not cost effective in mild climates, I guess.
are you in the south?
@@celyl That was I thought.... Here Canada, I saw 1 time, 1 building with no basement.
Basements are common in the north Midwest of the United states. They work well for thunderstorm and tornado shelters.
We have a very small house with a 50% finished basement…the unfinished side is one of my favorite features of the house. All of the utilities run there, and I can access, repair, troubleshoot, and upgrade everything.
I grew up right next to a river. Even through we lived a lot closer to the river, our basement was dry. A few of my neighbors had permanent pumps pumping water out of their basements into the gutter. We only had a problem once when there was a major flood in our area.
My dad's passion was plants and he chose the site of our house because he could see that the plants growing there were plants that grow on top of dry soil for many feet down.
Having a tornado season makes having a basement gives you peace of mind.
Biggest thing missing from this video is that whether a basement makes sense really depends on your location in the country - i.e. how deep the frostline is. Here in North Carolina no one has a basement except for daylight basements, where the house is built into a hill. That's because our footers only have to be 20" deep. If you're up north with a frostline of, say, 5 feet, just by digging the footers you're pretty close to the depth needed for the basement.
I grew up in a house with a basement. We turned it into living space with a Ben Franklin coal burning stove. Loved it!!! Especially in the winter, and also cool in the summer. But we were told the walls had water barrier but did not, walls stayed wet a lot of the time. But I still loved our basement and miss it.
I just found your channel. I am so grateful I did and grateful for you sharing your knowledge and experience. Thank you!
Laughed my ass off when the pictures came up after talking about 'basement hobbies'. I was thinking the same thing nice edit LMAO
Most houses in my area have basements, yes a few have water issues most don’t. Mine is almost forty years old and I have never had water or mold issues.
I enjoyed the added graphics when outlining the uses of a basement.
I always thought of basement walls like retaining walls. I always learn something new from you. Your structural knowledge seems to have no gaps.
So much good information provided at no cost to me. I am extremely grateful for this and all the other videos on your channel.
.
Nice to hear discussion about basements. Thanks.
Another fantastic video! Your videos have helped to reinvigorate the craftsman in me.
We doing a remodel on a big 2 story house with a basement and i could really get into having a basement in my house. It just makes the house feel sooo much bigger than normal for some reason.
I know nearly nothing about the water sealing of basements but i have seen where on the house they look like they have had very little water seeping so i guess they did something right. Plus its on pretty nice hill with nice drainage.
Love your videos Mr. Scott. I learn little bit about my trade from each of your videos!
This one really got my ol' noggin joggin'. I hadn't really thought about some of these problems. In Wolf Creek I was on such good drained soil that water rarely sat on the surface. Down here to Grants Pass, it's so much different with the mire of silt soil that a basement would be more challenging.
Great video as always. Can't wait for some more blacksmithing!
So I’ve stopped watching all the other videos I normally watch on UA-cam and have been binge watching just your videos. My oh my you are one smart and experienced man. Being just 33, I wish I could hang out with you all day. I feel we can all learn much from you. You’d be like that cheat sheet allowed on a final exam.
Wonderful words of wisdom! Thanks so much for all the videos.
Here in West Texas despite the low annual rainfall, 13 inches in a good year. Few houses have basements or second floors. I'm glad to have crawl space, the newer houses without them pay a price when something needs to be serviced.
I bought my first home with a basement that leaked when it rained hard. I bit the bullet and had the foundation dug up, new footer drain, walls tared. Fast forward 28 years to today, best decision I made. My home sets on that foundation, take care of it and it will take care of you. Money well spent.
If you don't mind sharing to give us a scope of the project/expense, how much did that cost, and how big is the home?
@supersaltydog77 details please!
You're going to fondle that beautiful hammer for the entire video and not mention a word about it?
Hope the next video features the hammer.
Yes, let’s hear about that hammer.
Basement..basement...But that Hammer!
I, too, want to know what's up with that beautiful hammer. It's like Thor got into hand tools.
He already did a hammer video.
But yeah, that's a beut right there.
Great overview of the important events swirling around a basement option. I will say, a "day light" basement (on a down slope lot) is wildly more compelling than a fully land-locked basement. I didn't expect a basement to hold much appeal on this project.....
My parents' house in western WA has a basement that's below the water level during heavy rains. It's unfinished, and only used for storage- we have a sump pump below the basement floor to remove the water- but sometimes, when the power goes out in a winter rainstorm, the water level rises and the pump can't pump because the power's out. We use a generator, but it still floods every year or two and we come down to see our basement in a foot of water.
Great explanation, well done.
knowing this about the ground out there makes me even more amazed by the construction of so many incredible skateparks in the northwest
Always a pleasure watching your videos
You remind me of my grandfather who died when I was about 8. It didn't affect me all that much then as I didn't really know how to process his death but now looking back and remembering him I wish that I had gotten to know him now instead of then when we could have shared interests and hobbies and joked around together and I know that you have no control over who you remind me of but thanks for reminding me of my grandpa.
here in Kansas we have to have basements. mainly because of the amount of tornadoes we have. and it is difficult to build a basement no matter where you live.
Hey Scott, I just want to say thank you on behalf of the trades for what you are doing . You prove that a person can become quite accomplished by acquiring knowledge and putting it to work.
We need people like you demonstrating that working with your hands and mind can lead to a a rewarding and satisfying life. What young people need most today is to be taught how to survive ...and that encompasses a lot. Keep at it. You are worth listening too.
Great talk, appreciate it.
I'm in my first home with a basement and everything you said fits.
I've noticed basements are popular in some parts of America, almost non-existent in others. I suspect it's because of what you said: depends on soil conditions. In some places it's so difficult to do it well it's not worth it.
A lot of good information. Thank you
super interesting to watch your videos as an environmental engineering student.
The part about a son who wants to be a drummer is HILARIOUS. As a drummer, that is the son of a drummer, I'm ALWAYS trying to figure out how to make things quieter. One thing about basements and noise abatement, that people need to remember, is that the "1st floor" is just about 9 feet above. IF you don't purposely doing SOMETHING to abate noise, it's going to be there. A basement is GREAT for the neighbors, maybe not so much for the family upstairs while Jr. is practicing his best Keith Moon routine. Just things to think about. I absolutely LOVE your videos. Not because I'm going to try anything that you demonstrate, but purely from your delivery and what you're talking about. Keep up the good work.
Had a teenager who played drums and a basement, loved both!
More details on the details of planning a basement would be so interesting!
Good advice.
I have a 2ft+ sandstone foundation. 130+ years old. Gets less water than some of my neighbors, but still does due to 100 year old French drains. Planning on digging around it, tarring it, adding new French drains, and back filling properly. Then parge and drylock paint basement walls. Hope it works
So true i grew up in swampy clay ground basement was all way wet even with a sump pump
Has an apprentice carpenter i always learn all sorts of very useful informations for the trade in your video. I really appreciate your work plus I have an interest in black smithing
I loved the sub-second view of what may appear to be Poe's The Cask of Amontillado. Viva la Basement!
I was really hoping you would build one so I can learn and build my own too, now I’m going to make it like everything else I make, hope for the best, prepare for the worst
Hey Scott,
I’m a big fan of when you talk about the physics of construction, ie loads, overturning moment etc. Having never taken physics myself, it’d be great for you to put together a video something like “the physics of construction” or maybe share some resources. One of my favorite topics because I’m so far behind where I’d like to be on it. Thanks!
Patrick
The post tension foundation sounds like a very interesting video and I would love to hear your thoughts on the construction of a tiny house in a video
Another great explanation of the pros and cons of a building practice. Living in southern Ontario we have always had basements and I love them, when they are dry. As I get older we consider going to a single floor period so the question is crawl space or pad and which will you be using?
About 25 years ago a builder here in Phoenix offered basements in their development. They had 4-6 model homes with them. Knowing the geology of the area, I remarked to my wife that, while I would love to have a basement, I didn't see how they could effectively dig the basement and still keep their price point. Here in the desert south of Arizona it seems that around 3-6' down there is a hard pan or caliche that can be anywhere from just a few inches to several feet thick. This stuff is seriously dense. Indeed, about a month later I stopped by again and there were signs out that now, if one wanted a home with a basement, there was a premium attached. Story was, they even had to use explosives to dig one basement after the hardpan had broken the bucket of a backhoe.
Great video!
Are you going to do a slab or a crawl space? Have you seen Matt Risinger’s UA-cam channel? He’s a builder in Texas where he rarely can put in a basement and he has a lot of thoughts on how to do crawl spaces, especially what he considers the best option, a conditioned crawl space. He also advocates a conditioned attic space for mechanicals. Check out his channel for his reasoning.
As always, thanks for sharing your practical knowledge or should I say your essential wisdom!
Matt Risinger is a joke
I concur.
@@ericlemanski4732 As someone who's never heard about him and lack the knowledge to judge: in what way is he a joke?
@@RannonSi I've noticed on construction channels and motorcycle channels the comments sections attract a lot of know it alls. Guys who have 700 years of experience at a sub contractor level know so much about one little thing and it makes them a king. I can't vouch for Matt Risinger but I do enjoy his channel and he makes me think.
So then, slab or crawlspace? Pretty interested to hear about how you’re planning to handle either of those.
I live in northern Ohio where we have yellow clay and when I built my house I put in a basement with a14 high block wall basement. My yard is graded away from my house and I have gutters that drain to open air. I have about 2 foot wide washed limestone the entire height of my basement and footer drains that drain to open air. I have tools with cast iron tops in my basement that have never seen a spot of rust with no maintenance. Basements are great if you build with the right drainage in mind. It seems with your lot that drainage would be easy to deal with. I wouldn’t want a house that didn’t have a basement. But I do understand what a wet basement can be like. Good video, thanks
Basements are good especially in Tornado prone areas!
I bought a house in East Haven, Ct. every time it rained and the tide was in, it flooded the basement. If the house you want, check out what you say, it can be a horror or a cool day. but mine flooded to about 5 inches during high tide. I might add, that a pump was in the basement and as long as it worked the floor was only "damp."
Thanks for answering that question, Scott. I also asked if you specifically were going to make videos on techniques and tricks for building a basement properly, so I guess in a round-about way your answer is "no". That's alright. I realize there is a lot of content for you to cover already. I really enjoy your videos every week, and I'm looking forward to seeing the spec house come together!
I watch a lot of other channels in fast mode. EC is more like a good book that you don’t want to end, so I don’t do it here normally, but you’ll get a sense for how well Scott speaks when you listen to this one 2x fast.
I've had basement, crawl space, and concrete slab homes. The only thing I missed by not having a basement is the storm shelter aspect and access to utilities as mentioned in the video. I do not like having my HVAC in the attic, at all, but this is part of the coastal home deal, we live near the ocean, it's how they do it.
Always a great vid!
Same issues here in South Louisiana, but also below sea level!
Love your channel!
I'm digging the new video format. Have a small tool you hold and fiddle with and maybe swap out the object to your right with a new one each time?
As a retired builder I can't agree more! As long as this process is the norm in the
Price range you are building to.....
Here in IL our basements are never watertight... We allow the water in and then pump it out through drainage tiles.
Some houses here don't need them, but all the houses I've lived in have a sump pump to pump water out from beneath the house. So the pump sits in a well about 3' below the basement floor, ideally it pumps it out before the water table reaches the floor level. However, numerous other issues with grading the exterior soil and 6" downpours frequently result in water simply coming through the walls.
Many houses lack a finished basement due to this, my folks' house has a finished one but they have everything movable so there's a rug, not carpeting... nothing it permanently installed onto the floor. Drainage tile is a much more effective solution, it's a channell that runs the entire perimeter of the foundation that collects water running down the walls.. The walls have plastic curtains bolted on to curtain the water into the tile like a shower curtain (only smooth and flush with the wall)... At the end of the drainage tile is the sump pump.
My father had a story about a guy who decided to "fix" his water issues in his basement by sealing it... the hydraulic pressure ruptured his foundation and he had to completely rebuild it.
I like that Coleman 220 there.
Sockdog _ He needs some mantles on it though. Looks like a 220G ? I have a later 220f and the knob doesnt look as "modern" per se.
@@Mixwell1983 that's a 220 J, K or H. Your F is the model right before it.
A product called dam tight worked well on my root cellar walls. We have the same water issues in a lot of alabama
Russ Cherry yessir we do. Except we have that great red clay lol.
Love seeing all the coleman lanterns my father and I collect them we have over 100
All great points. I am enjoying your series and I do construction for a living. Being on a hill would there of been any way to mitigate water around the foundation and further down hill that could of incorporated with your property retaining walls without a major additional cost in your mind?
From my research (for a nee build), modern basement build are huge leaps over the techniques from 100y ago (the house I grew up in, also other friends).
Now I know what are the best practices for a good basement
We had that problem with our basement in South Dakota, constantly using a sump pump. Convenient for food storage and hiding from tornadoes. But, very high maintenance. I think you made a wise decision.
Here in Canada we put basements in homes that are no more then 15 meters away from lakes or rivers. LOL waterproofing membranes and sump pumps are a must.
I grew up in a colonial plantation house in Virginia. It had a dirt floored basement that always stayed dry. Its rains there a lot. I wonder how they pulled it off. Beautiful arches and creepy jumping spiders!
when you said reloading, i was instantly saddened by my lack of basement... Oh how I dream of the day that I can have a good reloading space!
awesome thanks
If you changed the grade a little you could’ve had a nice walk out basement. That’s a nice bonus space. And you’d have good drainage. It then again not everyone likes the look of that. Plus you have that bonus room above the garage to make up for it.
Thank you for your time! I truly appreciate your videos. I'd like to know how to invest to this effort
I have a 9 foot block basement in clay. I agree 100 percent.
You must have a background in engineering. You have an excellent understanding of materials and explain things in a great way. Enjoy your posts!
What an excellent synopsis of basements! I was hesitant going into this video (I live in chilly Canada) but you made all the right considerations as I see it. I have in-laws in the pacific northwest and they have a basement that is always a concern with that cursed water infiltration. Another relative there has no basement and obviously none of those concerns. I like the provisos at the end as well. Very well worded and thought out video. As always, thank you for your diligent efforts to educate your viewers and increase the value of the content on UA-cam! Cheers.
Wayward Woodworker - Well said!
Wayward Woodworker Yes indeed. My family moved to Atlantic Canada in 1965. Bought a house then 10 years old. Poured concrete basement clearly new technology to that community then. The sulfate damage was absolutely relentless. Flaking now useless dust had to be seen to be believed. The cobwebs had more strength in holding the particles together. As a teenager,I talked the family in to a dehumidifier that ran all year round. Made a huge difference to comfort. The original houses in the community were rock and mortar for walls,expect a wet basement,store coal etc. For dry storage,head to the sizeable attics built above what was usually a two story frame. Lots of natural springs in the area,the water pressure and soil movement was slow but relentless.
The parking area had walls of many sandstone blocks about 4'×3'×2' each and they got pushed over to unsafe condition twice in 15 years.
Basements are just as wonderful as he says. But there is a price beyond the directly financial as well. The few slab houses sold for less money for decades. But no basement,no flood. No flood,no ruined possessions,no 2 am disaster when late winter meltweather over top the frozen snow trickles 6" freezing cold water in to the teenagers bedroom. Try writing a calculus final exam at 9 am. Not fun.
Ya pays yer money and ya takes yer choice.
Building a fire in the Franklin stove on a cold night was warm and cozy. But everything Scott says about the either/or of choosing a basement or not applies.
Great series,look forward to following the step by step of a new house. Cheers.
Up here in the cold north when the minimum footing depth is 4-6 feet a basement is not that much more of a cost. Of course you need to be aware of ground and hydrological conditions
Thank you for your eloquence...
The best basement waterproofer would be a spray polyurea to the entire exterior and footings of the basement. Only problem is moisture in green concrete will throw off the chemical reaction of the 2 part component. So the walls would have to cure out for 30 days before backfilling
Would love to see a video on your Coleman lantern!
Must be nice to not have to put in basements here in NY we would be shot if we didn't put in basements code requires them here due to frost . Love the house build series . Fellow carpenter from ny
Basements are very rare here on Vancouver Island too for all of the same reasons.
Great video! Very educational. With that clay, how do you keep water from leeching through your slab since you don’t have a basement?
It's been said that I have the body of a 20-year-old...
But nobody knows where I hide it.
(It's in the basement - the perfect place for one's "hobbies.") LOL
aussiebloke609 nice one... happy days from western North Carolina!!!
aussiebloke609 mine is hiding under gray hair, extra weight, wrinkles and pain lol.
Is putting tiles on walls in the basement or garage going to stop the water from leaking? What are your experiences? My garage has tiles on walls and i have never seen a single drop of water anywhere
As a former Mid-Westerner, I grew up with basements that served as my father's workshop (which I helped build and in which I learned many skills and spent many pleasant hours), a rec-room for my sisters and our friends growing up, a place to indulge in the many hobbies that come and go during a lifetime, a place to store and age wines, and a place to keep the many things that you don't really know why you save, but that you don't want to part with either. Basements serve a wonderful purpose.
Upon moving to the Seattle area, where basements are few and far between, I still have a tough time accepting their absence, and don't fully buy the various justifications for not building them. Our house, for example, has a crawlspace with about five-foot, six inch headroom, that allows you to walk around it hunched over, and provides storage space of sorts, but is highly impractical in the sense that you enter it from a door on the outside of the house. How much more expensive would it have been to dig down two or three more feet and build a proper basement? Especially when you consider that doing so would provide a 50% increase in the overall usable square footage of the house. And as to water issues, a sump pump I added to our crawl space is already adequate to keep it perfectly dry.
The West Coast, I am afraid, is full of fast buck artists whose business model is to build cheap, sell fast, and get out of town quick. After experiencing the fine craftsmanship of past and current home builders in Chicago and Milwaukee where I used to live, the difference is striking. I've heard the excuses for no basements. I just don't buy them.
... not on the land on which you build the house.
The discussion is late anyway .
Your lot was exceptional for an exceptional basement. , but do not worry I will make one on my lot in Romania , and I'll show it to you too .
Thanks again for your effort to inform us from your vast experience
I wish basements were common here in Louisiana, the extra storage would be nice.
But places like new Orleans sit below sea level and it might end up being an indoor swimming pool.
@@mrwess1927 Yeah, water intrusion would definitely be a constant problem. I'm sure with today's technology, it is easy to seal a basement but the added cost probably outweighs any benefits.
Completely off topic but can you tell me where you get/what brand of 1/4 zip sweaters you wear. The fit looks very good on all of them that you have worn.
The one thing I didn't hear was what the market in your area expects. If the market expects basements, you are making a big mistake to not have a basement. Where I build, basements are expected so I build them. All of the basement problems you talked about are solvable.
Great SPOT ON ASSESSMENT - Can easily have a dry basement esp with a walk out -BUT few builders know how to keep dirty. Its not hard,m but its 10,000 $ to do it right. Double footing drains, clean outs, extended pipes to daylight, good liquid membrane and dimple Matt, and ideally an additional gravel drainage plane
Yeah, that part of the country you need the regular french drain, a secondary french drain, an interior sump.... all after doing a careful grade emphasizing drainage. Developed areas do not have that kind of space.....
In architecture we were taught to think of buildings as boats. They are structures that should hold together and "float" in the soil. In our area, southern California, basements are rare. We happen to have a very nice basement in a house that was built in 1949. I don't know of any builders in the area now that put in basements with the exception that I did see a very expensive custom home being built a week or two ago that was getting their garage built below grade. Not a problem here, we only get about 5" of rain a year.
You can spray tar on the foundation as well as the sumo pump system.
Living in Oklahoma (middle of tornado alley), most of the houses here don't have basements. I grew up in Indiana, where a lot of the houses have basement. Where can I get the drink tumbler in your video? I've looked on the merch page and all I am seeing are coffee mugs.
Personally I wouldn't buy a home without a basement. Just like a garage.
Agreed.
I agree. I passed on quite a few nice houses just for that reason. A lot of it is the local geology, at least here in western Maine.
As a South East Texan, a basement is not very compatible down here. Therefore I personally wouldn't expect a basement in a home. They seem like water traps.
I live in a area with a high water table. All homes here have basements with sump pumps. I live in Canada and in my area we need to go under the frost line in order for things not to move around.
Water is an issue but it's not a big issue.
C Smith- I grew up in North East Texas, and never saw a house with a basement. They aren't really built here. Closest you get is when a house is built on a slope, and have a "'walk out Basement" aka the bottom floor has 2-3 sides are hidden by ground but 1-2 sides are exposed.
Nobody builds basements in Texas. I have great memories as a kid prowling around my Grandparents basement in NJ finding old treasure. More content, please.
And Ive been scheming on how to cut a piece of my patio out so I can dig down and lower a small walkbehind bobcat and dirt conveyor in and dig a basement under my existing home.....
lol this sounds insane -- follow up 2 years later?
I live in super dry Utah and basements are almost mandatory here. However, I have family in Southwest Oregon. They bought the house, but whoever built it should not have put in a basement. It is constantly flooding, and the water table is almost always higher than the basement floor. They have a water pump that is almost always running. I told them to make concrete footings and then fill the basement with gravel, or sell the house. Great video, agree 100%
Reloading! Exactly what my dad does in his basement. Grew up with a basement. It was great! Till it flooded 1-2 inches of water for three years :( finally found the problem and dad fixed it. Maaajor headache.
Could never live without a basement....Actually crazy hearing negative comments about basements.
The basement... I am trying to convert a cinder block cellar which resides under the back poured cement patio. It does not seem to have any water membrane or is just too old and degraded as I wick a lot of rain water instantly. floor has a drain and hopefully a weeping tile, so it seems great. Hydraulic cement and fast dry silicone has been my best friend so far with all the outside cement cracks and the bad window frames, reducing the incoming water. My problem mainly is I need to install a gutter system onto the patio top which is draining down my outside walls causing this damage. If they were installed or a proper cement sidewalk as well may of prevented the water damage.
I am in Southern Canada so I get quite a bit of rain here from November to April. Other than digging to install a new membrane which is out of my budget, once the mentioned is all done, and things dry up, would it be a good idea to use drylok 10psi water membrane paint on the outside walls? then some durafoam insulation on the upper half of the walls and more on the ceiling? Not planning to finish, just function for living on a budget.
I guess that's all I really got other than digging it all up. I could also maybe grade the surrounding patio stones, and fill the gaps with mortar to help? or is that not as effective as I imagine? Seems I only get wet when its raining, after two days or so I am all dried out again except for some dark cinders showing moisture from the outside walls,
Gutter system onto a concrete overhang patio is my next project for this, which should help a lot.
Thanks for your video, basements are so misunderstood