House I looked at Sunday had a fairly dry, solid basement. Looked like poured concrete, circa 1950. The biggest problem I could find with it was that it was only about 5′ high. I’m wondering about the methods/practicality of trying to solve a short basement.
Methods of fixing a short basement:
1. Jack the house, excavate a ramp down into it and use a sledge/jackhammer/bobcat to completely remove the old basement and pour a newer, deeper basement. Probably the most expensive option. Neat to see when someone else is paying for it.
2. Sledge/jackhammer the floor out and try to excavate down a couple feet & pour a new floor. Most backbreaking option.
3. Jack the house up several feet and then build up the basement walls. Maybe concrete block on top of the poured concrete (could poured concrete extensions be done?). Then grade around the house to adjust for the 2-3′ rise. Wonder how expensive this would be on a 19×32 “L” shaped footprint (2-story)?
4. Find short people to live in the house
A possible problem with #1  is that I think the water that does get into the basement percolates up through the floor, so probably a high water table…which might make digging deeper a problem (and might explain why the current basement is only 5′).
From a financial point of view I think the basement is going to be the deal breaker. The house also needs an addition put on the back, so that would have to be taken into account with any basement work.
jt8
A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty. — Sir Winston Churchill
Edited 6/14/2005 5:33 pm ET by JohnT8
Replies
Forget it and move on.
Forget it and move on.
That's what I'm leaning towards at the moment. It is in a good location. If I had $$ to throw around, I'd bulldoze it and put a new house/basement in.
jt8
A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty. -- Sir Winston Churchill
I don't believe the work and expense would justify the results, but I have been wrong before. (Lots of times...)
If the wife insists on buying that house, then the idea of adding to the top of the basement walls would be the best bet.
I'm sorry, I thought you wanted it done the right way.
Ed, a new basement for a basic, rectangle type house runs about $20k here. Any guestimate on what this jack & add would cost? WAG's are allowed.
Block on top, or can it be formed. If formed, does it need rebar drilled into the old or a key ground into the top? jt8
A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty. -- Sir Winston Churchill
Why do you need to heighten the basement.
If the house is good enough of a deal just treat the basement as a classy crawlspace for mechanicals and put your attention to the living areas.
be just 2 cents
Maybe it is a deep crawl space.
A tie!
We had a tie!
A person with no sense of humor about themselves is fullashid
Same time Same day Same thought who'dathunk
Know two families in 1950ish side-splits which have half a basement at ~7' and the other half at around 3'6" or 4'. The low part makes for ample storage and one heck of a children's play house. Put in a whole collection of low furniture, including full room arrangements with the area rug centred in a circle of seating, and a portable tv. Grown-ups visit (or access storage) by scooting around seated on a skateboard or dumptruck. ;-)
If you've trouble with the water table, no amount of raising the house will cure it. If it's at all important that you have the house, put on that addition with a full-height b/m afterwards, even if it means a split-level so's you don't undermine the extg footings. Don't waste moolah on the impossible (impractical, rather).
cheers
***I'm a contractor - but I'm trying to go straight!***