# A Poll and Thread About Basements **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 15, 2016, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-poll-and-thread-about-basements/743271 "2016-01-15T20:35:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e4f/32.png) [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_is_the_new_Analog)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2016, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-poll-and-thread-about-basements/743271/41 "2016-01-16T04:01:42Z")
My answer is the same as all the other South Florida regional answers. ---
**Author:** ![delphica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9a140/32.png) [@delphica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/delphica)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2016, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-poll-and-thread-about-basements/743271/42 "2016-01-16T04:22:12Z")
New York City, yes basements are common, both in private homes and in apartment buildings (and commercial space, too). It’s such a vertical environment that you have to go down as well as up to maximize your space. Growing up in western NY state, they were common, but we always called them “cellars.” Unless you had a finished basement, which was called a “finished basement.” (like if your parents were super cool and put a wet bar and a pool table and your sweet lime green 1970s living room set down there) At my grandmother’s house, which was built in the 1920s, you could tell it was pretty much carved out of bedrock. To this day, I think of a cellar as being concrete, or even stone, bare foundation, and a basement means more of an extension of your living space. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2016, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-poll-and-thread-about-basements/743271/43 "2016-01-16T04:35:03Z")
Alberta, Canada; and basements are necessary here, due to the climate, as indicated upthread. ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2016, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-poll-and-thread-about-basements/743271/44 "2016-01-16T04:36:49Z")
I don’t know anyone who has a basement. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2016, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-poll-and-thread-about-basements/743271/45 "2016-01-16T04:42:07Z")
I grew up in Illinois near Chicago in a split level house with a half-basement and crawlspace. Two houses we had in Charlotte, North Carolina were slab on grade. The houses we’ve had in California have been on generally inaccessible crawlspaces. Theoretically, there’s an access hatch in the front hall closet but I can’t envision a way to wriggle through the hatch into the crawlspace that won’t result in needing to saw a hole in the living room floor to get out. ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2016, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-poll-and-thread-about-basements/743271/46 "2016-01-16T05:19:13Z")
I live in Eastern Washington. Basements are the rule here. I spent part of my life in California. No matter where I lived–LA, the Bay Area, and Sacramento–there were no basements. Is there anywhere in the state where basements are at least somewhat common? ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2016, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-poll-and-thread-about-basements/743271/47 "2016-01-16T05:31:44Z")
NY, PA, NH, VT – all have had basements/cellars. ---
**Author:** ![usedtobe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ec9cab/32.png) [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2016, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-poll-and-thread-about-basements/743271/48 "2016-01-16T06:48:36Z")
Can I piggyback a Q? Does the age of a house correlate to basement/raised(crawlspace)/slab? I suspect the great post-WWII housing boom made people accepting slab construction, even if the soil/conditions allowed it. The small town I called home for too many years had older homes with basements, but the newer (1960’s) tract-style houses were slab. Was this common? ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2016, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-poll-and-thread-about-basements/743271/49 "2016-01-16T07:17:21Z")
New York where I grew up, yes. And finished (by my father.) In Illinois I lived in one of two apartments in a house. Yes, unfinished, for tornadoes I assume. Louisiana - no New Jersey - yes, and finished. California, no. So that supports the cold/warm weather hypothesis. ---
**Author:** ![stui\_magpie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stui_magpie/32/11010_2.png) [@stui\_magpie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stui_magpie)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2016, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-poll-and-thread-about-basements/743271/50 "2016-01-16T07:21:52Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > You need to dig down below the frost line for the foundation. Once you do that the cost of a full basement isn’t much more. What’s a frost line and why do you need to dig below it for the foundation? I’m serious. I’ve never heard the term “Frost line” before. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2016, 8:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-poll-and-thread-about-basements/743271/51 "2016-01-16T08:06:16Z")
> [@stui\_magpie](#): > > What’s a frost line and why do you need to dig below it for the foundation? > > I’m serious. I’ve never heard the term “Frost line” before. The frost line is the depth in the soil which freezes in the winter. It will vary by region depending on the severity of low temperatures in the winter. Foundations must be dug below the frost line or else they will move and crack because the soil expands when it freezes. ---
**Author:** ![stui\_magpie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stui_magpie/32/11010_2.png) [@stui\_magpie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stui_magpie)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2016, 9:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-poll-and-thread-about-basements/743271/52 "2016-01-16T09:17:09Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > The frost line is the depth in the soil which freezes in the winter. It will vary by region depending on the severity of low temperatures in the winter. Foundations must be dug below the frost line or else they will move and crack because the soil expands when it freezes. ta for that. Geezus, I couldn’t cope with a climate like that, I’ve only ever seen snow on TV. Having to excavate before you can build a house must add a crapload to the cost. We just level the ground and whack a concrete slab on it, or put in some stumps. ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2016, 9:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-poll-and-thread-about-basements/743271/53 "2016-01-16T09:25:35Z")
Colorado, yes basements. Although not every house has them,they are common, and every house I have lived in has had one. My first house I would be more likely to call it a cellar, because it was unfinished to the point that the floor was dirt. Some of them are accessible from outside the house (cellar door) only. (Older houses.) Other places I’ve lived: California, not usual IME but I knew of a couple of walk-out basements in houses on hills. Oklahoma, not usual but not unheard of. Storm cellars, which were separate, yes. Texas, not usual. Again, some people had storm cellars, usually separate from the residence. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2016, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-poll-and-thread-about-basements/743271/54 "2016-01-16T11:43:24Z")
We’re in Southern Maryland and we have a basement. Some of the houses in this neighborhood don’t, but I suspect that’s more a matter of economics than anything else. Because of the terrain, our front door is just 2 steps above the yard, but in the back, the house is 2 stories high and we have a walk-out basement. Some of the houses are built on flat lots, so digging a basement would have been a much bigger, and more expensive, deal. ---
**Author:** ![campp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@campp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/campp)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2016, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-poll-and-thread-about-basements/743271/55 "2016-01-16T12:19:21Z")
Arizona, and no. Reason: Have you ever tried to dig into the ground here? Good luck. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2016, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-poll-and-thread-about-basements/743271/56 "2016-01-16T13:43:39Z")
In Philadelphia, every house I was ever in had a cellar. In Montreal, likewise, we all have basements/sou sols. Our neighbor has one that is only about 5’9" high and I cannot stand straight in it. When I lived in post WWII prefab in Urbana, IL, we had a basement. I just assumed everyone did, but I don’t actually know. On the other hand, when my son in Redmond, WA bought a house that was being built and inquired about adding a basement, the builder simply said, “I don’t do basements.” End of discussion. Since he did add a bathroom to a guest room, he wasn’t just saying he didn’t do modifications. I was surprised by this attitude. My son is actually at the highest point in Redmond, so it has nothing to do with water table. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2016, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-poll-and-thread-about-basements/743271/57 "2016-01-16T13:48:45Z")
NY, PA, MA, CT, MO, SoCal all yes to basements. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2016, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-poll-and-thread-about-basements/743271/58 "2016-01-16T14:11:52Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > The frost line is the depth in the soil which freezes in the winter. It will vary by region depending on the severity of low temperatures in the winter. Foundations must be dug below the frost line or else they will move and crack because the soil expands when it freezes. Here is a visual (PDF!): [http://sqfoot.com/pdf/US\_Map\_Frost\_DepthAVG.pdf](http://sqfoot.com/pdf/US_Map_Frost_DepthAVG.pdf) ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2016, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-poll-and-thread-about-basements/743271/59 "2016-01-16T14:37:53Z")
> [@stui\_magpie](#): > > ta for that. > > Geezus, I couldn’t cope with a climate like that, I’ve only ever seen snow on TV. Having to excavate before you can build a house must add a crapload to the cost. We just level the ground and whack a concrete slab on it, or put in some stumps. It adds to the initial cost of a house, but the space you get from the basement costs you less per square foot than above ground. That’s largely because it’s unfinished space though. ---
**Author:** ![Sahirrnee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sahirrnee/32/13937_2.png) [@Sahirrnee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sahirrnee)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2016, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-poll-and-thread-about-basements/743271/60 "2016-01-16T16:01:54Z")
> [@usedtobe](#): > > Can I piggyback a Q? > > Does the age of a house correlate to basement/raised(crawlspace)/slab? > > I suspect the great post-WWII housing boom made people accepting slab construction, even if the soil/conditions allowed it. > The small town I called home for too many years had older homes with basements, but the newer (1960’s) tract-style houses were slab. > > Was this common? I think so. My family home has a basement but several neighborhoods near there don’t. From what I understand they are tract houses built right after WWII. The original houses were ugly and tiny, but there are very few left that haven’t been added onto. They have hot water heating that runs through the concrete slabs, horribly messy and expensive to fix if a pipe bursts. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-poll-and-thread-about-basements/743271.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-poll-and-thread-about-basements/743271.md?page=4)