# Can I get a house with a full basement whereever I want? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 16, 2016, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-get-a-house-with-a-full-basement-whereever-i-want/762987 "2016-08-16T13:09:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![CannyDan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cannydan/32/548_2.png) [@CannyDan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CannyDan)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2016, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-get-a-house-with-a-full-basement-whereever-i-want/762987/41 "2016-08-16T19:37:16Z")
> [@TonySinclair](#): > > That sounds like it might be the way to go. Like you said, it should be applicable anywhere (given a large enough lot), and it would eliminate the bathroom problem mentioned above. If you mean having to flush uphill – from toilet level in the basement, up to the level of the sewer or septic system outfall – yes, that won’t be an issue. The house will be built normally, and plumbed normally, in whatever manner is common (or to code) in that area. A gravity system would work, and shit would be free to flow downhill. Then the house is just buried. Or partly buried. Giving you your basement without the “sunken” aspect. Leave a curved or “S” shaped pathway through the fill dirt to the front door and even that will be safely behind a wall of dirt. Sod and landscape plantings could make your lot into a beautiful garden. As I said, I saw this proposed as hurricane resistant construction. Those of us who lived at ground zero for Hurricane Andrew in 1992 Miami took a considerable interest in such things afterward. A Category 5 hurricane’s winds alone are capable of demolishing even construction thought at the time to be hurricane proof. Reducing the amount of exposed walls was thought to greatly reduce the possibility of damage. Several of us told ourselves we’d build such a home someday so we could feel safe. Unfortunately this construction style isn’t suited for typical residential lots. And so (sigh…) real life leaves us just as exposed as we were back then. BTW, Hurricane Andrew Day is a week from tomorrow. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2016, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-get-a-house-with-a-full-basement-whereever-i-want/762987/42 "2016-08-16T19:40:53Z")
> [@TonySinclair](#): > > This is what I don’t understand. If we can make clothes that stop bullets, why can’t we make something that keeps water out and won’t fall apart after a few years? We can. Technologically, it’s not difficult. How much are you willing to pay? ---
**Author:** ![TonySinclair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@TonySinclair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TonySinclair)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2016, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-get-a-house-with-a-full-basement-whereever-i-want/762987/43 "2016-08-16T20:27:41Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > We can. Technologically, it’s not difficult. How much are you willing to pay? Well, if I have a thousand or so square feet of basement that is liveable, then a thousand square feet on top of it (i.e., a smallish one-story house) will be plenty, so I should save some money there. And I can probably get by with a smaller lot than I’d want with a conventional house, even if I do the earth-covering thing, so that should save some money too. That said, I guess I’d be willing to pay a 50% premium for a perfect house. ---
**Author:** ![TonySinclair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@TonySinclair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TonySinclair)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2016, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-get-a-house-with-a-full-basement-whereever-i-want/762987/44 "2016-08-16T20:29:39Z")
> [@markn\_1](#): > > I had a home inspector once tell me that relying on a sump pump to deal with water issues is a bad idea. If you lose power for a significant length of time during a storm (which is probably when you most need the pump), you’re going to have a big problem. I suppose adding a generator mitigates this somewhat. > > –Mark Would a solar panel or two provide enough power to run a pump, assuming you have some storage batteries in the circuit? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2016, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-get-a-house-with-a-full-basement-whereever-i-want/762987/45 "2016-08-16T20:37:32Z")
The solar panels will also be offline at the time you’re likely to need the pump most, which means that at that point, it’s just a question of whether the batteries are enough. And in that case, what’s the solar for? ---
**Author:** ![TonySinclair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@TonySinclair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TonySinclair)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2016, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-get-a-house-with-a-full-basement-whereever-i-want/762987/46 "2016-08-16T21:07:45Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > The solar panels will also be offline at the time you’re likely to need the pump most, which means that at that point, it’s just a question of whether the batteries are enough. And in that case, what’s the solar for? To charge the batteries. I’m not going to live in a hurricane-prone area. Any power outages are likely to be from wind blowing branches into power lines or something, so it’s not a given that we won’t have sun during an outage. ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2016, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-get-a-house-with-a-full-basement-whereever-i-want/762987/47 "2016-08-16T22:10:15Z")
I have lived in places without many basements (LA) and places that have basements everywhere (Missouri). Basements can be awesome. In Missouri we had a finished, walkout basement, with a huge storage area behind. We did indeed move our living area downstairs into what was the family room. I used one of the two bedrooms as my office, my husband used the other one as his, the family room was our master, and we did have a bathroom downstairs. Most places in Missouri we found that people would build into slight hills or grades to get a walkout basement. We liked being in a basement for all of the reasons that you mention - quiet, dark, temperature, etc. I think the technology almost certainly exists to build your house with a basement ALMOST anywhere you want to live, with the very rare exception of places that are at sea level or in a swamp (New Orleans, for example). Some places are going to take more engineering than others, and you’ll want to ask lots of questions of the sorts that have been raised here: what is the water table like, are there radon problems in the area, is natural gas present in the area, etc. I think someone mentioned not having basements in LA due to earthquakes, but really, I think you could quite feasibly do it there too. Underground parking garages are quite common. It’s a question of the money you want to spend on engineering and stability. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2016, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-get-a-house-with-a-full-basement-whereever-i-want/762987/48 "2016-08-16T22:22:58Z")
> [@TonySinclair](#): > > This is what I don’t understand. If we can make clothes that stop bullets, why can’t we make something that keeps water out and won’t fall apart after a few years? > [@Folly](#): > > Because if you make something that is waterproof enough and strong enough to keep out all the water that is trying to get in, what you’ve made is a boat. That boat is going to try to float and push up hard on the house above it causing bad things. Besides that, the basement of your house has several built-in holes in it: utilities like water, gas, & electricity, phone, cable TV, internet all need to get in, and sewage has to get out. That last is the most difficult, since it is a large pipe, and has to be at the lowest level (below any bathroom floor levels), and the lowest level is where the groundwater pressure is the greatest. That said, all these problems are readily handled in basements all over the northern half of the USA, and probably require less normal maintenance than the above-ground areas of the house. I can’t imagine ever buying a house that is lacking a basement. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2016, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-get-a-house-with-a-full-basement-whereever-i-want/762987/49 "2016-08-16T22:38:13Z")
> [@TonySinclair](#): > > That sounds interesting. Can you tell me where that was, and what you mean by “vibrating rods” that make a box sink into the sand? If you vibrate sand it behaves like a fluid. You see the same technique on building sites when they pour concrete. > [@](#): > > For example, a pile of sand is more like a solid, while a vibrated or fluidized bed of sand can be more like a liquid like quicksand. This is important in life and industry > > [http://www.physics.ohio-state.edu/~reu/99reu/final\_reports/paper\_knappman.pdf](http://www.physics.ohio-state.edu/~reu/99reu/final_reports/paper_knappman.pdf) ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2016, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-get-a-house-with-a-full-basement-whereever-i-want/762987/50 "2016-08-16T23:18:57Z")
> [@CannyDan](#): > > As stated above, in southern Florida high water tables preclude basements. But hurricanes are a danger. I’ve seen proposals to build a concrete block house (a common construction material here) with no windows on the ground floor, (or only perhaps a single window and an entry door), then backfill (dirt then landscape plantings) around the entire building… That’s what they did when Disney World was built, just on a much, much larger scale. > [@MrSquishy](#): > > That’s why you have a sump pump! I think probably every house in the city I live in (Edmonton, Canada) has a basement. I’m always confused when I travel to places where people don’t have basements. Where do you keep all your junk? 😕 The attic or the garage. In places that don’t get a lot of heavy snow there’s much less need to store your car indoors. ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2016, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-get-a-house-with-a-full-basement-whereever-i-want/762987/51 "2016-08-16T23:57:06Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > I’ve heard of [empty in-ground pools being buoyed up out of their holes](https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&authuser=0&site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1092&bih=859&q=pool+floated&oq=pool+floated&gs_l=img.3..0i10k1l2j0i5i10i30k1j0i5i30k1l2j0i8i30k1l2j0i10i24k1l3.1275.2533.0.2605.12.10.0.1.1.0.204.1050.0j7j1.8.0....0...1ac.1.64.img..3.9.1059...0.mFAy7yVL1Qk#imgrc=_). If the shell is surrounded by water, then the buoyant force is about equal to the weight of the water that used to be in the pool, which is a lot, and the empty shell doesn’t weigh all that much. > > But how much does a house weigh? The basement is essentially an empty swimming pool, but with a whole lot of lumber, drywall, shingles, and sundry household goods stacked on top. Are there actual cases of houses with basements that have been floated up out of their holes? Good point … the building itself isn’t all that heavy … no where close to how heavy the foundation/basement walls are … OTOP the basement wouldn’t have to move much to ruin it … quarter inch crack would wreck it’s water-proof-ness … half inch and your doors/windows will stop working … But you’re right, I’ve seen houses float down rivers but never with the foundation/basement attached. The strongest tornadoes will sweep a house off it’s foundation, but the foundation usually survives intact. ---
**Author:** ![RetroVertigo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b38774/32.png) [@RetroVertigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RetroVertigo)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2016, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-get-a-house-with-a-full-basement-whereever-i-want/762987/52 "2016-08-17T01:49:08Z")
If you want quiet got should check-out my sub-basement. A person could scream for days on end, and not a soul would hear them. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Nefario](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/59ef9b/32.png) [@Nefario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nefario)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2016, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-get-a-house-with-a-full-basement-whereever-i-want/762987/53 "2016-08-17T02:39:45Z")
> [@watchwolf49](#): > > … I’ve seen houses float down rivers but never with the foundation/basement attached… Combining both ideas; there are [concrete ships and barges](https://www.google.com/search?q=concrete+barge&tbm=isch&imgil=k0A58CYfVerYRM%253A%253B7oSZhFfmfRtc_M%253Bhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww.wotol.com%25252F1-estonia-yard-concrete-barge-pontoon-35x9-5m%25252Fsecond-hand-machinery%25252Fprod_id%25252F532205&source=iu&pf=m&fir=k0A58CYfVerYRM%253A%252C7oSZhFfmfRtc_M%252C_&usg=__onWK3O8K6nzAQexI4vjFs4L_ck4%3D&biw=953&bih=546&ved=0ahUKEwiopr2js8fOAhVFRyYKHe31A3QQyjcIJw&ei=iMuzV6jCLcWOmQHt64-gBw#imgrc=k0A58CYfVerYRM%3A). 🆒 Continuously poured concrete is waterproof - leaks come from cracks, joints, and porosity as in concrete block. And recently [rebar made of basalt fiber](http://www.neuvokascorp.com/) has been developed which has comparable strength to steel and will never rust. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2016, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-get-a-house-with-a-full-basement-whereever-i-want/762987/54 "2016-08-17T02:43:51Z")
> [@ddsun](#): > > I have lived in places without many basements (LA) and places that have basements everywhere (Missouri). Basements can be awesome. In Missouri we had a finished, walkout basement, with a huge storage area behind. We did indeed move our living area downstairs into what was the family room. I used one of the two bedrooms as my office, my husband used the other one as his, the family room was our master, and we did have a bathroom downstairs. Most places in Missouri we found that people would build into slight hills or grades to get a walkout basement. We liked being in a basement for all of the reasons that you mention - quiet, dark, temperature, etc. Speaking of Missouri…a neighbor of mine designed his house, built in the 1950’s, into the side of a slight slope up to the street. His living room and kitchen were in the back of the house, at rear grade level, deliberately placed so family activities focused towards the rear yard and woods, not the street. Bedrooms were upstairs. It was a poured concrete foundation. He never had a sump pump or leakage problem, unlike his neighbors with concrete block foundations. Unfortunately, when the beautiful woods was replaced with 40 new homes, his private, rear-facing concept became a lot less attractive. ---
**Author:** ![DtypeJag](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@DtypeJag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DtypeJag)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2016, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-get-a-house-with-a-full-basement-whereever-i-want/762987/55 "2016-08-17T19:09:49Z")
My house in central California has a partial basement of about 700sq’. I wanted a basement for making precision optical surfaces where a constant temperature is a big plus. Anyway, around here nobody had a basement of any sort. It simply wasn’t done so there was no one with any experience in building them. A masonary contractor that I knew was interested in trying it after he researched basements using the city library. What he ended up doing was to build it out of concrete blocks that were covered with a thick rubber stuff. A rubber sheet was laid before the floor slab was poured and a French drain was run around the perimeter. The ground is made up of sandy loam so is very permeable and the water table is around 25-30’. 18 yrs later I have had no problems with water or even dampness, no cracks from shifting ground or earthquakes. ---
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2016, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-get-a-house-with-a-full-basement-whereever-i-want/762987/56 "2016-08-17T19:22:50Z")
> [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](#): > > I always figured the thinking was that if you had to dig below a deep frost line anyway you might as well dig a little deeper and have a basement. I believe the “frost line” is about 4’ down. with that another few feet is not a big deal for a house that will be considered to have alot more space/sq footage. ---
**Author:** ![peedin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peedin/32/14095_2.png) [@peedin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peedin)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2016, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-get-a-house-with-a-full-basement-whereever-i-want/762987/57 "2016-08-17T20:33:01Z")
I grew up in Chicago and every house had a basement. But there’s no good reason to live in northern Illinois. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-get-a-house-with-a-full-basement-whereever-i-want/762987.md?page=2)