# Difference Between Crawlspace and Basement? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 12, 2004, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/difference-between-crawlspace-and-basement/239561 "2004-04-12T04:34:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Carcosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b3f665/32.png) [@Carcosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carcosa)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2004, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/difference-between-crawlspace-and-basement/239561/1 "2004-04-12T04:34:08Z")
Usually, I’d have no problem identifying the difference between a crawlspace and basement. However, I was looking at a house the other day which was listed as being 1/2 basement which I thought was odd since the lines of the house seemed to suggest a full basement. Once inside and downstairs, there is a door in the 1/2 basement that leads to the “crawlspace”. Going through this door you find yourself in a very large space whose only difference from the 1/2 basement is that it has no light fixtures, it is not framed, it has no windows, and the floor is dirt. I would think that it is not a major undertaking to convert this into usable space. My question is: is there some engineering consideration that makes this area a crawlspace or is this simply a very, very unfinished basement? ---
**Author:** ![if6was9](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e47c2d/32.png) [@if6was9](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/if6was9)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2004, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/difference-between-crawlspace-and-basement/239561/2 "2004-04-12T06:14:04Z")
I would have thought the difference between a basement and a crawlspace was just that, whether you could stand up or had to crawl. ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2004, 7:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/difference-between-crawlspace-and-basement/239561/3 "2004-04-12T07:36:42Z")
I prefer to bury the bodies in the basement. John Wayne Gacy pretty much put his personal stamp on burying bodies in the crawlspace. No one wants to perpetrate a horrific crime and hear nothing but, “Oooh, just like Gacy!” ---
**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:** [April 12, 2004, 9:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/difference-between-crawlspace-and-basement/239561/4 "2004-04-12T09:50:18Z")
We have both under our house, at least by my definition. To me, a basement is a tall enough area that with some effort, could be usable space. A crawlspace is lower and serves only as access for the underside of the house. We have a basement workshop under the back of the house where the slope was steep enough that excavation was not required. There’s a crawlspace under the front of the house - actually it’s tall enough for me to stand, but I’m only 5’5" - it could never be used as anything but maybe storage, if you don’t worry about termites and dampness…