basement in California house?

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tulip_IHB

tulip_IHB

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How come there are no basement in California's homes like they have in the midwest and other part of US?
 
If cost was a factor, I see lots of home with basement in the midwest that sell really cheap. Could there be any other factors beside tornados?



No Vaseline- doesn't all homebuilders are required a soil survey anyway? Is there something else in California soil that won't allowed basement to be built?
 
If you really want a basement. . . err "California Basement" some of the large homes in VOC have them. I toured one of them-- 4000sqft home on a 5000sqft lot. I think that was an opportunistic thing, because they needed to move soil out of that area because of all of the jet fuel in it or something. It was cool though. . . literally, even on a hot day. I've love to be able to have a basement, but yeah like No Vas says, I'm sure in earthquake country that's no fun to plan.





I read about this kind of green air conditioner where they route you homes air underground into a large volume repository and then send it back. The hot summer sun only pierces though the first few feet of ground. Sounded like a good idea to me. (If you've ever gone to the catacombs in Italy, you'll know what i"m talking about-- mid summer its unbearable outside, and when you get underground its nearly freezing). Anyway, one of these weekends I'll rent a backhoe and make it all happen.
 
<p>I'll ask my wife about the calcs and the hows and whys in the morning. I was just guessing.</p>

<p>My grandmother's home has a basement, but it was built in like 1922 or something like that.</p>

<p>Almost all new homes are constructed on 'engeneered' soil where they take all the dirt off site, remix it, and bring it back on site for grade and compaction. Then, they pour a post tensioned concrete slab. Other than keeping your tile from cracking, there's no reason to use one in residental construction says the wife.</p>
 
<p>tulip-</p>

<p>Basements aren't built as a convenience, they are needed to maintain a solid foundation in areas that freeze. Otherwise, ground contraction would crack the foundation and send the house sliding off. Digging below the freeze line before pouring the slab prevents that; the basement is incidental to construction. Some areas with a high water table they excavate below the freezing line, pour "walls" and then backfill the soil before topping it with the slab. Most of California never gets past the frost stage so basements weren't required for a stable foundation and, as other have pointed out, earthquakes and clay soils don't mix well with subterranean spaces. It can be done, but not cheaply.</p>
 
Basements in Cali are a big no no, due to earthquakes. Just like you do not see brick buildings here, they are not earthquake friendly. The last thing you want here, is a brick home with a basement, as when a good one hits... then all of the home will crumble into the basement.
 
Wow...it amazing what you can learn on this forum.



Okay...if earthquake were the concern....then why some of the homes in San Francisco (older homes) have basement? Is it possible these homes were built before the major earthquake in SF?
 
<p>I can answer that one without my wife. They are older construction that were not built to current codes, because (at the time) none existed. There was a big earthquake in Paso Robles about five years ago that knocked down about half of thier historic downtown. Many of those brick buildings were in the process of being retrofited. The code changed in a big way after '68 and then again after the Northridge earthquake.</p>

<p>I heard that there are 50,000 unreinforced masonry buildings in the city of Los Angeles alone. Supposedly they were all supposed to be retrofitted by 2014. I can tell you it's not going to happen.</p>

<p>People like to make fun of the stucco box we live in here in California, but there's no way I'm moving into a brick building. When the big one comes (and it will) I'll be around to talk about it.</p>
 
<p>My wife said:





"In California, a basement is just a swimming pool waiting to be filled up".</p>

<p>It is also more expensive to dig the hole than it is to just grade, plus you'd have to use rebar and grout the masonry. $$$$$$$</p>
 
Additionally, soil export, waterproofing, and shoring around the basement will add significant cost. And as no_vase said, steel and concrete are much more expensive than wood.



I don't understand why basements are a no no due to earthquakes, as long as they are built to code, it's just like having an adding one story to your house.
 
<p>Let me clarify - you can build one. Code will absolutely allow for it. It will be very expensive (double or triple the cost per square foot of on slab construction), so nobody does.</p>
 
You can build basements in california, they can be designed to withstand earthquakes.

Many homes in Newport Beach are building basements since they can not go up then they have to go down.
 
<p>I can answer this one from experience as well as engineer design side. As other's have mentioned... soft soil, REALLY low water table, earthquake loads, the soil is also very transparent for water going down. So you'd pretty much need to make a quake stable, water resistant, insulated, etc. etc. etc. Just kinda expensive, but not out of this world crazy. </p>

<p>The plans i came up with floated the whole home on a thick and heavy slab that was essentially a mass damper unit. Neat idea but the cost was something like $2000 per square ft. I'm sure if you could make it cheaper, but i went all out (for the science retard factor! ha ha).</p>

<p>Anyways good luck</p>

<p>-bix</p>
 
My grandpa's 1908 house in LA had a basement. The house was definitely built in one location and then moved to another. It was probably one of the original Miracle Mile homes that had to be moved. The basement always had to have a submersible pump on so that if it flooded it would pump the water out-- not a fun thing.





My idea is going to be burying a 20 foot shipping container in my yard and then doing an air exchange with it for hot days. I'm still working out the details though. Hah!
 
<p>ISB,</p>

<p>A series of pipes could do the same thing. Think of a car's radiator buried in the ground.</p>
 
<p><strong>ISB</strong>...are you talking about a sump pump? Everyone has one in the northern climates where they have lots of snow and spring flooding. When we lived in Buffalo, NY a huge early fall snow storm hit that knocked out power for weeks. Every block had at least one person who had a generator and you'd see extension cords going across streets and through yards so that neighbors could keep their sump pumps running. </p>

<p>Fortunately we were on the same grid as the school district so we were only without power for 24 hours. Our sump pump was in a hole in our basement and for those 24 hours I had to keep emptying it with a milk jug and dumping it down the sink so our basement wouldn't flood. Many, many people in Buffalo now own water driven sump pumps after that mess. Funny how few people out here even know what one is.</p>
 
I am, Sac. Grandpa had a sump pump and a back up sump pump. When he was in the War, and the power went out, Grandma and her friend had to take the water out with buckets.
 
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