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<p>Basements were built for many practical reasons. Buyers today see basement as nostalgic and not so much for its practical use. Several hundred years ago prior to the Revolution the Colonists were required to open their homes to British soldiers. No one was interested in building homes that look large and inviting. The architectural movement at that time was to disguise the extra stories in basements and attics. The taxation of homes imposed on to Colonial America by the English government was based on the number of visible stories. Homes without basement the floors were also raised several feet above the outside dirt due to deep snow and flooding after winter hence sewer and storm drains did not exist. When the floor of the home was raised several feet above the ground it only made sense to dig into the ground for only several feet and gain a useable basement for keeping food and cured meat since the natural ground temperature is around 50 degree. Other functions of a basement were for hiding and protection. Door access was secretive to fool the British. Length of lumber was another limitation to single story homes. </p>
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<p>Food pantry in the kitchen had a hole on the floor so the convection of cool air from the basement up into the pantry chamber preserved food longer. Refrigerators replaced this practical application. Prior to 1940’s all floor constructions were framed over foundation walls and the space between the dirt and the bottom of the floor were called the crawl space used mostly for running plumbing and heating ducts and keeping the wood away from ground termites. </p>
<p>Many homes equipped with basement for bomb shelters. The threat of atomic bomb started as early as the 30’s but realized in the 40’s. The paranoia prompted the builders in using the basement as good marketing appeal. The invention of slab foundation saves construction cost on framing floor beams on the ground floor as well as speeding up construction time. Other benefits were the elimination of sagging floors and floor creeps. </p>
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<p>The economy of slab foundation is the cheapest in both cost and labor. The boxy construction along with roof trusses eliminated the highly skilled and labor carpenters and replaced with unskilled construction workers during the 40’s. Home design compromised greatly because of this movement. West Floral Park and Floral Park are examples of 2 neighborhood from the 20’s and 40’s that the design aesthetic was obviously compromised. Earthquake is not the major reason for not having a basement. Earlier built homes did not have seismic bolts that tied the structure to the foundation walls so we heard of old homes slipped off from their foundation. As long adequate bolts were retrofitted the house is seismically sound. The slab foundation was cheap and a new breed of contractors was born. Few strayed from the typical method and basement was too complex to be integrated with a concrete slab system. Another issue was waterproofing and dampness. Short life span of waterproofing membrane offered only a few good years for basement before homeowners had to excavate dirt around the entire basement for waterproofing replacement. Basement is too expensive per sf than framing a third story. </p>
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<p>Economic and avoiding lawsuit was the bottom line for home builders. Unless land cost is very high like at a coastal location where a 2 story would block ocean view and ocean view premium is $$$$$$$. Basement for a single story home then would make sense for the economic equation. Plumbing for a 2 story home by codes could be plastic while a 3 story home all plumbing including waste line must be cast iron. The basement triggers the 3 story plumbing requirement thus significantly increased construction cost. When a home buyer chooses the 3rd story option all plumbing has to be upgraded from plastic to iron.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Food pantry in the kitchen had a hole on the floor so the convection of cool air from the basement up into the pantry chamber preserved food longer. Refrigerators replaced this practical application. Prior to 1940’s all floor constructions were framed over foundation walls and the space between the dirt and the bottom of the floor were called the crawl space used mostly for running plumbing and heating ducts and keeping the wood away from ground termites. </p>
<p>Many homes equipped with basement for bomb shelters. The threat of atomic bomb started as early as the 30’s but realized in the 40’s. The paranoia prompted the builders in using the basement as good marketing appeal. The invention of slab foundation saves construction cost on framing floor beams on the ground floor as well as speeding up construction time. Other benefits were the elimination of sagging floors and floor creeps. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>The economy of slab foundation is the cheapest in both cost and labor. The boxy construction along with roof trusses eliminated the highly skilled and labor carpenters and replaced with unskilled construction workers during the 40’s. Home design compromised greatly because of this movement. West Floral Park and Floral Park are examples of 2 neighborhood from the 20’s and 40’s that the design aesthetic was obviously compromised. Earthquake is not the major reason for not having a basement. Earlier built homes did not have seismic bolts that tied the structure to the foundation walls so we heard of old homes slipped off from their foundation. As long adequate bolts were retrofitted the house is seismically sound. The slab foundation was cheap and a new breed of contractors was born. Few strayed from the typical method and basement was too complex to be integrated with a concrete slab system. Another issue was waterproofing and dampness. Short life span of waterproofing membrane offered only a few good years for basement before homeowners had to excavate dirt around the entire basement for waterproofing replacement. Basement is too expensive per sf than framing a third story. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Economic and avoiding lawsuit was the bottom line for home builders. Unless land cost is very high like at a coastal location where a 2 story would block ocean view and ocean view premium is $$$$$$$. Basement for a single story home then would make sense for the economic equation. Plumbing for a 2 story home by codes could be plastic while a 3 story home all plumbing including waste line must be cast iron. The basement triggers the 3 story plumbing requirement thus significantly increased construction cost. When a home buyer chooses the 3rd story option all plumbing has to be upgraded from plastic to iron.</p>
