If you have worked on a basement underpinning project…
![[Post New]](/jforum/templates/default/images/icon_minipost_new.gif){kind=icon}
Anonymous
|
Hello, we are a family of 4 living in a row house in DC and need more space. As part of a basement gut renovation, we are considering excavating the floor to increase the ceiling height from 6’8” to 8’.
If you have worked on a basement underpinning project, as a contractor or a homeowner, how did it go? I know the experience is quite terrible when living in the house, but I am specifically interested in learning about surprises or mishaps that increased the cost. Thanks! |
Anonymous
| Just move, trust me |
Anonymous
| (Not op) Any links to stories? I'm genuinely curious about this. It sounds like a horror show knowing everything that I can think of that'd have to go into it... |
Anonymous
We had a neighbor do it with a 100 yo queen anne. It worked but was a hassle. |
Anonymous
| Hello family if you need to do projects any reparation inside or outside to you home I can recommend Joel Medina he is really a good handyman joelmedina804@gmail.com phone 240-694-6295 or 240-694-9645 |
Anonymous
| We did this, in DC. Never moved out. Dug something like 18in. Wish we had dug a few more, but totally worth it. |
Anonymous
|
We have explored this but haven't decided to proceed. We would dig out two crawl spaces plus lower the main basement floor by about 18". Everyone we've talked to says we don't *need* to move out, but that it will be LOUD. Like right now we work from home and that won't be an option. (Part of the reason we are waiting is we have an elderly pet and it will be much easier for everyone if it happens after he is gone.) I understand that it is very dirty, but that most of the dirt and dust can be confined to the basement. It has to be hand-carried out of the basement. Whole project just takes time, you can't work fast and cut corners.
The biggest risk is that you stumble on a surprise underground spring - happened to neighbors in our old neighborhood. They ended up spending like 4x their estimate for water mitigation in the space because a single sump pump was no longer sufficient and they needed significant drainage work. |
Anonymous
| For people who did this, how much did you spend? |
Anonymous
| Just make sure you talk to your neighbors. My neighbor tried to do an underpinning project where he was going to dig out my footers but my structural engineer stopped it. And to this day he's furious at me. But it all could have been fine if we discussed it and he had a plan so my house wouldn't collapse. |
Anonymous
|
We did this in Virginia. It was a huge pain and we had do some trial and error with the waterproofing (make sure you specifically ask for waterproofing and drainage as part of the project or they might not do it).
We ended up with 8 foot ceilings and it’s great. Ceilings and walls are both painted white so it looks spacious. I recommend a large window well to capture some natural light. |
Anonymous
Advice from an Architect podcast episode 37 was about basement work, including underpinning. Check it out. |
Anonymous
Awesome, thanks! |
Anonymous
OP here. It may sound like it but I have watched some YouTube videos and it doesn’t seem like such a big deal after all. It’s a lengthy, unpleasant process but the end result may very well be worth it. The key is finding a great company. I am in the process of doing that. I will report back later. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=pBknIG60UjE&t=584s |
Anonymous
| Are you positive you need to underpin? We live in a rowhouse on the Hill and dug out our basement a year ago to get 7’ ceilings. We didn’t need to underpin. We started with about 6.5 foot ceilings. It saves so much money and time of you don’t underpin. |
Anonymous
| Did you proceed on this project? |