Anonymous wrote:I thought if you put on a second story addition that digging out to basement level was required -- that otherwise settling would be an issue.

At least this is what I was told in VA.

Apparently "crawl space" is sufficient. No doubt there will be modifications to the basement, but we have the choice between having a crawl space or digging it out. At least this is from our architect. Our structural engineer might have a different view.

I thought if you put on a second story addition that digging out to basement level was required -- that otherwise settling would be an issue.

At least this is what I was told in VA.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It would be weird to have a 7 foot basement and a regular one. I would make both 9 feet.

It's not that weird. Ours is like that. There's just a step down to the deeper part. We use the lower ceiling section as a playroom since our kids don't care.

Cleanings under 8 feet would be unacceptable to most buyers. I have 9 foot basement ceilings.

Thanks for all your replies.

We are already maximizing the amount we can add on above grade due to lot coverage restrictions and adding on in a way that maintains the architectual design integrity of the house.

That said, we plan to build a one-car detached garage in the back, which could contain a studio or some living space above it. I don't know, but my intuition is that it would be more expensive to do on a cost/sq ft basis than the basement. But that would be additional living space above grade.

Anonymous wrote:It would be weird to have a 7 foot basement and a regular one. I would make both 9 feet.

It's not that weird. Ours is like that. There's just a step down to the deeper part. We use the lower ceiling section as a playroom since our kids don't care.

Anonymous wrote:We are doing a two-story addition and have the option of doing crawlspace underneath or digging out and adding on to our basement. A builder estimated $20k for digging out an unfinished space. We would gain just under 300 square feet of additional below grade basement space judging from the size of the room addition above it. We already have a finished basement that has a BR, bath, family room, and laundry room/kitchen. However, that space is with a 7' ceiling. Digging out the basement could give us additional space with 9' ceilings.

Is it worth it?

2' down (24" inches) there may be water or at least the beginning of basement water problems for you. Research and discuss this thoroughly before you act.

We did dig out and found it was worth it when we finished it as an au-pair suite. She gets some privacy as she's two floors away from the rest of the bedrooms and has her own bathroom.

A couple of things to think about if you do move forward are what you might use the space for in the future. If a bedroom, make sure you either have a walkout basement or egress window so the future bedroom is up to code. If you want to add a bath, you'd save money by doing the rough in plumbing work now. You already mentioned that you'd dig down enough to get a higher ceiling, so think about where the steps down from the existing basement should go.

Above ground space is obviously very desirable but that may not be an option so this is a good alternative. Besides, when the kids get older they'll want a place to hang out with friends that's a bit separated from the other part of the house. The extra basement space, once you finish it, will be really good for that.

OP - do you have a small yard (or, more exactly, can you expand further above ground?)

I would much rather use the same money to expand more above-ground, if possible. The above-ground space is more pleasant and valuable. Also, one of my neighbors dug out their basement to put in a garage and has terrible water issues ever since. I would never do it myself without getting a really competent builder/architect.

When our addition was put on, they dug out the basement. I think it was definitely worth it (although we bought it after it was finished). Even if you don't finish it now you can later. Extra space without taking up your whole yard is definitely worth it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We just made the same decision and went for digging out the extra space. As someone else said you can always finish it later, but this is really your only chance to dig out. We have a 3 and 5 year old so we know in the future we will want more space for the kids to hang out.

Thanks. Did you end up finishing the space or just getting it roughed out. Do you have a finished basement already and are adding on to it?

We are starting our project in 2 weeks. We are going to finish it. Our current basement is unfinished so we are going to do the whole thing at once.