I live in a good size ranch house (40ft by 90ft). We bought the house on a
short sale so we got a really good price on it. However, despite all the
square footage there is no place to put a tv room or home theatre or a
game room. The crawlspace is about 3.5-4ft deep depending on the part you
are in. We are considering having it dug out. Right now we have block
walls, and I was thinking of when they dig it out have them replace the
blocks with pours walls. Is this possible?

-------------------------------------





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Anything is possible for a price. If you live in NC there was an article in
the Raleigh News and observer within the last year about a contracter doing
it.


"heimdm" wrote in message
om...
I live in a good size ranch house (40ft by 90ft). We bought the house on a
short sale so we got a really good price on it. However, despite all the
square footage there is no place to put a tv room or home theatre or a
game room. The crawlspace is about 3.5-4ft deep depending on the part you
are in. We are considering having it dug out. Right now we have block
walls, and I was thinking of when they dig it out have them replace the
blocks with pours walls. Is this possible?

-------------------------------------





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On Nov 25, 3:13*pm, (heimdm) wrote:
I live in a good size ranch house (40ft by 90ft). We bought the house on a
short sale so we got a really good price on it. However, despite all the
square footage there is no place to put a tv room or home theatre or a
game room. The crawlspace is about 3.5-4ft deep depending on the part you
are in. We are considering having it dug out. Right now we have block
walls, and I was thinking of when they dig it out have them replace the
blocks with pours walls. Is this possible?

-------------------------------------


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Anything is possible. but how do you compact it, and how are they
going to form and remove the outside form. I dug mine out and used
block, How deep is the wall foundation. Its no simple cheap job to do
it right. If you cant drive a bobcat down inside you get it hand dug.
You have to be extremely carefull keeping the house standing and level
as walls are removed, maybe leave the original support wall and build
a foundation and wall inside the present support, have fun figuring it
out.

yep. even worked for a guy once that did it by himself with a shovel and a
wheelbarrow.

s


"heimdm" wrote in message
om...
I live in a good size ranch house (40ft by 90ft). We bought the house on a
short sale so we got a really good price on it. However, despite all the
square footage there is no place to put a tv room or home theatre or a
game room. The crawlspace is about 3.5-4ft deep depending on the part you
are in. We are considering having it dug out. Right now we have block
walls, and I was thinking of when they dig it out have them replace the
blocks with pours walls. Is this possible?

-------------------------------------





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ransley wrote:
On Nov 25, 3:13 pm, (heimdm) wrote:
I live in a good size ranch house (40ft by 90ft). We bought the house on a
short sale so we got a really good price on it. However, despite all the
square footage there is no place to put a tv room or home theatre or a
game room. The crawlspace is about 3.5-4ft deep depending on the part you
are in. We are considering having it dug out. Right now we have block
walls, and I was thinking of when they dig it out have them replace the
blocks with pours walls. Is this possible?

-------------------------------------


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Anything is possible. but how do you compact it, and how are they
going to form and remove the outside form. I dug mine out and used
block, How deep is the wall foundation. Its no simple cheap job to do
it right. If you cant drive a bobcat down inside you get it hand dug.
You have to be extremely carefull keeping the house standing and level
as walls are removed, maybe leave the original support wall and build
a foundation and wall inside the present support, have fun figuring it
out.

1. If you have space on the lot, an addition of the back of the house,
above ground, will most likely be cheaper. Adding a basement after house
is built, is expensive space. (Gravity is annoying that way.) There are
a lot of dug-out basements around here, in 1930s-1950s houses. (Usually
a partial that had adjacent crawl dug out.) A stepped foundation is the
usual approach. To replace existing foundation a side at a time would
require jacks and cribbing to hold the house up while you work. Same
tech house movers use. You would essentially be moving the house to the
same spot, on a new foundation.

2. If you heart is set on the idea, get professional engineering site
survey, not Bubba the handyman. Lots of ways to screw up a project like
this. First step is to check water table in your neighborhood- you may
be on a crawl versus a basement for a reason.

3. Have you looked at redividing the existing 1st floor layout? 40x90 is
a pretty big house, and the only load-bearing interior walls are
probably the ones that run down the spine of the house, usually the
kitchen/living room divider and hallway walls. You can probably
fine-tune reality and move some of the others around pretty easily.
Staying within the existing footprint would be cheaper than a backyard
addition or a basement digout.

--
aem sends...

On Nov 25, 6:06*pm, aemeijers wrote:
ransley wrote:
On Nov 25, 3:13 pm, (heimdm) wrote:
I live in a good size ranch house (40ft by 90ft). We bought the house on a
short sale so we got a really good price on it. However, despite all the
square footage there is no place to put a tv room or home theatre or a
game room. The crawlspace is about 3.5-4ft deep depending on the part you
are in. We are considering having it dug out. Right now we have block
walls, and I was thinking of when they dig it out have them replace the
blocks with pours walls. Is this possible?

-------------------------------------


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Anything is possible. but how do you compact it, and how are they
going to form and remove the outside form. I dug mine out and used
block, How deep is the wall foundation. Its no simple cheap job to do
it right. If you cant drive a bobcat down inside you get it hand dug.
You have to be extremely carefull keeping the house standing and level
as walls are removed, maybe leave the original support wall and build
a foundation and wall inside the present support, have fun figuring it
out.

1. If you have space on the lot, an addition of the back of the house,
above ground, will most likely be cheaper. Adding a basement after house
is built, is expensive space. (Gravity is annoying that way.) There are
a lot of dug-out basements around here, in 1930s-1950s houses. (Usually
a partial that had adjacent crawl dug out.) A stepped foundation is the
usual approach. To replace existing foundation a side at a time would
require jacks and cribbing to hold the house up while you work. Same
tech house movers use. You would essentially be moving the house to the
same spot, on a new foundation.

2. If you heart is set on the idea, get professional engineering site
survey, not Bubba the handyman. Lots of ways to screw up a project like
this. First step is to check water table in your neighborhood- you may
be on a crawl versus a basement for a reason.

3. Have you looked at redividing the existing 1st floor layout? 40x90 is
a pretty big house, and the only load-bearing interior walls are
probably the ones that run down the spine of the house, usually the
kitchen/living room divider and hallway walls. You can probably
fine-tune reality and move some of the others around pretty easily.
Staying within the existing footprint would be cheaper than a backyard
addition or a basement digout.

--
aem sends...- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

The water table is critical, and you cant know until spring or summer.
You dont want to be paying a fortune to pump, waterproof and
dehumidify, Thats the first thing I checked by digging way down below
where the floor would be. I was in charge and after what I experianced
keeping it level, I would not trust anyone to oversee the job, it was
twice a day measuring and adjusting jacks for me. If it goes out of
level, you have major new costs. Plus you must have a permit, or you
risk a non ocupancy citation of the building., It might cost as much
to move the house to a new foundation dug with power, as it is to hand
dig. Plus your house and heating system will be a filthy mess, even
covered. Its no small job.

heimdm had written this in response to
http://www.thestuccocompany.com/main...on-344381-.htm
:
The crawlspace has a trench dug along the perimeter of the crawlspace on
the west size. 3.5 feet between ceiling and pea gravel + 2 feet from
gravel to bottom of trench + 1-2 feet to bottom cement block. So my
estimates say that to the bottom block the crawl is about 6.5 feet. Our
neighbors have full basements. I am having a local company come out and
give an estimate for the crawlspace to basement conversion. This company
is Americrawl and they also do the install of the Cleanspace encapsulation
system. They said a partial basement would be 50k with a full basement in
the 100k range.

-------------------------------------
heimdm wrote:


I live in a good size ranch house (40ft by 90ft). We bought the house on
a
short sale so we got a really good price on it. However, despite all
the
square footage there is no place to put a tv room or home theatre or a
game room. The crawlspace is about 3.5-4ft deep depending on the part
you
are in. We are considering having it dug out. Right now we have block
walls, and I was thinking of when they dig it out have them replace the
blocks with pours walls. Is this possible?

-------------------------------------





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http://www.thestuccocompany.com/
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Web
and RSS access to your favorite newsgroup -
alt.home.repair - 325883 messages
and counting!
##-----------------------------------------------##





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heimdm wrote:
heimdm had written this in response to
http://www.thestuccocompany.com/main...on-344381-.htm
:
The crawlspace has a trench dug along the perimeter of the crawlspace on
the west size. 3.5 feet between ceiling and pea gravel + 2 feet from
gravel to bottom of trench + 1-2 feet to bottom cement block. So my
estimates say that to the bottom block the crawl is about 6.5 feet. Our
neighbors have full basements. I am having a local company come out and
give an estimate for the crawlspace to basement conversion. This company
is Americrawl and they also do the install of the Cleanspace encapsulation
system. They said a partial basement would be 50k with a full basement in
the 100k range.

Just for giggles, I'd also get estimates on a conventional addition off
the back of the house. I'd almost bet it would be cheaper, and it would
certainly be a lot brighter and useful for more things. Don't get me
wrong- I love basements- but they make lousy rec rooms. And while they
are the cheapest space you can buy in new construction, that does NOT
apply to retrofits.

If all your neighbors have basements and you don't, I'd be looking for
rock ledge and underground springs. They didn't put one in your house
for a reason, unless the original owners were just being cheap.

--
aem sends...

heimdm had written this in response to
http://www.thestuccocompany.com/main...on-345359-.htm
:
The guy who lived in, designed, and built the house that I live in now, as
living here for several months has taught me, he was a complete idiot, and
should never build another house. For example he drilled the soffit vents
out with a circular hole bit. He wired the electric heat pump (3 zones, 1
thermastat powered the reversing valve for A/C and another powered the
reversing value for Heat).

I will let you all know that estimates I get tomorrow. We are on a hill,
so I am hoping we can do a walk-out basement.



-------------------------------------
aemeijers wrote:

heimdm wrote:
heimdm had written this in response to


http://www.thestuccocompany.com/main...on-344381-.htm
:
The crawlspace has a trench dug along the perimeter of the
crawlspace on
the west size. 3.5 feet between ceiling and pea gravel + 2 feet
from
gravel to bottom of trench + 1-2 feet to bottom cement block. So
my
estimates say that to the bottom block the crawl is about 6.5
feet. Our
neighbors have full basements. I am having a local company come
out and
give an estimate for the crawlspace to basement conversion. This
company
is Americrawl and they also do the install of the Cleanspace
encapsulation
system. They said a partial basement would be 50k with a full
basement in
the 100k range.

Just for giggles, I'd also get estimates on a conventional addition off

the back of the house. I'd almost bet it would be cheaper, and it would

certainly be a lot brighter and useful for more things. Don't get me
wrong- I love basements- but they make lousy rec rooms. And while they
are the cheapest space you can buy in new construction, that does NOT
apply to retrofits.

If all your neighbors have basements and you don't, I'd be looking for
rock ledge and underground springs. They didn't put one in your house
for a reason, unless the original owners were just being cheap.

--
aem sends...





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FYI: I've read about two options for removing the soil beneath your
home, other than
shovel & bucket/wheelbarrow.
1. Conveyor system. Apparently they are commonly used on farms for
moving grain
and such. Maybe difficult to locate depending upon your location.
2. Vacuum excavators. Giant ShopVac on a truck/trailer with water/air
jet to break
up soil so it can be sucked out and relocated. Expensive. Smart to
but/use/resell.

heimdm had written this in response to
http://www.thestuccocompany.com/main...on-345447-.htm
:
I ended up signing a contract with the local company I had come out to
give me an estimate. We are getting a basement that will be approximately
30ft by 68 feet long. The area that will remain a crawlspace will have a
perimeter drain system installed, tiled, and sump-pumps installed. They
are starting on Monday and they expect the total project to take 5-6
weeks.

Thanks,
Dennis

-------------------------------------
Bart wrote:


FYI: I've read about two options for removing the soil beneath your
home, other than
shovel & bucket/wheelbarrow.
1. Conveyor system. Apparently they are commonly used on farms for
moving grain
and such. Maybe difficult to locate depending upon your location.
2. Vacuum excavators. Giant ShopVac on a truck/trailer with water/air
jet to break
up soil so it can be sucked out and relocated. Expensive. Smart to
but/use/resell.





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I ended up signing a contract with the local company I had come out to
give me an estimate. We are getting a basement that will be approximately
30ft by 68 feet long. The area that will remain a crawlspace will have a
perimeter drain system installed, tiled, and sump-pumps installed. They
are starting on Monday and they expect the total project to take 5-6
weeks.

Thanks,
Dennis

whats their price? just curious.

I would have a interior french drain and pump installed in the
finished space, its easier before the floor is poured no use risking
moisture troubles

heimdm had written this in response to
http://www.thestuccocompany.com/main...on-346636-.htm
:
Thanks for all the feedback. We are about 10 days into the construction at
this point. They put a hole in a section of the house and have been
running the bobcat in and out through there. They have cleared an about
about 15 feet wide by 25 feet deep at this point. They have been slowed
down by the cold and wet weather we have been having. Tomorrow they are
going to be reducing the angle of the ramp that they are going into the
house. Since it has turned to mud, the bobcat tends not to do so well.
Additionally, we didn't hit any drain-tile, which tells me that all the
water from the gutters is going in the ground and they just being dropped
into the ground next to my house.....another project.

I will have the verify the perimeter drain and the sump for the finished
space. I know they are doing perimeters drains and sump pumps for the
crawlspace area.

Thanks,
Dennis

-------------------------------------
wrote:

I ended up signing a contract with the local company I had come
out to
give me an estimate. We are getting a basement that will be
approximately
30ft by 68 feet long. The area that will remain a crawlspace will
have a
perimeter drain system installed, tiled, and sump-pumps installed.
They
are starting on Monday and they expect the total project to take
5-6
weeks.

Thanks,
Dennis

whats their price? just curious.

I would have a interior french drain and pump installed in the
finished space, its easier before the floor is poured no use risking
moisture troubles





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heimdm had written this in response to
http://www.thestuccocompany.com/main...on-348403-.htm
:
We are finishing up the project at this point. The floor is due to be
poured this Saturday or Monday. They decided to use Certainteed
Form-A-Drain for the footer forms/drains. I think they ended up coming up
a little short on the square footage.

-------------------------------------
heimdm wrote:

heimdm had written this in response to

http://www.thestuccocompany.com/main...on-346636-.htm
:
Thanks for all the feedback. We are about 10 days into the construction
at
this point. They put a hole in a section of the house and have been
running the bobcat in and out through there. They have cleared an about
about 15 feet wide by 25 feet deep at this point. They have been slowed
down by the cold and wet weather we have been having. Tomorrow they are
going to be reducing the angle of the ramp that they are going into the
house. Since it has turned to mud, the bobcat tends not to do so well.
Additionally, we didn't hit any drain-tile, which tells me that all the
water from the gutters is going in the ground and they just being
dropped
into the ground next to my house.....another project.

I will have the verify the perimeter drain and the sump for the
finished
space. I know they are doing perimeters drains and sump pumps for the
crawlspace area.

Thanks,
Dennis

-------------------------------------
wrote:

I ended up signing a contract with the local company I had
come
out to
give me an estimate. We are getting a basement that will be
approximately
30ft by 68 feet long. The area that will remain a crawlspace
will
have a
perimeter drain system installed, tiled, and sump-pumps
installed.
They
are starting on Monday and they expect the total project to
take
5-6
weeks.

Thanks,
Dennis

whats their price? just curious.

I would have a interior french drain and pump installed in the
finished space, its easier before the floor is poured no use
risking
moisture troubles





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�:
We are finishing up the project at this point. The floor is due to be
poured this Saturday or Monday. They decided to use Certainteed
Form-A-Drain for the footer forms/drains. I think they ended up coming up
a little short on the square footage.


you must be excited to have such a big job going on, are you finishing
the space or leaving it as a basement?

running steps inside or just outside access?

so how many square feet and whats it cost?

What did it we'd up costing for the excavation and foundation?

On Dec 30, 10:40*pm, wrote:
What did it we'd up costing for the excavation and foundation?

do note the OP first post on this was 2008..... google is so bug free

On Dec 31, 12:51*am, bob haller wrote:
On Dec 30, 10:40*pm, wrote:

What did it we'd up costing for the excavation and foundation?

do note the OP first post on this was 2008..... google is so bug free

What makes you think it has anything to do with a google
bug? Anyone can use google to search for a post, then
reply to it, without looking at the date on it. Or not realizing
the issue of dates. Or not caring....

On Dec 31, 9:54*am, "
wrote:
On Dec 31, 12:51*am, bob haller wrote:

On Dec 30, 10:40*pm, wrote:

What did it we'd up costing for the excavation and foundation?

do note the OP first post on this was 2008..... google is so bug free

What makes you think it has anything to do with a google
bug? *Anyone can use google to search for a post, then
reply to it, without looking at the date on it. *Or not realizing
the issue of dates. *Or not caring....

the google I use doesnt allow posts to very old threads, it limits
replies to e mail only......

On 12-31-2012 00:51, bob haller wrote:
On Dec 30, 10:40 pm, wrote:
What did it we'd up costing for the excavation and foundation?

do note the OP first post on this was 2008..... google is so bug free

Can't blame a Google bug for my inability to make any sense out of the
response.


--
Wes Groleau

€œBeware the barrenness of a busy life.€�
€” Socrates

On Dec 31 2012, 1:02*pm, bob haller wrote:
On Dec 31, 9:54*am, "
wrote:

On Dec 31, 12:51*am, bob haller wrote:

On Dec 30, 10:40*pm, wrote:

What did it we'd up costing for the excavation and foundation?

do note the OP first post on this was 2008..... google is so bug free

What makes you think it has anything to do with a google
bug? *Anyone can use google to search for a post, then
reply to it, without looking at the date on it. *Or not realizing
the issue of dates. *Or not caring....

the google I use doesnt allow posts to very old threads, it limits
replies to e mail only......

Interesting, I didn't know that. I just checked and you're right,
Google
won't let you reply to the newsgroup on an old thread, only to the
poster. I tried it on one that was only 3 years old, less than the 4
years
of this one. So, appears you're right, somehow this post got past
Google time limit.