It only happens if my sump pump dies (or the power's out long enough for the battery back up to die). I live in a ranch home with a basement, I'd rather live in a multi-level home with a crawlspace. But definitely not on a slab.
Only when the storm sewers back up ( pump station is at our corner ) . You really don't want to know what that's like. Not much to do about it either -- stock up on bleach.
@f00l I can't speak for other parts of the south, but here in Florida (and particularly where I live in Pinellas County that part that sticks out of the west side about halfway down) it's because the watertable is high and if you dug deep enough to have a basement, you'd hit aquifer.
@f00l It is a very good question. I live in MI, lots of water in the ground, Mi one big swamp. Dig a hole, it fills up with water. Want a pond , dig a really big hole. Yet, most houses have basements. All of them with drainage or sump pumps. Frost line? It gets 20 below, frost is 3, 4 feet deep. Actually, the freezing temps shift the foundation of your house. Every year. So, I don't really know, maybe someone much smarter then me has the answer. It's most likely, all about the money. Very interesting question.
@narfcake is correct. In southern states the foundation only has to go 1-2 feet into the ground to avoid frost heaving, so the cost to expand it into a full basement is excessive.
In the northern latitudes you have to go 4 feet or more to avoid the worst frosts that can come along, and at that point you're over halfway to a full basement (since the house sits a foot or so off the ground already). The cost isn't much more to continue down a bit further and make it a basement - and crawlspaces are essentially free.
The water table varies, but isn't necessarily a reason to avoid basements. Modern building techniques drain the water around the basement walls and redirect it away from foundation. Further, concrete seals really well, and once you add typical sealing methods and a sump pump a high water table is no problem.
@f00l@narfcake is right about the foundation needing to be below the frost line. In the northern states the deep frost line requires the foundation to be deeper making a basement easy to include. In the deep south the elevation is so low you'll hit the water table fairly quickly making a basement a really bad idea. In the middle-western south, (NC, SC, TN) Basement are more common as there are a lot of dense clay soils. Basements in these areas are more expensive to construct and are usually out of luxury, not necessity. Where I live (Raleigh, NC) we're on a bed a granite so basements are expensive and not so economical so they're rare here as well. While site development/foundations are not my specialty I am a civil engineer with some idea as to what I'm talking about :-)
About 20-25 years ago, our basement would flood on a regular basis. Anywhere between two to seven stairs high. Old house, super solid but pipes and whatnot that couldn't withstand modern weather issues. Then we had some sort of flap device installed under the front lawn and it didn't flood again until spring last year, where the rain was horrifically unusual and stuff failed so we flooded twice in a month (but thank gods it wasn't sewage, at least, just groundwater overflow). Had new catch basin and pipes and stuff done and theoretically, hopefully we won't flood again. The clean-up is incredibly demoralizing. I have vowed to just blow the fucking house up if it happens again. Of course, NOW we're serious about actually putting important things into the crawl space...
In South Florida, there are no basements. They would be flooded if they were there. The water table is only a few feet below ground level. But when the average land height above sea level is 8 feet, what would you expect?
Ugh, we've spent thousands in french drains and still have this happen once in a while: She's a Flowin'
The oh so attractive wood & insulation foam was a desperate attempt to route the muddy water into the sump pit, at least sparing the rest of the basement. fml
It only happens if my sump pump dies (or the power's out long enough for the battery back up to die). I live in a ranch home with a basement, I'd rather live in a multi-level home with a crawlspace. But definitely not on a slab.
Only when we get 6+ feet of snow and a quick thaw.
Only when the storm sewers back up ( pump station is at our corner ) . You really don't want to know what that's like. Not much to do about it either -- stock up on bleach.
Somebody tell me: why are basements common in the north and nearly unknown in the south?
@f00l I think it has to do w/ the type of soil. Or so I have been told. Red Georgia clay doesn't hold the foundation well, or something like that.
@f00l I can't speak for other parts of the south, but here in Florida (and particularly where I live in Pinellas County that part that sticks out of the west side about halfway down) it's because the watertable is high and if you dug deep enough to have a basement, you'd hit aquifer.
@f00l Frost line. The foundation has to be below where the soil freezes, which is much deeper where it gets cold than where it doesn't.
@narfcake uhh?
@f00l It is a very good question. I live in MI, lots of water in the ground, Mi one big swamp. Dig a hole, it fills up with water. Want a pond , dig a really big hole. Yet, most houses have basements. All of them with drainage or sump pumps. Frost line? It gets 20 below, frost is 3, 4 feet deep. Actually, the freezing temps shift the foundation of your house. Every year. So, I don't really know, maybe someone much smarter then me has the answer. It's most likely, all about the money. Very interesting question.
@narfcake is correct. In southern states the foundation only has to go 1-2 feet into the ground to avoid frost heaving, so the cost to expand it into a full basement is excessive.
In the northern latitudes you have to go 4 feet or more to avoid the worst frosts that can come along, and at that point you're over halfway to a full basement (since the house sits a foot or so off the ground already). The cost isn't much more to continue down a bit further and make it a basement - and crawlspaces are essentially free.
The water table varies, but isn't necessarily a reason to avoid basements. Modern building techniques drain the water around the basement walls and redirect it away from foundation. Further, concrete seals really well, and once you add typical sealing methods and a sump pump a high water table is no problem.
@stienman Second that- shallow foundations in the south, the only people with basements in newer houses live on hills.
@f00l @narfcake is right about the foundation needing to be below the frost line. In the northern states the deep frost line requires the foundation to be deeper making a basement easy to include. In the deep south the elevation is so low you'll hit the water table fairly quickly making a basement a really bad idea. In the middle-western south, (NC, SC, TN) Basement are more common as there are a lot of dense clay soils. Basements in these areas are more expensive to construct and are usually out of luxury, not necessity. Where I live (Raleigh, NC) we're on a bed a granite so basements are expensive and not so economical so they're rare here as well. While site development/foundations are not my specialty I am a civil engineer with some idea as to what I'm talking about :-)
We are coming up on 2 years in this house, in December and not a drop of water in the basement. We have had a lot of rain, this year, too.
I guess it helps we are near the top of a big hill.
I don't like to think about it, but my hot water tank is in the attic. I guess that makes my house a basement.
We haven't had basement flooding yet - but our trusty Leak Frog saved us when our outbound sewer line sprung a leak.
About 20-25 years ago, our basement would flood on a regular basis. Anywhere between two to seven stairs high. Old house, super solid but pipes and whatnot that couldn't withstand modern weather issues. Then we had some sort of flap device installed under the front lawn and it didn't flood again until spring last year, where the rain was horrifically unusual and stuff failed so we flooded twice in a month (but thank gods it wasn't sewage, at least, just groundwater overflow). Had new catch basin and pipes and stuff done and theoretically, hopefully we won't flood again. The clean-up is incredibly demoralizing. I have vowed to just blow the fucking house up if it happens again. Of course, NOW we're serious about actually putting important things into the crawl space...
In South Florida, there are no basements. They would be flooded if they were there. The water table is only a few feet below ground level. But when the average land height above sea level is 8 feet, what would you expect?
Ugh, we've spent thousands in french drains and still have this happen once in a while:
She's a Flowin'
The oh so attractive wood & insulation foam was a desperate attempt to route the muddy water into the sump pit, at least sparing the rest of the basement. fml
I have a basement. In the midwest. And it is pretty much always wet.
It's more of a downstairs than a basement (it's only partially below grade), but that time I left the washing machine drain hose out of the drain.