5 Things to Know Before Digging Out a Basement

5 Things to Know Before Digging Out a Basement

Digging out a basement simply means creating enough space under your house for a basement to be installed. It’s a great way to add living space and it’s oftentimes less costly than adding additional rooms aboveground. However, there are some important things you need to know before digging out a basement!

Minimum Ceiling Height

Most basements must have a ceiling height between 7 and 8 feet to be legal, depending on state and county regulations.

Structural Stability

Digging a few feet deep usually doesn’t require any serious modifications to the home, but digging out a full basement may require the house to be lifted using special construction piles. If you have a particularly old foundation, then this step may be necessary even for minor excavations.

Weather Patterns & Climate

Basements in regions with a history of flooding or high humidity will need to have extra waterproofing precautions taken. If the climate is extremely wet, however, then the soil could be too loose to safely dig out a basement at all.

Frost Line

The frost line is the underground point where the ground starts to freeze. The exact depth changes from region to region, but since plumbing tends to crack past the frost line, no basements can be constructed deeper than this point. Frost lines tend to be closer to the surface in warmer climates, which is why places like Florida tend not to have basements.

How Much Does it Cost to Dig Out a Basement?

The cost of digging out a basement just a few feet is usually cheaper than adding on to other parts of your home. Anything deeper than a few feet starts to get about as pricey as an aboveground addition. Contact us today for a free basement quote!