Can You Dig It? – Practical Considerations for Basement Renovations

Can You Dig It? – Practical Considerations for Basement Renovations

Is it Feasible to Dig Out my Basement?

All basements can be dug out, but vary substantially in terms of the amount of quality useable space that can be created, and the difficulty (aka the cost) of creating that space. The least practical projects are small houses on level lots with shallow crawlspaces.

What Types of New Spaces do I want to Create?

The use of the new space is another important aspect. Most people opt to create habitable space (vs. non habitable) space, which means the space must meet the proper height, insulation, heating and light requirements for living spaces, which will then allow you to count the new square footage towards the value of your home.

The Parts of the Job you Probably weren’t Thinking About can be a Big Deal.

The use of the new space is another important aspect. Most people opt to create habitable space (vs. non habitable) space, which means the space must meet the proper height, insulation, heating and light requirements for living spaces, which will then allow you to count the new square footage towards the value of your home.

How Much Does all of this Cost?

Hopefully, if you are thinking about venturing into basement work, this article can help give you a greater appreciation of what is involved. You are basically doing a large structural job and then layering a major remodel on top of it, along with a redo of most of the building’s utilities. Currently, average costs are around $600 per square foot for complete dig outs with renovations. Since this is comparable with good quality remodeling work, second story additions are an alternative, though they are very different in character. Given the current values of homes in our area, this can still make economic and practical sense if you have the need and resources for either project. For those who need more space for expanding families, working at home, relatives moving in, a workout or yoga room, or just a place for the kids to have more space to navigate the new stay at home world we are in, this may be the perfect solution for you. This article was written by Jim Gardner of Jim Gardner Construction Inc. Jim is a long-time Piedmont resident and has been doing structural repair in your neighborhood since 1983.

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