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I'm trying to find out from a contractors point of view, why does a basement seem so hard to do in NC. I don't mean one where the home is built low and backfilled, I believe you call these walk out basements. I'm talking about having the hole dug in the ground and a poured concrete basement with the top of the foundation 18-20" above final grade. I've read about the red clay, which Pennsylvania has loads, and they also have full basements. I have also read about the lay of the land and hard digging. In Connecticut, we have probably some of the worst land as far as grade, and tons of ledge, but most homes have full basements. High water table ? I live in a part of town that has the highest water table around, and while I do get water in my sump hole occasionally, I could carpet the rest of the floor if I wanted as it stays so dry. I'm sorry this is a little long, but I'm sure there are some contractors here that could offer me some explanation to this. I hope I'm not coming across as picky, but I'm used to having the furnace and hot water heater in a basement, not above my head in a somewhat hard to access attic, and not to mention the many other uses for the basement.
I think the foundation decision is based on economics. Here in Pennsylvania, footings must be dug 4' deep. By the time you go that deep, you might as well have a basement. In a lot of NC, footing only have to be 18" down, so crawl spaces were the most common. But there were homes in town where they did have basements. I have friends in Raleigh who own a 1920's bungalow with full basement. I don't think the soil is any worse in NC than in many areas in the North. An additional reason for a basement in the North were to provide food store space that wouldn't freeze.
From what I understand it is code that all basements in NC must have a walkout.
So many of the local homes have the garages in the basement. Bilevels or as they call them "split foyers" are very popular here.
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