Can You Turn a Crawl Space Into a Full Basement

Southern Belt Construction offers basement remodels in Houston. For more information, call (713) 930-0003.

Ever wonder what it takes to make your crawlspace comfortable and usable? Making a basement from a crawl space takes more than a weekend and a few pals.

For a basement, follow these steps:

• Plan your idea and get an engineer’s OK.
• Obtain municipal approval/permits.
• Dig around the foundation to the footings.
• Hydraulic jacks, I-beams, and cribbing
• Build a new basement foundation wall or block wall.
• Construct a new basement floor slab.
• Remove cribbing and build new foundation walls.
• Basement interior and external walls
• Backfill for basement walls
• Interior framing, drywall, etc.

In this essay, we’ll discuss how to transform a crawl space into a functional place. We’ll also discuss the time and money involved, as well as other possibilities for making your crawlspace more usable.

Can a Crawl Space Become a Basement?

A crawl space can become a basement. You’ll need to dig up your foundation, lift your house, construct a new concrete wall and slab, then waterproof, backfill, frame, and complete the interior. Then why convert a crawlspace to a basement? For starters, it adds a whole new floor to your home. If you can add a floor to your home, although many are not designed to do so, your only option is to raise it. A second floor also adds value to your property by allowing you to add a bedroom and bathroom to your current home. This adds tens of thousands, if not more to your home’s value.

Pros

• Increases home value
• More family living and storage space
• Homeowners’ insurance
• Easy access to pipes and furnace

Cons

• Costly
• Cluttered, long-winded
• Leaving the house for work may be necessary.
• TIMELY PERMITS AND APPROVAL
• Yard will be destroyed.

How to Convert a Crawlspace to a Basement?

Your town will require a building permit and the signature of a competent structural engineer on the building plans. Local utilities may also need to come out and designate where the contractor mayor cannot dig. Most people ask where to go for the remodeling then you should contact basement remodeling near me.

Municipalities compel homeowners to obtain building licenses to ensure building safety. It’s important to hire a competent professional to convert your crawlspace into a basement.

Converting CrawlSpace

Can you build a basement in your crawl space? It is possible but requires big equipment and lots of people. Raising the house will be difficult due to the necessity for industrial hydraulic jacks and wide beams. Then carefully manipulate the jacks to raise your home uniformly on all sides. This isn’t a standard do-it-yourself endeavor. After raising the house, you’ll need to pour a new foundation wall and join it to the old one. Forming, installing rebar, and pouring need skills that most DIYers lack.

How to Convert a Crawl Space to a Basement

A crawl space conversion, like any big home repair, will temporarily turn your home into a construction site. Because of the equipment and labor required, your home will be unusable for a while. Can you turn a crawl space into a full basement?

Step 1: Get an Engineer

Your first step will be to contact a contractor for a quote. The builder may or may not ask about your plans for the new basement. If not, the contractor may have an engineer assist you. You can hire a structural engineer to design your crawlspace conversion. Detailed measurements and any existing plans must be taken at your home. Be prepared to pay, since this will range from $500 to $2000.

Once the structural engineer has certified the blueprints, bring them to any general contractor. Then the job begins. Get multiple quotations because larger works will have more variance in estimates. Contact Southern Belt Construction for this purpose.

Step 2: Obtain a Building Permit

You can apply for a building permit once you have contractor and structural engineer approvals. Depending on your town, you’ll need a stamped building plan, a comprehensive lot diagram, a fully surveyed lot, and contact information for the contractor. Permits can range from $50 to $300 or more, depending on the municipality.

You may need to negotiate with the building inspectors before getting approval to increase your home in some counties.

Step 3: Dig and Expose the Extra

The initial phase in the work will be to dig out the foundation’s exterior. Your lot’s geography may necessitate minimal to extensive digging. The entire foundation, down to the footings, must be exposed. The first reason to dig down the footings is to waterproof the entire foundation wall, including the footings. A portion of the crawl space wall may need to be removed to secure the house-raising jacks.

Step 4: Renovate the House

Lifting the house is the most invasive part. Crawl spaces vary in height from 2′ to 5′. Raising the building’s height will allow for a finished basement with a 7′ clearance. Remember that you’ll be pouring a slab when the house is lifted, so factor in 3”.

To lift the house, the contractor will install hydraulic jacks in strategic locations. They’ll need to lay temporary concrete footings for the jacks if your crawl space has a dirt floor. Also, any fasteners anchoring the house framing to the crawl space wall will need to be removed. The jacks will then be raised a few inches at a time by a truck driver.

The huge beams will be cribbed together in alternate directions up to the house’s foundation. As the jacks lift the home, the cribbing rises to support the house while the new walls are created.

Step: 5 Making a New Foundation Wall

You can either lay a new foundation over the old one or use cinder blocks to build a new wall. If you want a new foundation wall, the contractor will make plywood or styrofoam forms, insert rebar, and pour. A concrete mixer will bring the concrete to your home. If you choose a block foundation wall, it will take several workers to lay the blocks.

Step 6: Lower House and Crib

Now it’s time to rebuild the house on the new basement walls. As the house settles, the hydraulic jacks and cribbing will be removed. Reinstall all plumbing, electrical, and HVAC systems removed prior to raising the house. This will necessitate an electrician and a plumber, as the building inspector will want to see who conducted the work.

Basement Part With Crawlspace

Partial basements are an option for those who do not want to commit to a full crawl space conversion. This conversion will look vary based on your home, but the technique is the same. Homes with considerable exterior grade changes are great candidates for partial basements, as the crawl area may be deeper on one end. In that circumstance, a partial basement is logical. A partial basement may cost less than a complete basement, but even a partial basement might cost tens of thousands of dollars.

Conclusion

A contractor who specializes in space conversions is your best buddy in this makeover. The expenses indicated in this article are simply estimates and are expected to rise over time. You may find that the task is cheaper than you imagined by calling vendors like Southern Belt Construction to obtain a better understanding of material pricing.