Why don't they have basements in houses in Texas?
Why Don't Homes in Texas Have Basements? The Frost Line. In the north, housing regulations require home foundations to be dug below the frost line, which may be 5 to 6 feet down. Expansive Clay Soils of Texas Shrink and Swell. Texas was formerly under the Gulf of Mexico, and a lot of the eastern half of the state has what are ... High Water Table in Eastern Half of State. ... More items...
Why do homes in some states have no basement?
The chief culprit of most missing basements in the South is damp soil. This is especially true in places like Florida, Alabama, Louisiana, and eastern Texas. States that have a lot of swamp land or wetland territory, as well as those with significant amounts of coastline, simply have too much water in the ground to make most basements feasible.
Why there are no basements in Texas?
Why do Texas homes not have basements? The most obvious reason is that it’s difficult to build a basement that’s water-tight because the water table is so near the ground’s surface in some parts of the state.
Do homes in Dallas, TX have basements?
Relocating home buyers ask "why are there no basements in Dallas or any part of North Texas?" The simple answer is the North Texas clay soil moves too much, making a basement cost prohibitive. It's structurally safer and much less expensive for a home builder to build a second story than to build a basement.
Can you build a basement in Texas?
According to Texas Monthly: In some parts of the state, the water table is too near the surface of the ground, making leaking and flooding an issue. Sometimes the bedrock is too close to the surface, making digging more difficult and costly. “Expansive” soils can make a basement unworkable.
Why Texas house has no basement?
Phil Crone, executive director for the Dallas Builders Association, said basements are also not as common in Texas because the frost line — the depth below the ground where the soil does not freeze in the winter — is much shallower in Texas than up north.
What is living in Texas like?
Texas is encapsulated in a warm climate, so if you love sunny weather, you will find life in Texas enjoyable (almost) year round. Winters in Texas are mild, warm and sunny. Snow is very rare, which is probably the biggest reason so many retirees choose to move to Texas.
What states have the most basements?
On average, in the United States, basements are most commonly found in the Midwest. This includes states such as Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Iowa, Missouri.
Why do Southern homes not have basements?
Damp soil is the major culprit in most cases of missing basements in the southern states. Most parts of Florida, Louisiana, and eastern Texas have swaths of wetland or swamps or significant coastlines. So, there's just too much water underground to make basement construction feasible.
Why are there no basements in Austin?
Austin's geology is the opposite of ideal for basement construction. Some areas are hard limestone that's very difficult and expensive to cut through to dig out a basement. The remaining areas have an unstable type of clay that swells significantly when it rains and shrinks during the dry season.
Why are there no basements in San Antonio?
In northern climates the frost line - basically the depth at which soil does not freeze - is well below ground requiring deeper foundations, which lead to basements. Here in Texas a deep foundation isn't necessary according to a report in the Dallas Morning News.
Can you have a basement in Houston?
For instance, in areas such as Austin and Houston, you can strike the water table or find water just within 7 to 10 feet down. So, constructing a basement close to or below the water table in Texas is similar to building an underground well that is more likely to flood during heavy rains or hurricane season.
Why aren’t there more basements in Texas?
This Houston home uses its basement for a gym with direct access to a full bath and sauna.
Why do you need a basement in Texas?
One big reason to include a basement in your new home is more living space. Though Texas has plenty of room to spread out, homeowners in neighborhoods with small lots can add additional living space below ground. Our northern neighbors are familiar with the many uses of a basement such as game rooms, home theaters, or even self-contained living spaces, complete with a kitchen.
How much does a basement cost to add to your home?
According to an architect on Quora, a rough figure for the Austin area would be $100 a square foot . This would include:
What are the problems with a basement?
According to Texas Monthly: 1 In some parts of the state, the water table is too near the surface of the ground, making leaking and flooding an issue. 2 Sometimes the bedrock is too close to the surface, making digging more difficult and costly. 3 “Expansive” soils can make a basement unworkable. 4 Texas has traditionally had lots of open land to build and fewer zoning restrictions compared to our Yankee friends. We’re able to build “out” rather than being forced “down.”
What is a basement?
A basement is one or more floors of a building that are completely or partly below the ground floor.
Where are tornadoes most common in Texas?
More tornadoes have been recorded in Texas than in any other state according to the Texas Almanac, with the majority occurring in the Red River Valley of North Texas . It is not uncommon for homes in this area to have a storm cellar which is a self-contained, underground enclosure located close enough to the home to be accessible, but far enough away that its occupants wouldn’t be trapped by home debris.
Can you build a safe room in a basement?
A basement is more easily accessible, but if the floor framing collapses anyone in the basement could be injured. One solution would be to build your basement to meet FEMA’s criteria for a safe room, or to install a certified safe room in your basement.
Why don't Texas homes have basements?
He was so desperate that he turns to a phony psychic named Madame Ruby who tells him that the bicycle can be found in the basement of the Alamo in San Antonio.
How many basements does the Alamo have?
And don't tell Peewee Herman, but according to Texas Monthly, in real life, the Alamo actually has two basements.
Do people in Texas have basements?
Finally, according to Bill Bettis, president of the Greater Fort Worth Builders Association, since most people don't have basements in Texas, most people don't know what they're missing.
Do Texas homes need a basement?
Also, Texas homes are already big and tend to have sprawling footprints. They don't necessarily need the extra space that would justify the expense of digging out a basement.
Does Peewee find a basement in the Alamo?
After making his way to Texas, Peewee finds out the hard way that there's no basement in the Alamo. If Peewee had known just a little bit about Texas real estate, he would have known that most homes in Texas don't have basements.
Why are there fewer basements in Texas?
While it is currently easy for home builders to circumvent around the previous four reasons to build out a basement in Texas homes, another big reason why there are fewer basements, in general, is due to the high cost.
Why are homes built without basements?
The main reason why homes are often built without basements in Texas is due to the topography of the land. The soil’s surface is close to the water table (within 10 feet), so most builders find that creating a basement in this environment may put the home at risk during a flood. However, there are several other reasons why builders avoid including the room in a home’s final blueprint, which we will discuss below:
What is the water table in Texas?
If you are familiar with geography and geology, the top layer of the soil that is permanently covered with water is known as the water table. And, with much of Texas having large bodies of water and being near the Gulf, the water table is very close to the surface. For instance, in areas such as Austin and Houston, you can strike the water table or find water just within 7 to 10 feet down.
Can you build a basement in Texas?
With the constant improvement in building technology and engineering, home builders in Texas are now able to construct basements in several areas where it was once considered impossible. However, if you are planning to build a home with a basement, you should discuss your decision with your builder to find out the physical and financial costs associated with building one makes sense for you.
Is it expensive to dig a basement in Austin?
Digging through rocks to build a basement will always be more expensive when compared to digging through dirt for the average potential homeowner working with a limited budget.
Is limestone hard to dig through in Texas?
Although limestone is softer and easier to crush unlike other rocks, it is still considered a rock that is difficult to dig through by most builders in Texas.
Does Texas have a basement?
If you are moving to Texas for the first time, one of the things you will notice is the lack of basement in most of the homes in the Lone Star State, especially in the East, West, and South regions. But why are the majority of houses in Texas built without this traditional space?
Why do you need to build a foundation below the ground?
It’s Expensive and Unnecessary. Building codes usually require that home foundations be built below the frost line to prevent burst pipes or foundation cracking during freezes. In the north, the frost line is five to six feet below the ground, which means that builders have to dig down to the basement level anyway.
Is there a risk of flooding in a basement?
Even then, there is still a risk of flooding, which drives up insurance premiums. The added construction and insurance costs cause most local residents to pass on a basement.
Does a basement flood in Texas?
Texas Basements Flood Easily. In most of Austin and surrounding Texas, the water table is only a few feet below the ground. To protect against flooding, most Texas basements need to have special water sealing along with sump pumps. Even then, there is still a risk of flooding, which drives up insurance premiums.
Is Austin a good place to build a basement?
Austin’s geology is the opposite of ideal for basement construction. Some areas are hard limestone that’s very difficult and expensive to cut through to dig out a basement. The remaining areas have an unstable type of clay that swells significantly when it rains and shrinks during the dry season.
Why do people have basements in Texas?
There are many reasons why you might find a basement to be beneficial in Texas. Aside from the fact that it provides extra storage space or perhaps an area for your workshop, it can also protect you from tornadoes that are sometimes a problem. Because of the terrain in Texas, however, having something more than a crawlspace under ...
What happens if you dig a basement?
If you were to dig a basement, then the walls would likely crack and you have a big problem. Digging a basement is also a costly part of building a home in many parts of the state, including West and Central Texas.
Do people live upstairs in Texas?
In many parts of the country, people live in the home upstairs but they also enjoy having a basement under the home. That isn’t necessarily the case in all parts of the country, however, including homes in Texas.
Is it worth digging through limestone?
Since you would be digging through limestone bedrock, it would be expensive and would not be worth the price. In many other parts of the country, builders use the basement to keep the foundation below the frost line, but in Texas, that is not typically a concern.
Why don't we have basements in Texas?
Another reason we don’t have basements but natural-born Yankees such as yourself do: In much of Texas we’ve got a superabundance of land and a relative scarcity of zoning regulations; in the north it’s exactly the opposite. So where builders up yonder who want to add additional square footage to a house feel compelled to dig down, here we’re usually happy to opt for the easier path: building up and/or out.
What did the Texanist think of basements?
He’d only imagined them as musty spots filled with life’s accumulated detritus and had no idea that they could also be filled with fond memories, having served as fertile beds for northern adolescents in the bloom of “growing up.”
Does the Alamo have a basement?
The Capitol, in Austin, has a basement; the nearby Goodman Building, a stone’s throw from the statehouse’s west entrance, has a basement that houses an historic bar at which the Texanist likes to wet his whistle now and then; and the Alamo, despite what you may have learned from Pee-wee’s Big Adventure, has two basements.
Do all Texas houses have basements?
The Capitol, in Austin, has a basement; the nearby Goodman Building, a stone’s throw from the statehouse’s west entrance, has a basement that houses an historic bar at which the Texanist likes to wet his whistle now and then; and the Alamo, despite what you may have learned from Pee-wee’s Big Adventure, has two basements. In fact, almost all the big Texas buildings the Texanist can think of , both historic and new, have basements. But you are absolutely right that few houses in Texas are similarly equipped.
Who runs North Texas basements?
Tom Werling runs North Texas Basements. He was at a walkout basement that he's building in a ritzy neighborhood in Fort Worth. He said he spends a lot of his day just trying to convince people that basements are possible and affordable.
Where to take shelter during a tornado?
After all, meteorologists say basements are one of the best places to take shelter during a tornado. Folks told him it has a lot do with the soil: It’s expansive. “When it gets wet, it swells up; when it dries up in the summer, it shrinks,” he said. “Those are a lot of forces, and a lot of engineering that has to happen” to build a basement.
Can you build a basement below the freeze line?
Up north, builders build down deeper to get the foundation below the freeze line. Since they’re already down there, it’s fairly inexpensive to make a basement and add square footage that way.
Why don't we have basements in Texas?
Bill Bettis, president of the Greater Fort Worth Builders Association, said there are several reasons why we don't see basements in Texas — one of those reasons being Texas culture.
Why are basements not common in Texas?
Phil Crone, executive director for the Dallas Builders Association, said basements are also not as common in Texas because the frost line — the depth below the ground where the soil does not freeze in the winter — is much shallower in Texas than up north.
How long has Werling been in the basement business?
Werling, who has been in the basement business for 40 years, said the price of building a basement doesn’t only vary from north to south, but also across different regions in Texas.
Can you build a basement in Dallas?
The Dallas-Fort Worth area also has clay soils that can push into basement walls, making them susceptible to cracks or flooding if they aren’t built correctly, so Texans who wish to build a basement may need to a hire geotechnical engineer to test the soil. This also contributes to the high upfront costs of the construction in Texas.
Is it more expensive to build a basement in Texas?
The upfront cost to build a basement is also more expensive in Texas than up north, Bettis said. However, he said the benefits of a building a basement in your home make the cost worth it in the long-run.
