Okay, we want to raise our house and turn our crawlspace into a basement.

The only major issue is this: The basement needs to be 50% underground for us to do it. However, as it stands, if we raise the house high enough to make a real basement, then it will only be about 30% underground.

I was thinking if we changed the grade of our lawn, it would work. It only needs to be about 15" more underground than it is to make the basement 50% underground.

I could use a retaining wall, slope it, anything ( I used to be a landscaper) I just need to find out who needs to approve it and what the codes say. I don't see any bylaws about changing grade or whatnot.

That is my major problem.

Here is my question:
Who can draw official plans of the project? I have no idea who to contact. And to get a permit to raise the house, I need plans that need to be approved by an engineer.

For the record: I live in Surrey, B.C., Canada

Can anyone help?

 

Definitely a structural engineer. It will cost you a little on this end, but at least you will know if the project is doable or not from the get-go.

 

Enough cost here that tearing down and rebuilding or moving into a bigger house are worth considering.

 

Sounds like a foundation underpinning job. First you need to find an experienced architect that can prepare the plans, then you need (this is the tough part) to find a concrete/foundation contractor that can expertly handle this. I did this in my home in NY with GREAT success but finding the right concrete/foundation contractor was CRITICAL and required lots of research on my part. It took just over one month so figure on it costing you some $$$.

 

Really?

I am not lowering the crawlspace, I'm raising the house (hopefully).

 

We seriously considered doing the same thing to our house a few years ago. Luckily, we have contractors in our area who were very experienced in this sort of thing.

In the end we decided not to do it. The main reason was cost. The house mover's estimate was $12,000 to jack the house and attached garage off the crawlspace foundation and move it up 36". BTW, that's all he was going to do as well. I was going to have to do everything prior to that for him, such as dig the holes and knock the holes in the foundation so he could put his beams through, utilities, yada, yada, yada. The basement with 9' poured walls was going to cost me another $27,000.

We sold that house and built a brand-new one. The foundation for the new house cost $28,000. That included basement, basement floor, garage floor and foundation, front stoop and sidewalk, and driveway.

You've got to consider the options, because a job like this *will* cost more than you think.....I promise you that! You've also got to figure out if the house is worth sticking that much money into. You don't want to get stuck with a turkey that's worth less than the mortgage you have on it. Just some friendly advice from someone who's been there.

Good Luck!
Joe Michel

 

Thanks!

A house like ours with a finished basement in our area goes for around $680,000. Currently our house would be worth around $550,000. (i know housing is way too much in the area)

So, if it costs us $30-35 thousand to get the basement up and framed, and another $20-25 thousand for me to finish the interior (I'd do all the finishing myself), we still get a good return.

To lift the house is $12,800. Then, I just need a contractor to add another 30" to the existing foundation, and a framer to frame the rest of the walls up.

The first step, and most difficult for me, is to find a decent engineer (and for a decent price), or someone who can help me do the plans, so I know what we can and can't do, etc.

 

There is alot here that you are not factoring into your final cost such as extending all the plumbing (waste,supplies), any and all wiring that comes up to the first floor from the crawl space, heat and AC, etc. As a building contractor, I have been contacted about doing this sort of a job maybe 6 times over the past 20 years. No one has done it yet. Unless you really like where your house is, I'd move to a house with a full basement.

 

Thanks for the input! I'll give an idea of what I have considered so far. I don't have any solid numbers other than the house-raising and electrical part.

I'm an electrician, and I've already estimated the electrical aspect of it. No wiring comes from the crawlspace, and the service entry is in the garage. I'll be adding a 60A or 100A subpanel in the basement.

The plumbing shouldn't be too much, since I'll be aiming to do as much of that as I can, myself. I'll be moving the ABS drain that is hanging through the crawlspace to go through a bulkhead somewhere. The furnace won't be touched, just raised with the house. I'll have to adjust the ducting a bit to fit in bulkheads and between the joists, instead of just hanging down. The bathrrom and kitchen will be close to where the drain comes into the crawlspace.

If I can figure out the plumbing myself, I will do it all.
I'm not afraid of trying my hand at plumbing (with a few good books). I'm used to working with pipe and making sure there are no leaks I used to work for the natural gas utility laying gas-main and installing services. I was a fuser for PE pipe, but worked with steel pipe as well (transitions, risers, meters, regulators, and fittings). Water is less scary than gas, but still can cause a lot of damage, I know :P

Anyway, I really think I'm going to go through with it as long as the engineer says that the things I want to do can be done.

So far, here are the people I will need to hire, and what I want them to do.

• Engineer - For plans/approval
• House Mover - Raise the house.
• Foundation guys - making the foundation higher and putting the black plastic stuff around it
• Framer - Exterior walls, interior supporting walls & stairs.
• Plumber - Disconnect, Rough-in, connect new tankless H.W., Reconnect (worst case scenario, if I can't figure it out on my own)
• Gasfitter - Disconnect, reconnect, connect new tankless H.W., and maybe add a fireplace if budget permits (doubt it).

If anyone sees anything I am missing or under-estimating from here feel free to point it out

 

psychologist comes to mind!

 

Yes, that's something else I should consider