Basements in West Monroe?? (Bossier City, Many: houses, construction, square footage)

[Ldunn1001]

Does anybody know if there are any homes in the West Monroe or surrounding area that has basements? I have noticed how many hills there are in the area and figured finished basements might be possible. Anyone know? Thank you

[hdwell]

I'm not sure about WM but probably further out on Arkansas Hwy you may find some. They are kind of scattered, not really too common.

In Bossier City, the Bellaire subd has a sizeable number of homes built in the early to mid 60's called trilevels where the lowest level is actually beneath grownd level. These basements are completely enclosed (not drive in style basements) and I have never heard anyone having problems with them from water or dampness. These homes still sell well in the low to mid 100s as the rest of Bellaire does.

Occasionally, some of the older highland and South highland homes have basements. I understand that the home Huey P. Long had built and owned on Forest Ave in Old Highland had a full basement and was quite a beauty. This dates back in the 1920's. Many older homes with basements also had steam boilers with radiators for heating, unusual for the day in Louisiana.

[LOUISIANA'SLEGEND]

Yeah, West Monroe has the higher elevation in the area so you should have a decent selection of homes with basements. Houses here aren't that expensive at all also, the Monroe metro area is growing very fast with homes and real estste at the fore front.

[al_roethlisberger]

The difference between Monroe and West Monroe is not just socio-political, it is also geologic. As mentioned, one will find that the Monroe side of the Ouachita River is generally flat floodplain, while the West Monroe side exhibits a more rolling topography as one moves away from the river. The floodplain from the Ouachita River continues east, mostly uninterrupted, all the way to the Mississippi River, and historically has been subject to repeated flooding. This has made this area ideal for agriculture, but not so great for flooding and other water issues

So one of the problems on the Monroe side's "floodplain nature" that often precludes basements is a relatively high water table. Although I'm sure there are exceptions, I don't recall any houses I knew of having basements, and few commercial structures did either. And if one explores some of the abandoned buildings downtown, you'll often find their basements partially or completely flooded.

I suspect close to the river on the West Monroe side, one would find the same issues depending on location. But as one moved further out into the hillier sections, a basement may be feasible. But it just depends on the water table there.

Al

[lkfran]

Originally Posted by Ldunn1001

Does anybody know if there are any homes in the West Monroe or surrounding area that has basements? I have noticed how many hills there are in the area and figured finished basements might be possible. Anyone know? Thank you

I suspect not...I once lived in West Monroe, and we had a swimming pool put in...they hit water about 3 or 4 feet down, so unless you want a basement swimming pool, it probably wouldn't be a good idea.

[hank0604]

Well you have to remember why basements are built. In order for a building to be structurally sound, the concrete slab must begin below the deepest recorded freeze. In northern states, that is usually 5-6 feet underground. So since they have to excavate that area anyway to build the building, they might as well utilize that square footage. However, in more southern areas, that frost line is probably only 2-3 feet underground, so there is not a need for a really deep foundation, so no basements.

So while some people may have a basement built with the home out of preference, they are not a construction necessity as in northern areas.

[SBCmetroguy]

^^ Absolutely! The freeze line is much deeper up north, so MOST houses up there are on basements. This is the first time I've seen this mentioned in here, and someone needed to mention it. It never even crossed my mind, and I work in the home design and construction industry.