[nightbird47]

The ground under my house could make mudpies. The house is the last one on a down sloping rise. I would like a MUCH better option than an inside closet, but to get an underground shelter to stay mold free would be questionable.

I'm deathly allergic to mold too, and if one was moldy I don't know if I'd be able to breath. I have some frineds with an outdoor shelter but one of the household is also allergic to mold and cannot go inside it its so moldy.

I would love to have a good option but what can you do if you do not have much money?

[mkfarnam]

Originally Posted by jeffncandace

I have previously lived in both Texas and Oklahoma. I have NEVER understood why in the world 90% of the homes in these states have no basements when they are smack-dab in the middle of tornado alley! I live in Michigan now and practically EVERY home has a basement, and compared to OK and TX we have next to no tornados. It makes zero sense!

Basements have alway been common place in Michigan. Mainly because years ago most people canned their own food and stored it for the winter. Some people still do it today.
Also, back then tornados were fairly common.
Some people even lived in Basement houses.

[okie1962]

I grew up outside of Checotah, OK. Until the 90s tornado warnings were pretty short notice. Normally an Oklahoma Highway Patrolman would spot a tornado report it to dispatch and they would report it to the National Weather service and then a warning would go out on TV. So sometimes the tornado was on us before we even got warned.

So where I grew up most everyone I knew had a cellar or basement. We had to watch our own weather. I remember one time in the late 70s seeing our bassboat fly up over the apple tree and mom yelling for us kids to get in the cellar! Lucky for us our cellar was under the utility room and we did not have to go outside. And also lucky for us that night the only thing damaged was the bassboat and apple tree...

The part of Midtown Tulsa that I live in has a lot of basements. My house has one.

[debbie at bouontiful]

It may be a water problem but I think it is a cheap problem. I've lived in States where water is a problem like here but in my same area there are basements and yes when in the basement it smells different but no water. Builders are cheap in this State or maybe their clients are. I'll never buy another home in this State without one. I can't tell you how many times I am in that silly bathroom they call a safe room. I do not feel to safe in there.

[PatoLiza]

Currently residing in Ft. Sill, OK. These houses in our neighborhood were built in the early 1930's and all have basements. I love mine mostly because of extra storage. I do wonder, if they were able to build houses with basements in the 30's, why won't the present contractors build them now not just for tornado shelter but extra living/storage space. With all the wonderful "toys" they have to dig a huge hole, it should be easy and quick to put one in. Just my humble pondering.

[debbie at bouontiful]

Originally Posted by PatoLiza

Currently residing in Ft. Sill, OK. These houses in our neighborhood were built in the early 1930's and all have basements. I love mine mostly because of extra storage. I do wonder, if they were able to build houses with basements in the 30's, why won't the present contractors build them now not just for tornado shelter but extra living/storage space. With all the wonderful "toys" they have to dig a huge hole, it should be easy and quick to put one in. Just my humble pondering.

I totally agree with you. I miss having a basement.

[PatoLiza]

I attended and completed my bachelor's degree in Wisconsin and all of my friends' houses had basements. However, their "basements" were also their recreation room/media center/ as well as bar for entertaining guests. Here in Ft. Sill, my daughter can go wild with her drum set and electric guitar in the basement. Thank God for this basement, it saves my hearing.

[MMCCANE]

I'm thinking about building a home in Edmond with a walkout basement. I'm struggling with the return on investement. Will the sq footage of a finished basement get the same $/sqft of above grade? Is it considered into the total sq ft of the house? From what I have read this is based on the region and I know that there are not a lot of houses in OK with basements.

I met with a basement contractor and of course he told me that they no longer have the issues that people had in the past with basements.

Any thoughts?

[flintysooner]

Originally Posted by MMCCANE

I'm thinking about building a home in Edmond with a walkout basement. I'm struggling with the return on investement. Will the sq footage of a finished basement get the same $/sqft of above grade?

Very unlikely although not entirely impossible. Think more in terms of 50% of value of above grade if finished out or more like garage space if not finished.

Originally Posted by MMCCANE

Is it considered into the total sq ft of the house?

Nope, more like a garage but usually listed separately. There are some appraisers on here who will probably opine about this. I don't know the "real" rules about it but that's my experience.

Originally Posted by MMCCANE

I met with a basement contractor and of course he told me that they no longer have the issues that people had in the past with basements.

I think that's very true if you use an experienced and competent basement contractor but be certain to check references and any other sources you can find. Especially try to check older projects.

My opinion is that the drainage system is absolutely crucial to the success of any basement project.

Also, be aware that you cannot necessarily use basement space for just any purpose (such as bedroom for instance) so check out code restrictions. Architects and contractors come in handy.

Otherwise good luck.

[Goodpasture]

Excerpts from SQUARE FOOTAGE–METHOD FOR CALCULATING: ANSI Z765-2003 prepared by the National Association of Home Builders.

The American National Standards Institute is the central body responsible for identifying a single, consistent set of voluntary standards and verifying that the principles of openness and due process are heeded. All American National Standards are subject to periodic review and revision.

Grade: The ground level at the perimeter of the exterior finished surface of a house.
Level: Areas of the house that are vertically within 2 feet of the same horizontal plane.
Square Footage: An area of a house that is measured and calculated in accordance with the standard. When employing Metric or Standard International (SI) measurement units, the term floor area is used in place of square footage.
Unfinished Area: Sections of a house that do not meet the criteria of finished area.

Calculation Methods: Calculation of square footage made by using exterior dimensions but without an inspection of the interior spaces is allowed but must be stated as such when reporting the result of the calculation. Calculation of square footage for a proposed house made by using plans must be stated as such when reporting the result of the calculation.

Above- and Below-Grade Finished Areas: The above-grade finished square footage of a house is the sum of finished areas on levels that are entirely above grade. The below-grade finished square footage of a house is the sum of finished areas on levels that are wholly or partly below grade.

Reporting of Above- and Below-Grade Areas: No statement of a house’s finished square footage can be made without the clear and separate distinction of above-grade areas and below-grade areas.

The term habitable space is often used by established building codes to describe a room or space that has as one of its requirements a specified amount of natural or mechanical light and ventilation sources. The definition of finished area–as employed in this standard–does not imply that finished spaces conform to any requirement for light and ventilation.

This standard makes a clear delineation between above-grade square footage and below-grade square footage; no statement of a house’s square footage can be made without that clear and separate distinction. Given the above-grade and below-grade distinction and the definition of grade, the committee acknowledges that this may result in houses that–depending on topography, design, or grade line–have no calculated above-grade finished square footage derived from the method of measurement employed by this standard. This possible consequence arises from the committee’s intent to quantify a house’s area while minimizing the likelihood of misinterpretation or misapplication. Houses that are alternatively described as at grade or on grade are typically considered above-grade houses.

This is how we appraisers measure. There is more to the ANSI Standard than this, but this is the relevant above-below grade instructions.

Can a below grade rooms have the same value as the above grade? Yes. Can they be less? Yes. Questions to be asked are: How is it finished? What is the access? What is the ventilation? What is the lighting? What egress is available? What is heating and cooling like?

Blanket statements concerning housing values are usually wrong.....each house is unique and poses different problems to valuation.