How come no basements? (Phoenix: apartment complexes, rent, homes)

[Ponderosa]

Cheaper and quicker to build them without. The soil thing is trivial and easily managed in most areas of the city. Hardpan? A backhoe chomps through that like a hot knife through butter. There are homes in Estrella where the basements are in solid rock. About 3/4 of my pool excavation was blasted in rock. You can engineer anything. Soil conditions are far worse in many areas where basements are common.

Many of the pricier subdivisions have one model with one and you can order them as options, though you can expect to pay dearly for one. Basements were catching on when you could get a 600K house on a 50K salary.

[ehubb53]

Thanks for the info Ponerosa

[Finger Laker]

it's quicker and easier without - there also is no traditional need for a basement here - i've seen some developers do it, but it's very rare

I was talking to one who was pulling the basement elevations from their selection - said it was a disaster getting them built

another very serious thing to think about is the liability they're taking on given the ground out here in the valley - there are serious issues with ground settlement in the metro - some of the worst in the nation - this would only be made worse by having walls in the ground

[wit-nit]

This site may answer many of your questions aboust building basements in the AZ desert .
Basements Homes in Arizona

[azkylady2]

having a basement for the extra storage room, thats the big issue, even with a 3 car garage, and having that extra little space, just not enough.

[ehubb53]

Thanks nitram, nice article

[Ericmrtt]

If I'm not mistaken. Areas where it does not drop below freezing much don't have basements for some reason. Cali, Florida, cities like Houston, New Orleans and of of course this city I heard many or most don't have basements.

[observer53]

Originally Posted by Ericmrtt

If I'm not mistaken. Areas where it does not drop below freezing much don't have basements for some reason. Cali, Florida, cities like Houston, New Orleans and of of course this city I heard many or most don't have basements.

New Orleans doesn't have basements for the same reason that they do not bury the dead below ground. The city is below sea level. In Florida, at least in central Fl where my sister lives, the soil is so sandy, and sinkholes so common, that basements would be problematic, I would think.

[Ericmrtt]

I know New Orleans don't have basements because its elevation, that wasn't a good example I guess. Besides most the state is the same 'basement less'. I am right about areas that drop below freezing much generally won't have basements. Google this topic or even somewhere on this board you'll find FL residents, CA residents and every where in between (warm climates) wonder why they don't have basements.

[azdr0710]

basements were never traditional in Arizona....historically, they just weren't needed or desired and, despite other posts here claiming otherwise, the very rocky soil makes basements expensive to build.....also, the abundance of land out here makes it cheaper to build out rather than up or down, except in very urbanized areas....