Homes with basement in the PHX area? (Phoenix, Glendale: home builders, neighborhoods)

[Ritchie_az]

Here's the thread you want:
How come no basements?

[OldDudeDon]

I will be moving to Phoenix in the next 12-15 months and want to get a basement home in the Avondale, Goodyear, Buckeye, Litchfield Park area. I know Fulton build some in Avondale, but they are all gone. Shea is offering a couple of basement plans on the outskirts of Litchfield Park.

Who else builds basement plans in the area? Who are the better builders for overall quality, customer support and energy efficiency?

What's the general consensus on basements there?

[asufan]

Originally Posted by OldDudeDon

I will be moving to Phoenix in the next 12-15 months and want to get a basement home in the Avondale, Goodyear, Buckeye, Litchfield Park area. I know Fulton build some in Avondale, but they are all gone. Shea is offering a couple of basement plans on the outskirts of Litchfield Park.

Who else builds basement plans in the area? Who are the better builders for overall quality, customer support and energy efficiency?

What's the general consensus on basements there?

Fulton Homes build a lot of basement homes. I can't think of a lot of areas in the West Valley that have basements. I have a basement in my house in Chandler (contractor is now out of the business), and there seem to be quite a few of them out here in Chandler, Gilbert and Tempe. Your best bet would be to work with a Realtor to search for basement homes for you, as there's very few in the West valley.

What's your price range? I know that Fulton is building in Geneva Estates in Chandler near me, but you're probably looking at $400,000+ for starters, or Fulton Ranch for probably $450-500,000.

[grippit]

On the west side, Shea is building basement plans in Arroyo Mt. Estates (Jackrabbit & Camelback), and in north Peoria @ Vistancia (Mt. View Estates). VIP homes is offering a few basement plans @ Vaquero Estates, +/- 43rd Ave. south of Baseline. Other than the high costs, basements make a lot of sense here when done correctly. You can look resale as well.

[OldDudeDon]

Thanks.

I'm actually in contact with Shea about Arroyo Mountain Estates. It's definitely a possibility.

Fulton built some in Avondale, but they're all done in that area and all sold out.

I'm frankly surprised at the lack of them. It makes real sense to me from an energy savings standpoint.

The main reason I want one, though, is for my hobby. I do home recording and I want to be able to both avoid hearing outside noises and avoid irritating others with the noises I create.

Searching on-line for resales is challenging in that very few of the search engines allow you to use basements as a search criteria -- odd.

[asufan]

They actually make the most sense in the Northeast and Midwest, as builders have to dig below the frost level for the foundations, which can be 4-5 feet below grade. Since they already have to dig the hole, it makes sense to dig a few extra feet to get the 8-foot ceiling (if you're lucky), and create the basement area. Of course, many of the basements there are unfinished, with nothing more than a utility room, storage and place for a furnace, etc. In Arizona, they are treated more like livable area, even though they are below grade. They are completely finished from the start and typically have higher ceilings, heated/cooled, etc.

Since the foundations here are typically slab on grade, the cost to dig the basement can be cost prohibitive. Also some of the soil is not really suitable for basements, and up until a few years ago, there was only one real player in the valley as far as basement contractors.

Like I said, they are much bigger in the East valley. It's gonna be like finding a needle in a haystack in the other areas, because they are not too common.

[rammie]

Just so you know, most people in LI, Ny, rent their basements out as a second income to help pay the mortgage so most are fixed up like an apt.....

[Ritchie_az]

There are some basement homes in Estrella (in Goodyear). I forgot who the builder was, though. Not sure if any of them are on the market.

[Jeremy RE]

Basement homes are not common here in AZ. Mainly because of the type of construction commonly found here. Our frost line is basically grade level. So our foundations only have to extend 18" into the ground. Unlike back east and up north where the frost lines are much lower. Basements have become a little more common now and tract home builders have started offering them, which surprises me. They are expensive to build! I did residential design and build for 4 1/2 years before moving to the sales end of homes. I did build a large custom home in Goodyear with a basement. Just the cost of the basement walls was over $20k, just the walls! I will say that is was extremly nice down there though. Even in the summer it remained a nice temp without the a/c turned on yet.

[maverick974]

I'm also looking for a home. What is the benifit of a basement home?