Basements in greenville area (relocating) (Greer, Simpsonville: for sale, crime, how much)

[ggrogg]

I have been through most of the posts and see some patterns about where to live etc. We will be relocating in a couple of months (I hope) and house shopping on the internet is ok but only to get an idea. I know it is a crime to say it but...up north there are lots of basements...we want a basement. We are artists and make pottery. We set up the basement with a kiln, potters wheel, etc. Most of the home we see are slab or crawl foundation. Some have basments, usually walk outs. Is there an area where basements are more likely? It seems like the NE of greenville? If we can not get a basement then a Florida room would do. Are any of these areas young kid friendly. Something a 5 year old boy could find playmates. Something in the $160,000 arena?

I know many of you have answered questions similiar to this before. Let me ask one more. I am an auto mechanic with 20 years experience in both Ford and GM plus aftermarket (anybrand). Is there work for someone of my experience?

[Made_it_To_the_Metroplex]

I can only speak to the neighborhood I live in, but many homes here have basements. I don't know if it's like this as a rule in the Upstate, but it seems the homes with basements in our neighborhood are ones on sloping lots, so that the basement opens to the outside in the rear of the house. Ours is on a relatively flat lot, so doesn't have a basement.

[pchw01]

You have to watch out with basements in this area, because we are a high radon area - S.C. DHEC: Radon in South Carolina. I think basements are an area where that gas can particularly build up. Not a reason not to have an enjoy a basement, but do check the levels there (you can buy a test kit at Home Depot or Lowes).

[Jeng27]

They do not build basements here they way they do in the midwest. Here they only build walk-out basements (occasionally you may find a daylight one in a much older home). When we relocated from Indianapolis we told our realtor that we wanted a basement and preferred a walk-out but our second choice would be for daylight and she no idea what we were talking about.

Also if you do find a basement do make sure you test for radon - we had to have our mitigated (radon levels are fine now).

[ruvidu]

I did an MLS search for you and found 4 homes that listed a basement that are for sale now. I used $145,000 - $160,000 price with 3 BR and 2 Baths. One is in Simpsonville, one is in Williamston, one is in Travelers Rest and one is in Greer.
On the subject of Radon. You can have a contingency in your contract that allows you to step away after an inspection. On a house with a basement I think you should opt for the extra $100 for a Radon test.
Hope this helps.
R

[flgargoyle]

With it's clay soil, I'd be thorough in checking out a house with a basement. A sloping lot as mentioned would be ideal. Houses built today are required to have drainage systems surrounding the basement, but I don't know about older homes. New homes usually also have a system to vent radon gas.

[grannynancy]

Any house built since 1993 has to have passive radon mitigation built in. Testing is still needed. Sometimes a passive system has to be converted to active. There are a handful of testers certified by the state through DHEC who do a 48 hour test.

[ggrogg]

Thanks everyone. I understand that rolling or sloped property is where the walkout basements will be and we would prefer walkout. It would make moving those #50 boxes of clay a lot more managable. What region is more likely to have the sloping property needed for a basement...NE, SW, etc?

How much impact does a sloping yard have on planting a vegetable garden? Sounds like a silly question but please understand that it is flat here.

[Dawne]

We have rolling hills where I live now and farmers plant on them all the time. Just be sure to plant your garden around/across the slope, not up and down it. If you plant up and down the rainwater will run down the rows and erode your soil, and your seeds/plants.

[feelalive]

Hi,

I'm originally from SC/NC area and now live in the mid-west. Basements are totally different. In the midwest, the freeze level is much deeper and that is why we have the basements, so the foundation is lower than the freeze level. Also, most basements in the midwest are cement. In the Southeast, many basements are centerblocks, and basements with sump-pumps are even harder to find. We are wanting to relocate back to the southeast and I e-mailed with a realotor in Greenville, he said that less than 13% of the market has basements. I aslo know that radon is a big issue in the area as well....

Another option is that a lot of homes in Greenville have large bonus rooms that are either finished or unfinished. You can also find houses with detached garages/workshops on occassion.