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Old 04-07-2008, 09:55 PM
 
33 posts, read 44,760 times
Reputation: 15

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In Socal, many houses do not have basements.

 
Old 04-07-2008, 10:02 PM
 
Location: Beautiful New England
2,412 posts, read 7,178,364 times
Reputation: 3073
No basements in Houston, nor in most other cities/towns in Texas.
 
Old 04-07-2008, 10:10 PM
 
33 posts, read 44,760 times
Reputation: 15
Why is that?
 
Old 04-07-2008, 10:11 PM
 
Location: Houston
960 posts, read 2,750,531 times
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Socal? Never heard of that local area. Please attach a map. Thanks!

And no, Houston likes to slap a big flat slab to build houses. It's very rare to have residential basements. However, there are commerical basements in Houston - mostly as underground parking garages but there are some daily working conditions underground - though, not wise.
 
Old 04-07-2008, 10:15 PM
 
33 posts, read 44,760 times
Reputation: 15
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bike4Life View Post
Socal? Never heard of that local area. Please attach a map. Thanks!

Sorry for the confusion! I meant So. Cal. (southern California).
 
Old 04-07-2008, 10:16 PM
 
Location: Houston
960 posts, read 2,750,531 times
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Ground is too soft as clay in Houston area and in west Texas the ground is hard as a rock. It's more expensive to have a basement around here, that's why it is mostly left to commerical development.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Inside Man View Post
Why is that?
 
Old 04-07-2008, 10:58 PM
 
Location: ✶✶✶✶
15,216 posts, read 30,563,119 times
Reputation: 10851
They were not necessarily uncommon in the old days and there are still a few houses in River Oaks and other pre-WWII developments. I'd venture a guess and say there have been few to no houses in or around Houston built after 1940 that have them. It's just not cost-effective. Properly installing a basement in clay with a shallow water table is an expensive proposition - not that it can't be done, because a parking garage or a downtown tunnel system or a subway (we wish, right?) can be done here with the proper resources. But did you ever hear that Houston floods often?
 
Old 04-08-2008, 08:58 AM
 
Location: Houston, TX (Bellaire)
4,900 posts, read 13,738,039 times
Reputation: 4191
Soft soil, low water table + flooding = not good area for basements.
 
Old 04-08-2008, 09:34 AM
 
1,290 posts, read 5,438,293 times
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Basements are an ineffecient use of square footage. They are expensive and prone to flooding due to the low water table. In fact, many places in Houston with undergrounds (airport tram) have to have a pump system to keep it dry.

Sq footage in Houston is cheaper above ground, so mostly its just added there.
 
Old 04-08-2008, 09:47 AM
 
Location: where nothin ever grows. no rain or rivers flow, TX
2,028 posts, read 8,121,977 times
Reputation: 451
no. its easier to 'bulldoze' when the neighborhood reach rock bottom.
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