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Why do so many more homes in Eastern Idaho have basements versus those around Boise? Even a bunch of new construction around Idaho Falls have basements. Compared to Boise, almost no new homes have basements. In Boise, you'll see some basements scattered among the older homes on the bench or in the north end, but not like other parts of Idaho. Just curious why that is... Does it have something to do with the ground in this part of the state?
Thanks, this makes some sense. Are there any other reasons that we might see basements less in the Boise area? I've read on other forums that the ground here can be too "moist"...? I guess that has something to do with water tables. Where I do see basements in Boise, they are more-so on the "bench", and less down by the river.
A part of it was the peculiar ways the Great Depression created in S.E. Idaho.
Young married folks back then needed a home to move into after they married, but with no financing available to them, many had enough savings to buy an empty lot in Idaho Falls, pour a foundation for the home they intended to build, and then slap a roof over the basement so they could live in it until they had the money to complete the house.
Most of those stalled homes were eventually built, but not all of them. Since there were no zoning laws that required the home's completion, and no law that prohibited living in a basement, some of the basement houses simply remained basements.
There were still quite a few of them in and around I.F. when I grew up here, but over time, as the property ownership changed, most were either finished at last or demolished and an entirely new house erected on the lots.
In a way, it was pretty much like the modern newlywed's solution to a new first home now. Lots of kids who can afford nothing more than a mobile home buy one and sell it when they can afford better housing. Some never do.
There's also a tradition of this odd construction, too; the first homes on the Great Plains were versions of basement houses.
A soddy was nothing but a hole in the ground- a basement- with the prairie sod that was removed placed on a few support beams to become a living roof above. Intertwined roots of prairie grass kept the dirt together, compacted, and kept the rain and snow out. The dirt floor became hardened through tamping, usage, and frequent wetting down. No building skill was needed, but a lot of sweat was required.
The only expense those settlers had in home building was the purchase of a door and frame. That door could be carried in the wagon bed out to the prairie with their other stuff.
It isn't a pretty home, but it sure works as shelter, and is as old as human civilization.
A part of it was the peculiar ways the Great Depression created in S.E. Idaho.
Young married folks back then needed a home to move into after they married, but with no financing available to them, many had enough savings to buy an empty lot in Idaho Falls, pour a foundation for the home they intended to build, and then slap a roof over the basement so they could live in it until they had the money to complete the house.
Most of those stalled homes were eventually built, but not all of them. Since there were no zoning laws that required the home's completion, and no law that prohibited living in a basement, some of the basement houses simply remained basements.
There were still quite a few of them in and around I.F. when I grew up here, but over time, as the property ownership changed, most were either finished at last or demolished and an entirely new house erected on the lots.
In a way, it was pretty much like the modern newlywed's solution to a new first home now. Lots of kids who can afford nothing more than a mobile home buy one and sell it when they can afford better housing. Some never do.
There's also a tradition of this odd construction, too; the first homes on the Great Plains were versions of basement houses.
A soddy was nothing but a hole in the ground- a basement- with the prairie sod that was removed placed on a few support beams to become a living roof above. Intertwined roots of prairie grass kept the dirt together, compacted, and kept the rain and snow out. The dirt floor became hardened through tamping, usage, and frequent wetting down. No building skill was needed, but a lot of sweat was required.
The only expense those settlers had in home building was the purchase of a door and frame. That door could be carried in the wagon bed out to the prairie with their other stuff.
It isn't a pretty home, but it sure works as shelter, and is as old as human civilization.
A part of it was the peculiar ways the Great Depression created in S.E. Idaho.
Young married folks back then needed a home to move into after they married, but with no financing available to them, many had enough savings to buy an empty lot in Idaho Falls, pour a foundation for the home they intended to build, and then slap a roof over the basement so they could live in it until they had the money to complete the house.
Most of those stalled homes were eventually built, but not all of them. Since there were no zoning laws that required the home's completion, and no law that prohibited living in a basement, some of the basement houses simply remained basements.
There were still quite a few of them in and around I.F. when I grew up here, but over time, as the property ownership changed, most were either finished at last or demolished and an entirely new house erected on the lots.
In a way, it was pretty much like the modern newlywed's solution to a new first home now. Lots of kids who can afford nothing more than a mobile home buy one and sell it when they can afford better housing. Some never do.
There's also a tradition of this odd construction, too; the first homes on the Great Plains were versions of basement houses.
A soddy was nothing but a hole in the ground- a basement- with the prairie sod that was removed placed on a few support beams to become a living roof above. Intertwined roots of prairie grass kept the dirt together, compacted, and kept the rain and snow out. The dirt floor became hardened through tamping, usage, and frequent wetting down. No building skill was needed, but a lot of sweat was required.
The only expense those settlers had in home building was the purchase of a door and frame. That door could be carried in the wagon bed out to the prairie with their other stuff.
It isn't a pretty home, but it sure works as shelter, and is as old as human civilization.
It's really neat to hear about that aspect of Idaho during that time period! People were much tougher and resilient then I believe.
It's really neat to hear about that aspect of Idaho during that time period! People were much tougher and resilient then I believe.
Yes, I think they were. It was also a much more cash and carry society back then; folks only used credit when it was absolutely necessary. If they could just wait and save, they did that more, as credit lending was a lot more restrictive then.
The building codes were also a lot looser or non-existent as well, and it was still a mostly agricultural culture. Folks knew all the trades much better back then, so if they needed a home, they would build one themselves, using only family and friends.
Sometimes the house was more flimsy than one today, but other times, it was over-built. They would also use whatever materials they had on hand.
The Kate Curley home is a good example of the last. 3 of the outside walls of the home are made of stone that was brought in from a local quarry, but the back side of the house is local lava rock that may have come from the lot. The back side looks totally different than the front and sides, but it's holding up as well as the quarry rock.
The Curleys could have afforded the quarry stone, I'm sure, but they probably just wanted the house finished as soon as possible.
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