No basements? (Charlotte: houses, to buy, tornadoes)

[Homeless Bum]

None of the houses I've been looking at have any basements. It seems that the selection is very limited if you're looking for a basement. Is it like this everywhere or is this just something with North Carolina?

[angelaf]

It's not like that everywhere, but it certainly seems to be the case in NC. I haven't found many houses with basements either. Someone said it has something to do with the soil.
Here in the Midwest, most houses have basements, in part because we have a lot of tornadoes here and a basement is the best place to be in severe weather.

[NYer]

Some of the golf course homes have them, they are walk-out basements build into hillsides.
The other houses are on slabs or crawlspaces.

Also noticably missing from these homes is the oil burner & oil tank

[backfist]

I had a realtor tell me that basements are scarce due to the red clay soil. But I think it has a little more to do with the cost involved. We have clay soil here in Colorado, and most houses are built with basements (we have our share of basement-related lawsuits, but whatchagonnado).

[just_sayin']

The tough Carolina clay makes true basements in NC pretty much impossible. Some larger houses in more upscale developments have walkout basements but that's pretty much it. In NC, they trade basements for "bonus rooms" over the garage.

[mm34b]

No reason to dig down when you can just build out. It's cheaper just to buy a big lot for the square-footage you need. It's not a problem to dig a hole in solid rock, but why would you want to when you can have the same space above ground???

[Carolina Girl]

It is because of the red clay composition of the soil in most/many areas of NC that we don't have basements. They often (more often than not) leak. My husband had one when he first moved down. He didn't believe it either when told they really weren't feasible here. So, he built one. It leaked. He hated that house. Now, he 'pays attention'.

[T.S.]

Houses without basements are common through much of the south from what I have seen.

[lovethecarolinas]

In Tega Cay, SC (just across the stateline) we have loads of basements (ours included). It is stated that Tega Cay has "very rugged topography" which seems to lend itself well for basements. I bring this up due to the fact that our soil (red clay) is no different than other parts of NC. I have also seen homes in and around the Charlotte areas that have basements when their parcel of land is not flat. As someone else had mentioned it is much easier to build up (then under).

[Homeless Bum]

Thanks for the awesome replies.

That's really unfortunate because I think I really want a basement. NC may have just lost it's bid as my next state! I guess that means you all can feel safe again.