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Need advice on digging down floor

Posted by cathernich (My Page) on
Mon, Jan 22, 07 at 14:19

We are thinking of purchasing a beautiful but small (and expensive) home in Chicago - - we would need to convert the basement into a livable space. Currently, the basement has a 6 foot ceiling, but to accomodate my 6'8" husband we would need to dig down about one foot. The room is 18x27 - W/D in one corner - heater in middle of space. Would anyone have any idea what something like this would cost? We are not DIY types - my Mr. thinks it is a small project, I'm thinking this is an expensive and long undertaking with little return on our investment. Any advice?


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RE: Need advice on digging down floor

I assumes this is an old house?
Are you sure you guys really want to do this?
Afterall, changing a 6' height room to a 7' height is still, well, small.

Look at it from the logistical aspect - just demo-ing the 5" thk concrete slab and repouring a new 18X27 area are already monumental. Other issues to consider are structure, substrate, existing piping infrastucture, refinishing the wall,/base & flooring rtc.

Of course many of these issues are easier to resolve if it's just a dirt floor - which I have seem in older houses.


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RE: Need advice on digging down floor

You are going to need an engieneering review to make sure you can dig without disturbing footers.
Typically you can go no lower than the bottom of a footer without providing some means to prevent the footer from moving into the hole.
Try a structural or geotechnical, and you may need both.


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