Old Cracker boy from FL (No basements there) wants to do one

16 years ago

Ok, I grew up on an Island in SW FL. A high tide with a full moon put a foot of water in our yard. I now live in SC. I am coming down to the last 1/3 of my life and will retire next year. (my family lives a long, long time). I plan to buy a small piece of land here in the Upcountry of SC. Basement country. I plant to build my own house, very small, like 16 to 20 square, two story and I want a basement. I have no clue how to build one. The idea is for me to continue working and do the house in steps. FIRST STEP, the basement. I am hoping for the right conditions, ie a hill side that I can dig out. Where in the hell do I go to get ideas on how to proceed?

1eyedJack and the Dawg (not my wife,I don't have one)

Comments (9)

lazypup
16 years ago
I would suggest you consult with some local builders to see how they do it in your area but basically it is very simple.

You begin by digging the hole, then you pour a footer at the base of the hole in the same manner as if you were building any other structure.

When the footer is set you build the basement walls up to the desired height in the same manner as building a footer wall over a crawl space.

The space inside the footer wall is graded and a layer of gravel is put in, then the basement floor is poured over the gravel base.
bus_driver
16 years ago
Check out Superior Walls. Click on your State and County to find a dealer/installer.

Here is a link that might be useful: Superior Walls
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ole_dawg
Original Author
16 years ago
They don't seem to exsist in SC
hendricus
16 years ago
If you can find a Reader's Digest "Complete-Do-It-Yourself" book it will give you a good education on how to build a complete house. It's a yellow book and covers everything from foundations, walls, electrical, plumbing, heating, roofing, etc, etc,. Some of it could be out of date by now but it is fascinating reading.
bus_driver
16 years ago
I wonder how you decided that Superior Walls is not in SC. I found this on the website link I posted earlier. I know nothing more about this dealer. There might be additional dealers in SC.

Contact: Weaver Precast of SC:
Address:8 Hudson Drive Spartanburg, SC 29303
Telephone:877-542-1213 / 864-542-1213
Fax:864-542-2082
Sales:Travis Wolfe, VP of Operations
ole_dawg
Original Author
16 years ago
Well actually I have no idea how I arrived at that. LOL
You must understand that I am just a poor ignorant (SP) Southern Boy. I have no desire to use someone else to do the work. I plan to do it myself with the help of several illegal Mexicans that seem to be here in large numbers. Since I am not running for public office I think I can get away with it.? In addition I am also bi-lingual so I will get my moneys' worth out of them. What I need is the how to and I am getting it thanks to all you helpful persons.

1eyedJack and the Dawg (not my wife,I don't have one)
bus_driver
16 years ago
Obviously you will achieve some sort of results. I have dug a few basements by hand, laid the blocks, so I know the drill. My Superior Walls basement, 10 feet high, is far better than I imagined a basement could be. I recently hired a father-son team to paint the exterior of a house for me. Came here from Mexico City 2 1/2 years ago, so they said. Had great references from other customers. Blew water under the front (wooden) door with their pressure washer, soaked the carpet inside. They were not supposed to paint the door. Used interior paint on the exterior siding, used gloss on the trim. Trim was supposed to be semi-gloss. Managed to resolve most of the problems. I wish you luck. Matthew 15:14.
bus_driver
16 years ago
One thing to be added: The words "interior" and "exterior" are the same in both English and Spanish.
ole_dawg
Original Author
16 years ago
Being a trained Military linguist (MI under NSA) (trained in the same school that the FBI, CIA, DEA, and State Department= The Defense Department Language Institute West Coast, in Monterey CA) I am aware of the various words that mean the same and are pronounced the same in both languages. I will not have any trouble getting my painting done. I plan to do that myself as well :) LOL

1eyedJack and the Dawg