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Original poster

Cost of digging out a Basement

14 replies

oscarwilde · 16/12/2013 14:27

Aside from the people that install palatial gyms, garages and their own yoga rooms; has anyone dug out a basement under their home?

I am only thinking enough space for storage so about 10ft x 10ft. Its a victorian terrace and no other houses on the terrace have one as far as I know so it may not be feasible. I'm just idily wondering if the cost of doing it would be more than £20k if it's just for storage. £20k would buy a lot of off-site storage but that's not remotely convenient for bikes, suitcases etc.
I don't know if the minimum heights have to be complied with if it is not going to be used for anything else (though obviously you'll need to be able to stand up in it). I could speak to a builder but I don't want to be hassled for months.

OP posts:
CallMeNancy · 16/12/2013 14:30

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

throckenholt · 16/12/2013 14:35

Things to consider - old house - what are the foundations like ? Would it need underpinning ? Party walls - neighbours affected ? Damp - would it have any impact on damp proof for the house ? Would it need tanking ? Access - how would you get down to it ?

To be honest for such a small volume of storage I am not sure it would be cost effective to do.

£20K for example would give you a pretty good garage, outside shed etc if you have space. It would also go a long way to making a storage area in a loft with suitable access (ok not ideal to store a bike in a loft !).

I would look at a secure bike shed and boarding out the loft, before venturing below ground.

PigletJohn · 16/12/2013 14:51

a victorian terrace with no cellar (or is there one?) is likely to have very shallow foundations. You will have to prop up the houses next to you, which they will not like.

Many Victorian terraces were so badly built that they fell over quite easily during wartime bombing.

lalalonglegs · 16/12/2013 14:57

This has been the rage in my neighbourhood for a few years now - it costs gazillions, one rarely achieves anything more than a room that no one really wants to use and I know of three houses that have fallen in on themselves (one bringing down part of the neighbouring houses and the road) just in passing.

Original poster
oscarwilde · 16/12/2013 15:58

Got quotes from £10k to £100k. The one at £10 told me he was no longer an alcoholic, which was reassuring

PMSL !

Oh - it's totally pie in the sky. I have a nightmare neighbour who would never consent anyway, I'm just idly wondering how stupid it would be in terms of cost. There's no cellar at present, not even one for coal. The subfloor is about 4 ft down though so I was just procrastinating and not getting on with the day job.

Loft already converted, DH has a bad cycling "habit" where the ideal number of bikes is N+1 (N being the number of bikes owned already) and the garden is the size of a shoebox, so an onsite store room would be lovely. Garden sheds are always so ugly.

Could always build a "nuclear bunker" in the garden I suppose. Maybe the neighbour wouldn't notice that..

OP posts:
LaurieFairyCake · 16/12/2013 16:06

In our last house our sub floor was about 4 foot below

And according to a surveyor that was where the foundations started Shock

Really badly built house and very common in Victorian houses

MmeCinqAnneauxDor · 16/12/2013 16:13

We've always had cellars in our houses (lived abroad) and I can promise you that you will fill it with junk and stuff you should have thrown out years ago.

I finally made a rule that if it hadn't seen the light of day in over 2 years, it wasn't getting moved to the next house.

I wouldn't spend a penny on having a cellar dug out.

Mumzy · 16/12/2013 16:17

Agree with Mme i'd rather deal with the junk rather than store the junk

Original poster
oscarwilde · 16/12/2013 16:25

I could sell the flipping bikes to pay for the cellar I suppose Smile

OP posts:
Original poster
oscarwilde · 16/12/2013 16:32

I should say that I am utterly ruthless with junk as I had to move house in the past two yrs, then empty the house into storage for the builders and then move it all back in. I'm on a constant mission to give stuff away.
DH is of the "it will come in handy someday" variety so I just bin it when he is not looking.
I don't fancy hanging the bikes in the hall though, and don't want to look at them out of the kitchen window.
--- goes off to find out how much a lock up garage would cost... Smile

OP posts:
MummytoMog · 16/12/2013 16:45

There are some really really beautiful garden sheds. I lust after the gothic garden shed, but some lovely little modern boxes (like tiny Grand Design houses) and super garden rooms.

www.theposhshedcompany.co.uk/range/product/gothic/

I think gothic would look lovely with a victorian terrace.

Original poster
oscarwilde · 17/12/2013 15:19

I love the little kennel ! Pic 6 of half sheds. But they don't sell it.

OP posts:
MummytoMog · 17/12/2013 17:20

They probably only do it as a special order. They don't do much off the peg.

Pagwatch · 17/12/2013 17:23

I had my cellar dug out and created a whole basement floor with a bedroom a closet and a playroom .
We had patio doors put in and outside stairs up to the front.
It cost a bloody fortune and took months. Then it had messed with the building drainage

It's beautiful now but it was a lot of work.

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