Lifting home, adding more basement height

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UlyssesSign

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Hey guys. New to the forum.
Had some questions about adding a basement

My house is a 65x15 mini home.
It has a 15x20 addition on the side.
I have a full footing and a 5' high cinderblock foundation.
I was wondering what it would cost to lift the home and add 3' to the foundation with a knee wall.
I am looking for a rough estimate, and if it would be worth doing.
If I go ahead with the foundation I am going to pour a slab underneath and dimple the walls for condensation.
I would like to finish part of it eventually but for now just to have the room underneath would be nice.

Let me know what you guys think.

Thanks.
 
Talk with a house moving company to get a quote. They have the equipment to lift the house so the foundation can be updated. A few years ago there was a blog post of a guy that lifted a house. I tried searching for it a few months ago and couldn't find it again.

I have no idea of the cost, clearly into the 5 digit range. I talked with a house-mover about 20 years ago about moving a house for Habitat for Humanity and the cost was in the $40K range. You don't need to move it, but the estimate was sight unseen and 2 decades ago so YMMV.
 
Thanks for the reply.
I will give a lifting company a call on lunch.
I'm hoping that it's not going to be an outrageous amount of money.
I figured the basement is half there. Why not get a whole one.
I will get back to you guys with the quote.
 
I would check with the permit dept. first they may have reason for not doing and you would save time and money in the planning.
 
I would bet it was a money-saving move by the original builder. Going down might hit additional ledge requiring blasting or heavy equipment.
 
There are lots of possibilities, if he has 5 ft visible and 3 ft frost protection. It could be just a matter of digging it out.
 
Was the mini home a premanufactured home or something built off site like a modular home? The addition is built on the same foundation system and the same depth now as the main house?
What is in the addition?

Do you have photos outside and from below the house?
 
If he does the project, no matter what, he will need a structural engineer, as well as a house mover, and they can be found locally here;http://www.thebluebook.com

Nobody is arguing that point but he may want to consider a few incidentals before he gets into the expense of an engineer.
And that is likely why he came here.
He also has to think about the hook ups for power, sewer, gas or oil and water.
New front and back porches and general condition of the house.
Where and how to fit interior stairs.
He has already started considering water proofing and drainage.
Where he will install windows and doors and finding bearing points that might be where he might want windows,
If the house is straight and level, they lift pretty good with out much damage but if it has to also be leveled he can expect cracks in the interior.

Depending on where he lives the house may have to be brought up to the newest hurricane or earthquake standards which could include questioning the size of the footing under the foundation.
 
I actually did that with a 31' x 40' ranch that was on 4 courses of block foundation. Raised it up 7' and added new walls to create an at grade first level. House movers are the people you want to talk to and get a couple of prices. Mine was about 3k to lift and set it down on cribbing then relift and set on the new walls when they were installed.
The reality is for a lift it's all labor but depends on how easy it is to set up the lift from under the house. Mine was an easy lift. 8am the crew arrived and by noon my house was 8' in the air and sitting on the cribbing. I was even inside the house for the first 3' of the lift.
 
He's asking for an estimate, so he should visit the municipality, first, to find out if it can be done and what they will require of him.

If he does not have them, ask for the original set of building plans so that he can then obtain an estimate from a structural engineer for the engineering, to add the height to the existing foundation and an interior stairway.

Then visit a house mover and find their rates for the lift, reset, as well as the charges over time.

Unless he intends to occupy during the construction, it's basically sewer cap, service suspension and a temp. power pole.
 
From what i have heard, the prices for lifting inflated greatly after Sandy (laws of supply & demand at work?) so any pricing quoted there may not apply in your location.
 
From what i have heard, the prices for lifting inflated greatly after Sandy (laws of supply & demand at work?) so any pricing quoted there may not apply in your location.

In the NY/NJ Metro Area! I'm shocked! Their prices would probably be 50% higher than anywhere else outside of California too.
 
I am always surprised when people don't understand, supply and demand.

Doing anything in NY/NJ is more expensive than anywhere else. I can't imagine being a contractor in NYC. The permitting, the traffic, the graft, the unions, the difficulty in getting materials to the job, parking your truck close to the job site, not getting your equipment stolen.
 
Doing anything in NY/NJ is more expensive than anywhere else. I can't imagine being a contractor in NYC. The permitting, the traffic, the graft, the unions, the difficulty in getting materials to the job, parking your truck close to the job site, not getting your equipment stolen.

That is the way it is in any big city and when something like Sandy happens, I am sure there were many from depressed areas that got there in a hurry. But with all the extra expenses they can't do the work any cheaper. It looks bad when you look at what they charged at home, but at home they were likely working with a sharp pencil just to keep the books open.
 
Hello everyone.
Thanks for all the input.
I will check with the city about zoning issues or building issues. But there is a couple trailers on my st. That have basements so I'm sure it's good.

Sparky617 yes there is a massive rock mountain behind my house so I would assume he ment to put a full basement and hit bedrock. That is why I am choosing to go up.

The foundation has been built to match the addition on the house.
The house is a pre fab home. I dont believe it was on wheels at any point.
I will try and add some photos if I can figure it out.
There is no need for earthquake or hurricane spoofing, I live in Nova Scotia Canada.

http://m.imgur.com/account/hooberjabber/images/7tk8miP

http://m.imgur.com/account/hooberjabber/images/FJ1Ifef

http://m.imgur.com/account/hooberjabber/images/w1PotS8

http://m.imgur.com/account/hooberjabber/images/kkxodIL

http://m.imgur.com/account/hooberjabber/images/WVPnVVw

Hope this work.

Thanks again.
 
Yeah I just spent 20 minutes trying to upload pictures.
I can't figure it out.
 

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