Basements in Oklahoma

[OKCRealtor]

I'm at the southern edge of Warr Acres. I have a well just for outdoor use watering. The water level in my well is at 14ft but it was drilled to 125ft. And I'm originally from Chicago where everyone in my family had a basement. Usually finished out with nice walls, floor and ceiling.

That's good info! Have learned a couple good things in this thread.

[HOT ROD]

yes, very educational

[Mountaingoat]

This is the answer I have gotten most often from people who are true experts in construction around here, because they have soil issues in other places around the country where basements are much more common, so that answer never held water for me. You can build one for a custom home around here, but for spec houses, it is not worth the extra cost here, you simply don't need it because of the frost line, as you stated. No matter where I have had them, in New England, in Missouri, they have always had issues, so as much as I love them for the extra space, they aren't worth the potential trouble, in my opinion.

Just a couple of observations:

Wouldn't a neighborhood with basements require deeper sewer lines (deeper than maybe is standard in OKC) below the level of the bottom of the basement?

Comparing construction methods in the era of old neighborhoods like Gatewood or Heritage Hills to what is available today, l would have to think watertight basements could be built more economically than you might think. However in areas where the water table isn't high, you may have sandstone to contend with and vice-versa.

Since basements are not common in OKC, is there a possible shortage of experienced builders?

Are there any new neighborhoods where basements are being built?

[Urbanized]

Just a couple of observations:

Wouldn't a neighborhood with basements require deeper sewer lines (deeper than maybe is standard in OKC) below the level of the bottom of the basement?

Comparing construction methods in the era of old neighborhoods like Gatewood or Heritage Hills to what is available today, l would have to think watertight basements could be built more economically than you might think. However in areas where the water table isn't high, you may have sandstone to contend with and vice-versa.

Since basements are not common in OKC, is there a possible shortage of experienced builders?

Are there any new neighborhoods where basements are being built?

1. Possibly, yes, but sewer mains are usually built at a depth that would allow it. If not, a basement can still be drained into a sewage/macerator pump, which grinds solid waste and injects the effluent into the lateral line (the sewer line that runs from the house to the main). This is a very common solution.
2. You’re absolutely correct that newer technologies now make basements eminently possible, even on sites where the soil is not especially conducive.
3. 100%. The lack of experienced builders/contractors is a result of generations of building exclusively on slabs. It’s now the most inexpensive and relatively easiest method of building, and it meets code in Oklahoma whereas in colder markets deeper stem walls are required. So for generations of contractors it’s the only way they know.
4. Not that I am aware of.

[Lafferty Daniel]

It's kind of funny because basements make so much sense in Oklahoma with the tornadoes. But, like Wu-Tang said... CREAM (Cash Rules Everything Around Me). So, we go up instead.

Dolla dolla bills ya'll

[Lafferty Daniel]

Probably my favorite thread on OKCTalk. Very informative.

[borchard]

In addition to the clay/soil we sit on we also have a high water table here in OK. Practically every basement has had some major problems- flooding, structural work to name a couple of the more common ones. Considering it's mostly historic/old homes that have them guessing builders figured out they don't work very well here and quit doing it many decades ago.

Used to own a house on about 55th and Meridian. The previous owners had dug a basement. It continually flooded. I was glad when we finally sold it and moved on. Water tables are too high that area, at least. Don't think I'd want another basement in OKC anyway.

[April in the Plaza]

Just a couple of observations:

Are there any new neighborhoods where basements are being built?

Yes, but i think the majority of basements in new construction probably represent the builder’s solution to grading / slope issues. That is, they aren’t necessarily going out of their way to build basements but sometimes a basement makes far more sense than hauling in millions of $$ in dirt to make a lot suitable for a more traditional floorplan.

You’ll notice that almost all of these new basements are walkouts, which probably alleviates some of the flooding and engineering issues you might encounter with a fully enclosed basement.

Here’s an example. This neighborhood has 7 basement lots: https://www.alliemoorerealestate.com/blank-page-1

[gjl]

Used to own a house on about 55th and Meridian. The previous owners had dug a basement. It continually flooded. I was glad when we finally sold it and moved on. Water tables are too high that area, at least. Don't think I'd want another basement in OKC anyway.

That is about 1 mile north of the 14ft water in my well.

[Bill Robertson]

I'm going to take the Miata to a car show in Crescent tomorrow. That made me think of the old Kerr-McGee Plutonium plant just south of Crescent. I spent a lot of time there when I was the Facilities Manager for the KM R&D facility. The tallest building that was the actual plutonium enrichment plant has a below ground level probably 20 feet deep. It's a stones throw from the river. It was always dry as a bone. But the 3 ft thick reinforced concrete walls might have something to do with it.

[Bunty]

The height of the water table should be of major importance in helping to decide if having a basement is wise. A doctor in Stillwater built his office with a basement but it would flood. It was all because he built it on one of the lowest lying areas in Stillwater on Washington St, a few blocks south of the strip.

It seems basements are less common since slabs have replaced raised wooden foundations for a long while. A nice home a few blocks northeast of me built during the Stillwater boomtown days of the 60s and 70s has a wood foundation with a good basement. Water table in my neighborhood not an issue. I don't want a basement any more than I want a 2nd floor, especially if the 2nd floor doesn't come with a view.

[Teo9969]

It's worth stating that excavation is not without cost. So while a basement is generally very doable, the lack of a need to dig deep for the footings means that every extra amount dug out beyond the 18-24 inches for just the footings is pure cost.

Couple that with COPIOUS lot sizes and it doesn't make sense in many situations.

Outside of a few lower spots subject to periodic flooding, the urban core is where it would make most sense for a basement due to the premium of land cost and how a finished basement adds more space in a much more constricted environment.

[GaryOKC6]

I own 2 houses near Memorial Park that I have had for 30 years. Both have basements. Every house in the neighborhood has them because when they were built in 1916, they were heated by coal fired boilers located in the basement. The coal wagons would go down the street and deliver it directly to your basement if you needed more. Both houses have exterior basement doors as well as interior.

Both basements leaked a little water during a heavy rain, but I was able to stop that by sealing the outside where water could enter. another issue was that when the houses were built the basement walls were double layered brick. They did not have the science of mortar down back then and used a lot of ash which deuterates over time. I one of the houses I tore out 2 of the basement walls and replaced them myself but that was 30 years ago, and I was much younger then.

Today neither leak water and are useful spaces.