Basement extension under garden cost: How Much Does It Cost to Dig Out a Basement in 2023?

How Much Does It Cost to Dig Out a Basement in 2023?

Updated March 7, 2022

Photo: PhotoSerg / Adobe Stock

Highlights

Adding a finished basement typically costs between $60,000 and $150,000
Be prepared for unexpected costs; the total can rise higher than $200,000
Costs add up while raising the home, excavating, and pouring a new foundation
Adding finished square footage can result in a substantial ROI

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Perhaps you want to expand your house to accommodate more storage or build out a recreational area. Or maybe your home could really benefit from another bedroom and bathroom because your growing family needs more space. If you’re thinking about all the unused square footage potential sitting beneath your home, you might also be wondering if it’s possible to dig out a basement. The good news is that—while it is a more significant investment—you can hire building contractors to lift your house off its foundation, excavate the area, and pour a new foundation for a basement.

Converting a crawl space to a finished, 2,000-square-foot basement typically costs between $60,000 and $150,000—and can quickly climb to more than $200,000 if your home presents particular challenges or you opt for more expensive house-raising methods and basement finishing materials. Let’s dive into this and other cost considerations for digging out a basement.

Average Range	Minimum	Maximum
$60,000 – $150,000	$60,000	$200,000

How Much Does It Cost to Dig Out a Basement per Square Foot?

Converting a crawl space or excavating a new basement under an existing home entails a substantial amount of home construction work that’s likely to be done by a general contractor and a few different subcontractors. Depending on your home’s age, structure, and other deciding factors there may be some variation from project to project. However, overall, you should expect to pay between $30 and $75 per square foot.

Basement Excavation Cost Breakdown

Photo: Dave Willman / Adobe Stock

Adding a new basement or expanding a crawl space beneath an existing home is a complex process that may entail any number of ancillary jobs and expenses.

Permits

No matter where you live, a project that requires you to lift an existing home off its foundation and excavate below will almost certainly require building permits. Given the structural nature of this project, these permits will be pricier than standard ones, so expect a total around $1,200 to $2,000.

Raising or Bracing the House

In order to dig into the earth, contractors will need to lift your home from the ground. There are two different ways of doing this: raising and underpinning.

The simplest, least expensive way of raising the house is for your general contractor to hire a foundation repair specialist to lift it with hydraulic jacks. Depending on the size and condition of your house, the average cost for this step is between $3,045 and $9,379. This is the less expensive option, but it may result in some cracking drywall and damage to your floors and ceilings.

The second method—underpinning—involves bracing the existing foundation footings individually, then raising the structure gradually to limit damage to floors, walls, and ceilings. The process can add up to $20,000 to your project due to significantly increased labor time and effort.

Excavation

Excavation costs vary based on factors like terrain and the equipment required. Professional excavators will survey the site and make bids on the project. When converting a crawl space or expanding a basement, expect to pay at least $75 and $150 per cubic yard of dirt. Adding 1,000 square feet of the basement will require the removal of about 300 cubic yards of dirt—costing between $22,500 and $45,000. These costs also assume the crawl space floor is unfinished. However, if there’s concrete to break through, expect an additional $500 to $1,500 in excavation costs.

Drainage and Plumbing

Adding a new basement or converting a crawl space requires a plumbing system to make it habitable. Installing plumbing beneath the foundation costs between $1,000 and $3,000. Expanding your drainage system will add between $2,000 and $5,500.

Foundation

After the space has been dug and the plumbing and drainage set, you can have a new foundation poured for $10,000 to $30,000. That cost includes the floor, the footing, and the walls.

Finishing the Basement

If you plan to finish the basement—a necessity if you want to maximize the space and get a worthwhile ROI—budget an additional $10,000 to $30,000. This amount is determined by the new basement’s size and the quality of materials. On average, finishing a basement runs between $15 and $20 per square foot.

Insurance

Digging a basement underneath your house involves a number of structural changes, so it’s important to verify that you’ve got the right homeowner’s insurance coverage in place before the project begins. Talk to a home insurance agent to ensure your existing plan applies and covers up to $100,000 to $200,000 for any necessary repairs.

How Much Does It Cost to Dig Out a Basement Yourself?

While operating a skid loader might sound like a lot of fun, there are no circumstances under which you should attempt a DIY basement excavation beneath an existing home. Every step of the process requires specialized expertise and equipment. Given the range of different skill sets involved, hire a trusted general contractor who can oversee the whole project and hire reliable subcontractors, including a structural engineer to keep your project on the right footing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Adding additional square footage to your home will always increase its value. Depending on where you live, converting a crawl space to a finished basement or digging out a new one beneath an existing home can yield a significant ROI. Adding a walkout basement can also lead to a higher ROI. However, the most important consideration is area land values and what comparable homes are selling for in your neighborhood since high project costs mean that your home’s future selling price must increase significantly

If you have the space to build more on the ground level or upper levels, an addition is significantly less expensive than expanding the basement. A home addition provides the same square footage and ROI benefits. Typical costs for a new home addition run between $20,900 and $72,600.

If you don’t wish to dig it out and convert it into a finished basement, you can still encapsulate your crawl space to protect it from damage—for an average cost of $5,500.

If you don’t have a crawl space but a partial basement you want to make deeper, you can expect to spend a little less—between $50,000 and $90,000 on average. However, if you’re not adding new finished square footage, you won’t see much in the way of ROI.

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Learn more about our contributor

A professional content writer, C.E. has written about all things home, family, and wellness for a variety of publications, including HomeLight, Noodle, and Mimi. A third-generation Los Angeleno, she is always looking for ways to make the most of the sun, whether it be building an urban garden or decorating with the help of some low-maintenance, air-purifying plants.

How much will it cost for a basement extension under my garden?

13 July 2018

If you have a set of existing rooms or a cellar space under your house, a standard basement conversion may be the most cost-effective option to make this space usable. However, to retrofit a basement by digging out underneath your property will cost significantly more. There is a third option; to create a basement extension under your garden. Whilst not as cheap as a standard conversion, it is cheaper than digging deep under the foundations and has a range of benefits including the ability to borrow natural light.

When it comes to pricing it up, however, the basement extension under garden cost can differ depending on a range of factors, chief of which is size. But because there’s no underpinning involved, you can generally work on a basement conversion under a garden costing half as much as digging directly under your property. That’s because there’s a significantly reduced risk of structural damage.

Basement extension under garden cost factors

There are a number of factors that can impact on the cost of any basement extension:

The only limit to the size of your basement is the size of your garden. A larger basement obviously costs more.
Light wells that provide plenty of natural light can add to the cost.
External access to your basement can add to the cost.
Access issues can bump up the cost.
A high water table is a key factor in pricing your excavation.
Certain types of soil will have a negative impact on the excavation of your under garden basement and can increase costs.
Diverting drainage and sewers can be a costly procedure if you need to do this.

Additional fees and costs

You’ll need to budget for:

Architect’s fees, which can be as much as 15% of the cost of the entire build.
Structural engineer’s fees which will depend on the overall size and complexity of the project
Planning applications aren’t always necessary, but research your local authority planning portal and budget for them just in case.
Survey fees for water table, soil and geology, trees and drains can be several hundred pounds each.

Is the cost of a basement conversion under my garden worth it?

Obviously it’s a subjective decision, but there are several benefits to this style of basement conversion that make it well worth considering. Apart from the opportunity to add a large living space, depending on your budget, garden basement conversions are lighter, faster to create and fresher than those directly under your property. There’s also a much lower structural risk to both your and your neighbour’s property.

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Advantages of prefabricated kindergartens
Building requirements
Construction materials
Prefabricated design features
Stages of construction of a kindergarten
Benefits of working with us

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Advantages of prefabricated kindergartens

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Requirements for buildings

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Construction materials

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Features of pre-fabricated structure

For the construction of kindergartens and other educational and social facilities of various sizes, there is a wide choice of architectural and planning options. The basis of a prefabricated structure is a shallow strip or pile foundation. The type of foundation depends on the load and characteristics of the soil at the construction site of the facility. For the construction of the frame of the kindergarten, prefabricated light metal structures or light steel structures are used, the basis of which are support columns that are attached to the foundation of the structure with the help of embedded anchor bolts. The load-bearing frame during construction is installed from columns, vertical and horizontal ties, trusses, beams, spacers and other elements of metal structures. As enclosing elements of the kindergarten, sandwich panels with a thickness of 300-400 mm are used. Prefabricated construction technology allows the use of various options for exterior and interior decoration of the building, the height of which can reach 20 meters or more.

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Stages of construction

Development of a project for a kindergarten
Earthworks, clearing the site for the construction of a prefabricated building.
Pouring the foundation of the structure and anchor elements.
Installation of steel building support columns.
Installation of metal structures of the kindergarten frame.
Installation of enclosing structures for walls and roofs.
Installation of partitions, floors, doors, windows, etc.
Laying and connection of engineering systems of a prefabricated object.
At the final stage of construction, finishing and other works in the kindergarten building.

Benefits of working with us

Among the main advantages of partnerships with ROSSPETSHOLOD companies is our many years of experience in various areas, including prefabricated construction of objects of various types and purposes, for example, kindergartens. We build hangars, warehouses, change houses, mobile security checkpoints, houses from modular block containers for rotational residential camps. We also carry out the construction of shopping malls and small pavilions, car services, car washes, workshops, hostels and other structures, including schools and kindergartens. In Moscow, we have our own modern production of elements of prefabricated structures for construction, which allows us to minimize their cost and guarantee high quality to our customers. We offer our customers loyal prices for materials for the construction of kindergartens, equipment and services, favorable conditions for long-term partnership. Our capabilities allow us to offer a full range of services for the design and construction of modern turnkey prefabricated buildings, the choice of technologies for any customer requirements. We implement only the most profitable solutions based on individual requirements for the design and layout of a prefabricated kindergarten. To do this, we have a large selection of ready-made construction projects, as well as experience and competence for the preparation of individual projects.

We decided to order the construction of a modular kindergarten using modern prefabricated technology – call ROSSPETSHOLOD and find out how much it costs to build it on a turnkey basis. We offer affordable prices for the entire range of services, high quality and minimum terms for the implementation of a prefabricated project. Make a call to get professional advice and order work. We will build a beautiful and reliable kindergarten for comfortable leisure and recreation for kids!

Extensions to a private house – projects from Alfaplan, drawings for construction

The concept of luxury in a private house is subjective, depending on the tastes and preferences of the owners. But everyone wants to embody something special in their home that will meet their ideals of comfort and well-being, and a variety of functional options and extensions come to the rescue.

What can be considered luxury in a private house? To decide, we will assume that this is the presence of all extensions – optional premises that go beyond what is necessary. Necessary: living room, dining room, kitchen, bedrooms, bathrooms, boiler room, as well as an entrance area with a hallway and a wardrobe, and halls.

The most common option that goes beyond this is the sauna. But such a functional extension is somewhere on the border of the necessary and luxury, for the Finns it is a necessary room in the house, with us it is very common. In our buildings with extensions, there are many options, both projects of one-story and two-story cottages with a sauna.

Another option that I also put on the borderline of luxury is rooms with a second light. The second light brings a unique atmosphere of spaciousness and airiness into the interior of the house, turns the house from an “apartment” into a “cottage”. Our architectural bureau has a large collection of projects with rooms with a second light and a balcony on the 2nd floor.

Among the premises or extensions that can endow a private house with elements of luxury, the following can be distinguished:

Gym – equipped with modern fitness equipment, decorated with designer elements and lighting, sauna and massage area.
Cinema – equipped with modern acoustics, a projector with a high resolution screen, and comfortable chairs.
Billiard room – bright spacious room with a quality billiard table, luxurious mirror, stylish chandeliers and furniture. A billiard room is most often located in the basement, or in a furnished attic above the second floor.
Pool – indoor pool with countercurrent, hydromassage, waterfall, lighting and temperature control. At present, this is also an affordable luxury, as modern technologies make it possible to build and equip a pool at an affordable cost.
Winter Garden – a heated extension with a glass roof and glass walls, where you can enjoy the garden all year round. This is a very atmospheric, beautiful addition to the house. The cost of a square meter in a winter garden is not lower than the cost of a square meter. meters in the warm contour of the building. In our catalog there are projects of cottages with outbuildings for arranging a winter garden.

Each of the listed premises or extensions is distinguished by its unique atmosphere, design and equipment, which allows you to endow the object with elements of luxury, depending on the personal preferences of the owners. It is very important that a private residential household, a country house or a summer residence provide its inhabitants with the quality of life they want. Therefore, when choosing a project, I would advise you to think not only about the rational side, but also about the luxury and comfort that the right option or extension will provide you with.

Our catalog includes interesting options for spacious and small houses with various types of outbuildings – a veranda, a terrace, a winter garden, a balcony, large panoramic windows and other popular “options”, as well as engineering and utility rooms (boiler room, basement, shed or garage for cars). If you need more additional information about ready-made standard projects with extensions, the cost of design services and terms, call at any time or leave a request on the company’s website for a call back.