[achenatx]

there is no one reason why we dont have basements, but it is more likely to do with the fact that up north they have to dig deep (3-4 ft) for the frost line. If you are digging that deep anyway, you might as well go an additional 4-5 ft and build a basement.

Excavating limestone isnt that hard. Instead of one day to dig a basement in soil, it would take about 14 days to dig a typical basement in limestone (based on digging pools in limestone). It costs about 1500/day for the crew/equipment so an extra 21K for the excavation.

East austin has no limestone and basements are still rare.

[vandahm]

> there is no one reason why we dont have basements, but it is more likely to do with the fact that up north they have to dig deep (3-4 ft) for the frost line. If you are digging that deep anyway, you might as well go an additional 4-5 ft and build a basement.

In Minnesota, where I live, basements are definitely a byproduct of structural requirements. You have to dig 48 inches so that your foundation is under the frost line. But also consider that you don't want your front door to be at ground level, because then it might not open after a massive snowfall. So if you add up all that vertical space, you get about 7 feet, which is about the ceiling height of an unfinished basement.

[MS90]

It might not be 'that hard' to excavate limestone, but an additional 21,000 dollars added to the cost along with 14x longer work time is not an insignificant difference.

East Austin doesn't have them because of the unstable clay that expands and contracts with rains, same reason the track surface at COTA has had so many issues. The ground doesn't stay put.

Couple those things with the frost line issue you mentioned, along with the likelihood of flooding, and it probably comes down to the fact that it's just too much work to be worth it.

[onlyrealcuzzo]

The reason you don't have basements is because you don't have to worry about the Frontline.

If you did, land would be worth $21k less per lot - to make up for the cost to dig a basement.

[sangnoir]

> East Austin doesn't have them because of the unstable clay that expands and contracts with rains

Which is why most people water their foundations to ensure the soild maintains steady state of dampness- rain or shine.

[nubianwarrior]

East Austinite since I was a teenager, family has had the same parcel of land since the 1880s. It's all caliche and limestone boss 6 inches down boss.

[dmix]

How do you put down fence posts? A brief googling says they should be 36 inches deep.

[seltzered_]

Depends. Some combine the fence posts with concrete (adding weight), some add reinforcing metal posts, some do nothing. Watching fences collapse after a strong wind storm is a common sight.

Its worth noting you can generally still drill a hole into caliche.

[fmakunbound]

I use an 8 foot, iron digging bar ahead of the post hole digger.

[bin_bash]

It may be different in Hill Country but in Dallas and Houston the water table is just too high in most places to make a basement realistic.

[cestith]

There are basements here in Houston but they're rare and typically have multiple sumps and pumps.

[Arrath]

Alternatively its roughly 3 days of work to drill, blast & dig out a basement excavation, but explosives are scary so such work is often blocked outright.