Add on by excavating basement

Greg and Nadia Letey bought their Sugar House home for sentimental reasons. "Nadia's grandparents were the first owners of the home and raised Nadia's mother here," explains Greg. The Leteys also loved the location and appearance of the 1930s Tudor.

But there were drawbacks, including the fact that the home's 1,700 square feet of living space seemed cramped for the Leteys' growing family and two large dogs. Because of the couple's emotional ties to the home and location, they ruled out moving. And because they wanted to limit changes to the exterior appearance of their classic home, they also opted out of a major addition. Finally, finishing their shallow basement hardly seemed viable because its ceiling was only 6 1/2 feet high — barely enough clearance space for Greg's 6-foot frame.

The solution? The Leteys decided to excavate their basement. Though excavating adds to the total cost of converting a basement into living space, it can be well worth it. Excavating can turn shelf or partial basements into large, quality living areas and give formerly shallow basements 9-foot ceilings, creating the feel of a newer home. Excavating is also a way to expand a home's square footage without taking up yard space or overbuilding in a classic neighborhood.

The Leteys are adding about 2 1/2 feet to their basement's height and digging out additional living space under the current breezeway of their home. When the project is completed, they will have a large laundry room, a bathroom, a large play room, two bedrooms, and a family room with kitchenette in their previously small basement, nearly doubling the square footage of the original home.

A basement excavation might be an option for you if: (1) you have a shallow, partial, or shelf basement, (2) you need a larger home but you really don't want to move, and (3) you don't want to make an addition that would change your home's exterior appearance and/or encroach into your yard.

Excavating involves tearing out the existing concrete floor (and shelf, if there is one), digging out the dirt from the additional space you want to capture, then pouring a new concrete foundation and floor.

This can be done by manual labor, which makes no impact on the exterior of your home and yard but costs more. Or it can be performed using a backhoe and other equipment that is driven into the basement. If you are making a main floor addition, this equipment can be driven through the space where the addition will be built. If not, you will need to cut an entry into the lower side of your house for the equipment to enter.