Underpinning

Underpinning is a great way to lower your basement floor to create more height and overall a larger living space. This means that the basement will be excavated down to the footings of your house to create those higher ceilings that make your basement space bigger.  A new concrete floor will be poured once all proper steps are taken.

Many homeowners decide to choose this method because it can allow them the option to use their basement as a rental property which in return will provide them a source of income, and/or allow for a fully finished basement. Underpinning will also increase the overall value of your home.

Basement lowering and underpinning will give your home a complete makeover. It is a big job that will require a high level of expertise. Be sure you hire a company that had a good reputation in fixing foundations and basement underpinning. It is also wise to make sure that the company you hire has underpinning and liability insurance.

Make sure you have engineer drawings and permits. Be sure that whoever you hire to do the job is familiar with the structure of the home.

Benching

The Benching System is another way to lower your basement, this process is a lot faster but does not maximize your living space. With this option a new lower basement floor will be created using the existing foundation of the home, this creates a bench around the basement which causes a loss of space. Benching is a good option if you have the space to sacrifice. In some cases, where there is a shared wall involved, underpinning may not be an option.  In this case, the benching system is your best option.