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Post by mook on Apr 7, 2012 15:20:14 GMT -8
...stop describing houses and buildings with basements!
Apparently all my games forever take place in New England, at least in my brain.
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runester
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Post by runester on Apr 7, 2012 21:47:07 GMT -8
...stop describing houses and buildings with basements! Apparently all my games forever take place in New England, at least in my brain. I used to live in the midwest (Michigan) where we said "basement." I now live in New England (Massachusetts) where no one says "basement," they all say "cellar" and usually in the form "down cellar." Of course, with their accent, it sounds more like "downcellah" (one word). In fact, my wife didn't know that "downcellah" wasn't a word until recently. Also, in the Midwest basements were usually accessible from within the house. In New England, they all have bulkhead's - or the slanted doors that lead directly from the yard to the basement, like the way "root cellars" do in elsewhere. Anyway, I mention all of this because I was a bit confused by your usage. You describe houses with "basements" but they're in New England?
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Post by uselesstriviaman on Apr 8, 2012 5:10:47 GMT -8
...stop describing houses and buildings with basements! Apparently all my games forever take place in New England, at least in my brain. Yeah, us Midwesterners don't generally use "cellar" unless it's someone from at least the septuagenarial bracket, and they're referring to a root cellar that's only accessible via those big lift-up doors. And it's something I hadn't even considered, but I do the same thing. Even though my wife has explained to me on more than one occasion that Floridians simply don't have basements. Or cellars. Or holes in the ground - down there, they refer to those as "puddles."
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 8, 2012 6:53:02 GMT -8
I'm from Ohio and currently live in NY, but I grew up in south Florida...
I've always used "basement", but we did live in a house with an actual "root cellar" under the kitchen - this was literally a stone lined space about the size of a large closet under a panel in the kitchen floor.
Down in the southern portions of Florida the water table is so close to the surface that they can't have basements - I once literally dug to ground water with my hands in the sand of my backyard. If there is a space under a house big enough to be worth mentioning, it's most likely a sinkhole and will swallow the house!
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Post by mook on Apr 8, 2012 15:00:50 GMT -8
Anyway, I mention all of this because I was a bit confused by your usage. You describe houses with "basements" but they're in New England? I can only speak to Massachusetts, but "basement" and "cellar" were always used interchangeably in my circles - like "living room" and "parlor".
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tappy
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Post by tappy on Apr 8, 2012 15:30:32 GMT -8
If it's a down cellar, does there mean there is an up cellar?
In California, most houses build after 1945 don't have a cellar... or basement.. or whatever. Before 1945 but after 1900 many houses were built with a "california basement" usually a basement that is around 10x10. Before 1900 many houses were built with wall to wall basements.
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Post by mook on Apr 8, 2012 18:28:15 GMT -8
Ah, I see - so I don't have to stop giving my imaginary California buildings basements...I just have to make sure they're old buildings.
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Post by daeglan on Apr 8, 2012 19:59:37 GMT -8
yes Or built by people like me who when I build my own house I will have a basement. you can add 1/3 to double you house square footage that way.
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Post by greatwyrm on Apr 9, 2012 4:39:56 GMT -8
Aren't basements against building code for new houses in CA?
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clanhanna
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Post by clanhanna on Apr 9, 2012 9:35:51 GMT -8
Aren't basements against building code for new houses in CA? No. Basements are perfectly legal, but usually a waste of money. The primary structural reason for a basement is because, in northern climes, the foundation has to be dug to a depth that goes below the frost line. In most of non-mountainous California, this doesn't apply, because the winters don't get that cold. Digging deep foundation involves a great deal of labor ($$), usually heavy equipment ($$), and removal of the dirt (cuz it can't stay on site -- $$). When it's perfectly fine to just pour a concrete slab on grade, or maybe pour grade beams (short walls, maybe 24-36" high), the costs are much lower. Basements might be wonderful from a homeowner perspective, but from a cost of construction standpoint, it can add tens if not hundreds of thousands of dollars of unnecessary cost to the construction.
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joegun
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Post by joegun on Apr 9, 2012 10:12:57 GMT -8
Aren't basements against building code for new houses in CA? No just more expensive as they need to be built with Earthquake proofing. My Uncle build a huge basement in his house which also included access to his countersunk above ground pool.
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Post by ironnikki on Apr 10, 2012 9:07:22 GMT -8
It's pretty rare to find basements in homes in Texas as well. From what I understand, there is a great deal of clay in the soil down here, which tends to expand and contract with the temperature. Basements don't stand up to that very well, I guess. Go figure!
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clanhanna
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Post by clanhanna on Apr 12, 2012 10:31:32 GMT -8
It's pretty rare to find basements in homes in Texas as well. From what I understand, there is a great deal of clay in the soil down here, which tends to expand and contract with the temperature. Basements don't stand up to that very well, I guess. Go figure! They really don't do well in expanding soils, yeah. Basements are also not often seen in Florida, Louisiana, or southern Alabama/Mississippi. Dig more than 24"-36" down and you hit the water table. Unless you're looking at sinking an artesian well in your basement, it's not a really good idea.
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