You need a structural engineer to design this for your safety and the permitting requirements. And you really should just skip it and just tear the house down completely and rebuild it. The expenses to do all of that patchwork add ons are going to be way more than doing a teardown.

I once bought a three-storey brick semi with a lowered basement.

Illustration: Aquaresist.com

But when we ripped out all the finishes, it turns out the p.o. had simply dug down, undermining the existing footings. To prevent the walls from collapsing, a structural engineer designed a bench footing. Lots of structural rebar and some 10 yards of concrete, it was probably the solidest house in the neighbourhood. (We also replaced the 80 year-old sewer pipes while we were at it.)

The total cost was 11.1% of the house purchase price. I was the contractor. If I had known of the basement condition in the first place, I would never have bought the home!

@Patricia Colwell Consulting yes we are underpinning to gain height as we are making legal rental unit currently its about 6’6 and it needs min 7’ and we might as well make 8’ to increase home value for the future anyway

@User we do have structural engineer made a drawing and got permit he will also inspect every stage to make sure it gets done properly

my question was if its ok to hire trades who is GC to do underpinning they say they have experience in underpinning

@worthy so your basement was just dug down without reinforement in foundation?? thats strange..?

so it didnt get underpin done only dug down..?

It depends upon the capabilities of the general contractor (and how well they are insured).

The risk to the owner is mitigated by having a plan produced by a structural engineer and the ongoing inspection by that same engineer to ensure the work meets the requirements indicated.

so it didnt get underpin done only dug down..?

The previous owner was an avid do-it-yourselfer.

And the basement was only one of the indignities inflicted on that dear senior!

Before

After

I believe that Worthy lives in a very high cost of living location that would allow such a project to be a recoupable expense, eventually. It is not a recoupable expense in most of the US. A 150K expense on a 1.5M Montreal home is far different than on a 300K Charleston home.

^^^^

Indeed!

Toronto is among the top 5 least affordable housing markets in the world.

The downtown home above (no parking) is now worth C$1.9-$2m++ depending on what renos subsequent homeowners have undertaken.

"And you really should just skip it and just tear the house down completely and rebuild it. The expenses to do all of that patchwork add ons are going to be way more than doing a teardown."

Verbo, how can you say this when you don't know the area, the cost of living, the real estate market, etc.?

@worthy

I am in toronto as well lol

and my underpinning and basement finished will cost about 10% of my house and the money I spent will definitely get returned easily

so your owner lowered ceiling of height as DIY project oh dear..

@Charles Ross Homes yes so which GE I end up choosing for underpinning wont affect too much as long as my structural engineer does inspect..?

That's a bit of an over simplification. A better, more experienced contractor should produce the desired result on time, on budget, with minimum collateral damage to the existing structure and minimal heartburn for the homeowner. A less experienced and/or less capable contractor can produce the same result, but may take longer, and may cost more, particularly if the value of time is considered.

The inspection by the engineer at key milestones during the project is critical to ensure the end result complies with the design.

IMO no matter where you live in Canada basement improvements without being a walkout are not even considered in sq footage so rarely do you recoup the money spent but you do get to enjoy the space .while you are there . I assume you have already got the proper permits to have a rental space there and how are you doing the entry to the space / Maybe you have an opportunity to have a walk out.

@Patricia Colwell Consulting yes we are also making a walkout to backyard

we already have a side entrance as main entry and walkout for more light etc

@Charles Ross Homes got it.. thats true experience is important after all