Partial Basements: Ideas for Getting More Out of Your Space
- Published: November 26, 2024
- By: PR Builders Inc.
Having a partial basement, or a half crawl space and half basement, is common in both older homes and newer construction homes in the Denver area. Whether originally built for cost-saving reasons or for personal preferences, partial basements can be finished or converted to full basements down the road as homeowners look to get more room out of their current home.
If you’re looking at your partial basement as a place to add valuable square footage, this typically unused area below your home could be the solution—even potentially at a lower cost per square foot than a traditional addition!
In this blog, we cover:
What is a partial basement?
A partial basement is a basement that covers only part of your home’s footprint, often sharing space with a crawl space area.
Partial Basements vs. Full Basements
The key difference between partial basements and full basements is how much of the house foundation each one covers. While partial basements don’t extend under your entire house, a full basement stretches from wall to wall underneath your home, giving you a “complete” additional level.
While some homeowners are content with the smaller space that a partial basement provides, many choose to turn their partial basement into a full basement down the road.
Why do some homes have a partial basement?
Homes might have a partial basement for a few reasons.
Climate Considerations
Partial basements are seen in a lot of older homes here in the Denver area because cold winters made it necessary to build foundations that extended below the frost line (the depth where the ground freezes) to prevent structural damage from ground freezing and thawing. In these cases, partial basements provide space to protect pipes and utility systems from freezing while offering a little additional storage or functional space.
Personal Design Choices or Cost-Effective Measures
Partial basements are sometimes built to create a mix of living and storage space. This can be a compromise when the homeowner doesn’t need the full space of a basement but wants some area for storage or a utility room.
Sometimes, builders choose this option because it's cheaper than digging out a full basement. It provides some extra space for a laundry room, home office, or small entertainment room without the full cost of a complete basement.
Partial Basement Ideas: What can you do with a partial basement or half-crawl-space-half-basement?
A partial basement offers a versatile space that can be customized in many different ways to suit your needs. Whether you’re finishing just the partial space or turning it into a full basement, there are many options available for you to turn it into a more valuable part of your home.
Finishing a Partial Basement
Finishing your partial basement is a great solution to add usable space and value to your home. Finishing a partial basement differs slightly from finishing a full basement due to size, layout, and structural constraints. When taking on a partial basement finish, you should consider:
Space Planning & Design
The limited square footage available will require you to maximize every inch! Opt to build multi-functional areas, such as combining storage with a laundry room or creating built-in shelving to save space. As you design the space and make selections, you may want to go for lighter paint colors and strategic lighting that will make the space feel bigger. Adding large windows can also help bring more light into the space.
Limited Ceiling Height
Often the ceilings in partial basements are lower. To gain extra head height, you can consider digging a few inches deeper.
Digging Out Your Crawl Space for a Full Basement
Another option for your partial basement is to dig out the crawl space area next to the partial basement and combine the partial basement with the crawl space to create a full basement.
While this isn’t your typical remodel, these projects are quite popular near us in the Denver area because they can significantly increase your home’s usable space—and at a lower cost per square foot than the traditional ground level home addition.
How to Convert your Crawl Space into a Basement
The process of digging out your crawl space to create a full finished basement includes:
Creating a Crawl Space Access Point.
A small access area is saw-cut into the side of the home to get at the crawl area. The excavated material will be removed through this point.
Excavation.
Digging strategically in small sections at a time, the crawl space is dug out to the desired height. During this time, the house is supported by temporary support beams.
Concrete Footers & Walls.
Once the crawl space area is fully excavated and graded, footers are dug and rebar (reinforcing bar) is placed to reinforce the footings and footer walls as the concrete is poured. Then wall forms go up to structurally support the concrete as it cures.
Drain Installation & Encapsulation.
Because this project involves digging deeper below your home and getting closer to groundwater, it’s important to prevent the possibility of water intrusion before beginning basement finishing. Drainage systems are installed around the perimeter along with a sump pit. Then, pea gravel is installed as a drainage layer and a thick plastic vapor barrier is laid down.
Concrete Basement Slab.
Finally, oncrete is poured to the desired thickness—typically 4 inches for most basements. Once poured, the concrete is leveled and finished, then left to cure properly, which can take several days to a week.
Full Basement Finishing.
The space is framed, insulated, and all electrical, HVAC, and plumbing is planned out before drywall installation. Then, your options are endless as far as flooring styles, custom built-ins, and other finishing touches!
Ideas for Using Your Partial Basement
As you decide how to use your partial basement space, you have a lot of options! Whether you go the route of finishing your partial basement or a crawl space dig out, you can choose to turn the extra space into whatever you desire. A few of the most popular options we see from our clients are:
- Entertainment Rooms
- Home Offices
- Golf Simulators
- Mother in Law Suites
- Home Gyms
If you’re in the Denver or Northern Colorado area, we’d be happy to help you see what’s possible with the space you have available. Just message us or call us at 970-692-3122.
Before
After
Is it worth digging out your partial basement?
Whether it’s worth it to dig out your basement varies from person to person. Your decision will depend on various factors like the space you need, your budget, and the condition of your current home. Adding a basement has been a great solution for many homeowners who want to increase living space and property value, but this process may get expensive depending on your home’s current state.
Benefits of Digging Out Your Partial Basement
Crawl space to basement conversions are a very popular type of remodel especially local to us in the Denver area. In most cases our clients come to find that it’s cheaper per square foot to do a crawl space to basement conversion than a traditional addition! Unlike during traditional additions or pop tops, where walls or your roof are removed, you can actually stay in your home while the crawl space to basement conversion process is happening too.
Besides getting more for your money, the permitting process is also much easier than with a traditional addition, where many municipalities heavily regulate setbacks and lot restrictions. As an added benefit, you get the opportunity to reinforce the foundation of your existing home. You’ll also find that you can add much more square footage this way, while customizing a new basement to your desired height and adding a home gym, entertainment center, or anything else you can dream up.
If you’re in the Denver area, feel free to get a second opinion or consultation with us by calling 970-692-3122 or reaching out online.
Partial Basement Dig-Out & Full Basement Finishing Services in Denver, Wheat Ridge, Centennial & the Surrounding Areas
However you proceed with your partial basement, it’s important to choose an experienced professional when working below your home.
At PR Builders, our services span across crawl space dig outs, basement lowering, and full basement finishing so you don’t have to work with multiple companies to get the space you need. We work in the Denver metro area and throughout the Front Range to turn your underutilized spaces into beautiful, livable areas that add both square footage and value to your property.
