patrick.net

Kevin says

New Renter says

Might want to think about putting in a basement if the house does not already have one. Also do what you can to keep the original fireplace.

Most of that area is on fill and has a high water table. Unless its on a hill side, a basement is a bad idea.

The city won't permit a basement if the geology won't support one. All I'm saying is IMO a basement is a good idea if it can be done

donjumpsuit says

n my opinion, the teardown isn't going to cost much

Obligatory:

New Renter says

The city won't permit a basement if the geology won't support one.

You mean the water table, or something else in CA that I am not familiar with?

myob says

The Blu Homes link is interesting.

I love this part. Curse you, California :)

"Blu charges a premium in California, Canada and Hawaii to cover additional services and material costs that allow us to better serve our customers."

Higher prices to better serve customers? Right. More like higher prices to comply with ridiculous local building codes.

It's a pet peeve of mine, but I hate it when places lie like that when they should just tell the truth.

Turn down is not expensive, maybe a couple of 1,000’s. Best land to build is of cause flat.
For basic calculation I use http://www.building-cost.net/ . It works very well for me in most cases. Finding not too greedy contractor is always a challenge.

REpro says

Finding not too greedy contractor is always a challenge.

lol .. and that was the smartest comment so far. ever since prices skyrocketed in
places like Santa Clara in late 90s.. pretty much any kind of home related services
skyrocketed as well. Alot of it based on perception of rich homeowners able to fork
out buckets full of cash.

zzyzzx says

New Renter says

The city won't permit a basement if the geology won't support one.

You mean the water table, or something else in CA that I am not familiar with?

Yes -as Kevin pointed out if one is too near the Bay or a waterway the basement might be prone to flooding. If that is the case the city should not allow a basement to be put in. Many of the older homes in the area DO have basements though.

There is also the question of earthquakes. Would the presence of a basement make a house less or more stable?

zzyzzx says

donjumpsuit says

n my opinion, the teardown isn't going to cost much

Obligatory:

No that would be wrong! Bad cat!

;)

New Renter says

Might want to think about putting in a basement if the house does not already
have one

Why? Is there a necessity for one in CA? Driving frost?

Seems kind of expensive to go down that far and wall up with concrete instead of other options above ground that are cheaper.

upisdown says

Seems kind of expensive to go down that far and wall up with concrete instead of other options above ground that are cheaper.

Basements are are a very nice feature to have in a house! Not only is it a great place to run utilities, but it's also semi climate controlled, and at least around here, unfinished basements aren't counted in square footage for property tax purposes.

zzyzzx says

upisdown says

Seems kind of expensive to go down that far and wall up with concrete instead of other options above ground that are cheaper.

Basements are are a very nice feature to have in a house! Not only is it a great place to run utilities, but it's also semi climate controlled, and at least around here, unfinished basements aren't counted in square footage for property tax purposes.

Exactly! A basement is great place for a game and media room as well as for storing wine.

From what people have told me even in the SFBA its not THAT expensive to put in an unfinished basement. One person I know in PA was quoted $7k as part of a complete tear down. She wasn't able to do it due to the proximity of a creek.

It can't hurt to ask...