3 Reasons Why Texas Homes Don’t Have Basements

I’m a midwest gal, and there’s nothing quite as cozy as cuddling up in a dark, cool basement. Where else would we have family movie nights, tornado “parties, ” and shoot pool? And then I moved to Texas. You might be asking as I did; where are the basements??

Basements are not in most Texas homes. Here are three reasons why:

Texas homes don’t have basements because of the soil

Compared to the soft, dry soil of the northern states, Texas soil is typically clay or limestone. Clay changes composition often, so it isn’t stable. Limestone is too hard to cut through. It is more workable and cost-efficient to add the square footage up and out rather than down. 

Texas homes don’t have basements because of the frost line

Builders pour foundations below the frost line, which up north is 5-6′ below ground; this makes it easy and inexpensive to add a basement. The frost line in Texas is only about 1′ below ground. The builders don’t need to dig deeper, so why add unnecessary work and expense.

Texas homes don’t have basements because of the water table

The water table is the level below which the ground is saturated with water. In Texas, this is only a few feet below ground, making texas basements susceptible to flooding. The cost to prevent flooding and buy flood insurance is too high to be worth it for most buyers.

I still itch to hide in a basement, especially when blasted by crazy Texas storms. But, living here makes up for that loss in several other ways. Did you have a basement in your hometown? Share in the comments below!

For more articles related to moving and Texas check out:

5 Easy Ways to Make Friends in a New City and Texas Replaces Vehicles with Horses Amid Gas Price Spike

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REFERENCES:

https://dengarden.com/basements/Why-Dont-Homes-in-Texas-Have-Basements

https://www.keranews.org/business-economy/2016-01-11/why-are-there-so-few-basements-in-north-texas