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Post by toonMom on May 27, 2004 17:13:15 GMT -5
We are buying my parents house. It is a 100+ year old farm house with what we call a "Michigan Basement". The floor is dirt and the heigth is about 6 feet high. We want to dig it 6 inches to a foot deeper and pour cement.
Does anyone know anything about this or could you point to a place to start? I have been looking on the Internet but haven't had much luck. I know some of you guys are handy and do some construction type work. Thanks in advance.
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Post by stang on May 27, 2004 18:17:18 GMT -5
You might want to check with the city first and check-out
any local BUILDING CODES . . . . . could be historical value, etc. . . . . just a thought!
STANG
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Post by toonMom on May 27, 2004 18:40:42 GMT -5
Not historical, it's actually pretty common in old houses in that area. They used the basements to store veggies and such. The basement stays cool and damp, but also smells a bit.
Just a side note - the house has been in my family (my Dad's family) for almost 100 years. I can't remember at the moment what the name of the documentation is, but there aren't many houses that have been in the same family for that long.
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Post by Draw4You on May 27, 2004 19:58:11 GMT -5
I know here in Oregon with old homes you can get free historical grant money to fix and repair them back to their original state, plus get nice yearly tax write off.
The kicker is that you need to keep it original.
Maybe this is something you should think about for some other parts of the house?
As for going deeper in your basement, you could be getting into something more than you know with some of the laws and city codes.
Mike
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Post by corky on May 27, 2004 20:44:05 GMT -5
it's funny....we call basements like that a "prairie" basement. the pioneers used to build them that way because it was faster and easier, and all they used it for was storage.
sounds like it's an interesting old house. check with the city first, about permits (there should be a website) and then call around for foundation repair. you'll need to check current bylaws to make sure you add pilings, or check for gas lines, that kind of thing.
good luck!
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Post by toonMom on May 28, 2004 5:38:00 GMT -5
Thanks everyone, I will check all that out. My Mom and Dad have lived in the house for a long time, it's the house I grew up in. The have completely redone the entire house top to bottom, added on too. I don't think anything but the frame (and the basement) is original.
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Post by dedder on May 29, 2004 2:13:02 GMT -5
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Post by toonMom on May 31, 2004 6:30:21 GMT -5
Thanks Hans, I will have to read through those and see if they relate to what we are doing.
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