Owning a house in a big city comes with a lot of advantages, but it can also make ambitious renovation projects difficult. With above ground space limited and a complete rebuild often costing as much as a completely new property, expanding your square footage can be difficult.
But if you really want to add to your home’s living and storage area, there is always the option of building downward by expanding your basement. In a process known as basement underpinning skilled contractors can dig a deeper basement for your home while raising the foundation.
For more information about how this process works and the main benefits that accrue from having your basement underpinned, keep reading.
1. More Room for Living and Storage
The first and most obvious advantage of underpinning is that you have more room in your home. Going deeper allows you to turn a cellar or crawl space into a fully-functional basement, and because underpinning can also raise the foundation, you can install windows that will provide ample natural light to your new space.
Basement underpinning contractors install structural supports that will keep your home stable while they excavate downward and pour a new, more capacious foundation. This ensures that the construction is done safely, and that you can continue to live in your house while the work is underway.
2. A New, Watertight Foundation
In older parts of the city, a key benefit of basement underpinning Toronto homeowners will experience as a side effect is a drier space that doesn’t suffer from the dampness and mold that can be such a problem for properties built in the first half of the twentieth century.
In addition to getting a larger basement, you also essentially get a new foundation, which means that your home will be more watertight and less prone to flooding. This makes underpinned basements ideal for storage as well as living, because you don’t need to worry about the possibility that leaks will damage your property.
3. Increased Property Value
Given how much it can expand your living space and protect your home, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that underpinning can seriously increase the re-sale value of your home.
Like other major renovation projects, underpinning involves significant costs upfront, but you should think of this money less as an expense and more as an investment. In built-up parts of Toronto, housing prices are rising rapidly, and one or two extra rooms can significantly add to your property value.
Underpinning a basement is not a small job, and in some cases, it can take more than a month from beginning to end. But this disturbance is temporary, and once it the work is finished your home will be larger, lighter, and more livable.
By hiring experienced underpinning contractors Toronto homeowners can expand their square footage without having to buy more land, making it the most practical option for building a larger home in a restricted space. Find out what contractors offer this service in your area and start exploring your options today.
