# Why fill the basement back in with dirt?



## nateshirk (Mar 11, 2011)

2 lots down from mine, they started another house. But they're building it differently than mine was built. They dug the hole, built a cynder block foundation (as opposed to poured walls). Foam boarded all the walls. Then filled it back in with dirt. Why would they fill it back in?


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## <*(((>< (Mar 6, 2009)

They backfill the wall to provide increased support to the foundation. This prevents the wall from buckling towards the inside of the footprint of the house.


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## nateshirk (Mar 11, 2011)

So they'll dig it back out?


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## Ron6519 (Mar 28, 2007)

Maybe there's no basement in this house. Doesn't make sense(to me) to fill in the hole to redig it out. If the builder was concerned about pressure, he would have capped the foundation with the first floor framing platform to stabilize the foundation.
Ron


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## Red Squirrel (Jun 29, 2009)

Sounds like a bad plan. A house without a basement will have trouble selling. If they went all the trouble to make a foundation they may as well do it right. I'm suspecting they lazied out and did not put any drainage so if they kept the basement it would always have water issues. IMO best to just do it right while they're at that step. Easier now then after.


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## tcleve4911 (Nov 6, 2010)

............go down the street and ask 'em.......


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## Willie T (Jan 29, 2009)

tcleve4911 said:


> ............go down the street and ask 'em.......


Why do we so often overlook the simplest answers?


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## oh'mike (Sep 18, 2009)

I've got two neighbors who filled in the basement before the house was built.

Both houses are within 300 feet of the river----both flooded after the footings were put in--High water table.


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## nap (Dec 4, 2007)

nateshirk said:


> 2 lots down from mine, they started another house. But they're building it differently than mine was built. They dug the hole, built a cynder block foundation (as opposed to poured walls). Foam boarded all the walls. Then filled it back in with dirt. Why would they fill it back in?


did they pour a floor inside of the walls though? If not, it may have simply been that they felt they had to go that deep to build a proper foundation and the house was designed for a crawlspace type foundation.

If they poured a floor, I have no explanation for what they did. You would never want to do that. You would have to have a means for the crawlspace to drain.


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## Leah Frances (Jan 13, 2008)

It's CHEAPER.


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## concretemasonry (Oct 10, 2006)

With bad surface soil or high water levels it is possible to see a "double" foundation built. The first half is built to put in the strip footings and build the block walls to the right height and then fill with concrete sand (definitely not "dirt")and build the "upper" foundation that will be seen and the floor of that is poured after the utilities are plumbed. The house is just built on top of the second "foundation".

Block is use because they do not know in advance what the real height of the lower foundation is because general soil borings do not always provide the accurate information that is gotten during excavation and the height and steps can be adusted easily. Makes no sense to go deeper than necessary.

Dick


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## nateshirk (Mar 11, 2011)

Can't just "ask em'". I have a job. When I get home, they're already done for the day.

They now stoned over the dirt and pipes protrude out of the stone, so I can only assume they're not going to have a basement. Seems weird In my area though.

And I'm nowhere near water.


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## joed (Mar 13, 2005)

Could it be a garage where they need the support for weight? Seems odd that they would dig it all out and then fill it. Usually they would only dig the trenches for the foundation.


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## jomama45 (Nov 13, 2008)

Are you sure they didn't just leave the center "hump" in place and dig the trenches out?

How tall are the walls, 4', 8'?


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## AllanJ (Nov 24, 2007)

oh'mike said:


> I've got two neighbors who filled in the basement before the house was built.
> 
> Both houses are within 300 feet of the river----both flooded after the footings were put in--High water table.


Does the complete house have but a crawl space under it or is there a full basement with the entire house raised over it?


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## nateshirk (Mar 11, 2011)

jomama45 said:


> Are you sure they didn't just leave the center "hump" in place and dig the trenches out?
> 
> How tall are the walls, 4', 8'?


No. Like I said they laid down stone too, with pipes sticking up out. I'm pretty sure this house won't have a basement.


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## nateshirk (Mar 11, 2011)

They officially poured the cement today......no basement


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## jomama45 (Nov 13, 2008)

The "filling it back in with dirt" kind of throws me off, but the rest of it sounds like a slab-on-grade foundation. Not all that uncommon really, maybe just not typical in your locale.


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## nateshirk (Mar 11, 2011)

Yeah, I figured. Now they started the building, and this house is going to make mine look smaller than it already is.


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