dissapointed in estimate

[lamoncha lover]

I got an estimate for a 32X60 poured basement with a roof on it.Guy thought it could be done for around 25,000 but when he wrote it up it came to 44,000. I am so bummed. There is no way we can do 44,000. Will we never figure out a way to get to our land?
We may have to reconsider moving or reconsider what we will put up. I had thought about a pole building or a garage package but The thought of tornados discouraged me on them.Any suggestions for shelter for a family of 7 with a cost of 25,000 or less for dry in?

[sheepish]

Get another estimate before you give up.

[JayandTanya]

Originally Posted by lamoncha lover

I got an estimate for a 32X60 poured basement with a roof on it.Guy thought it could be done for around 25,000 but when he wrote it up it came to 44,000. I am so bummed. There is no way we can do 44,000. Will we never figure out a way to get to our land?
We may have to reconsider moving or reconsider what we will put up. I had thought about a pole building or a garage package but The thought of tornados discouraged me on them.Any suggestions for shelter for a family of 7 with a cost of 25,000 or less for dry in?

Hi Lamoncha Lover

Could you give me some more details, are you planning on building a home for 7? Where are you planning on building? Are you or your family handy at all? I might be able to offer you a few ideas depending on what you folks can do on your own.

Jay

[ErinP]

Basements are fairly easy!
1. Frame your footers. Pour.
2. build up the walls with cinder blocks. Surface bond them (a special type of plaster with fiberglass in it).
3. Fill the voids with concrete if you want to get really strong. (Put J-bolts every foot or two, to stick up for step number four)
4. Put a 2x10 on top of the blocks (with the J-bolts coming through) so you now have a nailing surface.
5. Build your floor or roof as needs be.

Of course there is some flashing that you might want to apply, insulation, etc. but this is just a rough idea. There's a reason books are written on this subject.

[mtfarmchick]

Have you looked into using styrofoam blocks for the basement? The brand my in-laws used were called Ice Blocks. You set them up and pour the cement into them instead of using regular forms. You don't take them down and they act as insulation. I don't think there's any finish work required with them either so you should be able to do it yourself.

[JayandTanya]

Originally Posted by mtfarmchick

Have you looked into using styrofoam blocks for the basement? The brand my in-laws used were called Ice Blocks. You set them up and pour the cement into them instead of using regular forms. You don't take them down and they act as insulation. I don't think there's any finish work required with them either so you should be able to do it yourself.

The blocks you are reffering to are commonly called ICF's (insulated concrete forms) You are correct in the fact that they are easy to install, provided you have all the required braces and such, ICF's require quite a bit of rebar in them, and the cost is around $20 sq foot on the outside of the wall installed, dont get me wrong ICF's are a great way to go but if I was building on a budget I wouldnt be using ICF's, I would use blocks or I wouldnt have a basement at all or build on piers. JMO

[ronbre]

wow some great ideas for you..i would just not get disappointed at that first estimate..for one thing it is OUTRAGEOUSLY high !

[JayandTanya]

Id like to have a look at the quote, I currently own a construction company here in Canada, if you want pm me a copy of the quote and I will look it over for you, there are alot of variables in a quote, bottom line is who knows what the contractor is question was going to build.

Cheers
Jay

[Batt]

Originally Posted by lamoncha lover

I had thought about a pole building or a garage package but The thought of tornados discouraged me on them.

I can't believe you are going to allow the fear of the POSSIBILITY of maybe having a tornado ruin your lifes dream. Get a grip. I have lived in tornado alley for over 60 years and only seen 3.

Why build a full basement? If you are really concerned about tornadoes, how about a partial basement? Or even just a root cellar. When we built on to our house we added a 6' x 8' safe room and a partial basement. We stood on the stairs and watched a tornado go by about a mile to the north of us....Really Cool! In the meantime we had 8 people and 2 dogs in the safe room, and the 2x4's holding the roof pour were still in place. In other words, for a short period of time you can have lots of people in a small area.

'sides tornadoes hit cities too!

[Michael Kawalek]

Hello L.L.
Instead of a completed structure, get a quote for just the concrete pour. You yourself can put on the roof yourself for about 5000$ The land we bought had an unfinished concrete block structure on it and I roofed it myself for about 5000$ in 2006.

[Watcher48]

IF you use blocks you need the hole at least 3ft wider and longer than the basement. You must backfill with gravel or stone. If you don't the frost and freeze will push the blocks in at frost line. its good to do this no mater what you do for a basement but its critical for block

You can also do a basement with treated lumber. There are lots of them in Ohio. You can google it up. Its basically a 2x8 wall 12 inches on center and then plywood and some heavy waterproofing.

[DQ]

Originally Posted by ronbre

wow some great ideas for you..i would just not get disappointed at that first estimate..for one thing it is OUTRAGEOUSLY high !

they probably have to blast through rock. few people have basements in oklahoma because of the expense. we hear dynomite blasts regularly presumably for drilling purposes.

don't base your whole life on the threat of tornados. I have lived in tornado alley my whole life also. it is something to be aware of but not to live your life in fear of. the odds of a really big destructive tornado hitting your home is astronomically small. there is generally plenty of warning to take cover with todays radar technology. a pole building is great! cheap easy and has to be alot sturdier in a tornado than a house built on a slab because it is physically anchored well into to the ground. slab buildings are just built on top.

[arabian knight]

Instead of just doing a basement in fear of a twister, why not have a "Safe Room" built in and that is way less then just having a basement for JUST Protection, unless you do think you will finish the area and use it all the time.

[Rita]

The first estimate we got on our basement was $15,000 asked around and found a local builder and he said $8,000. Great basement never a leak and not very damp either.

[Yvonne's hubby]

32 x 60 is a huge basement, have you considered the possibility cutting that down to about a third that amount? say around 24 x 30? That should cut the overall cost by at least half and still give you lots of living space. Just a thought.

[texican]

I agree with Adron...

Life is full of uncertainties... to avoid some uncertainty will certainly assure that you will avoid 'that' uncertainty, but fall victim to an unforeseen one.

I'd much rather risk the microscopic odds of a tornado out in God's Country, instead of the very large odds of the evils that exist in all cities. I'll take a strong wind anyday, compared to punks driving by, gangs, homeless people, serial killers... your average urban dwellers...

Worried about tornadoes? Build or buy a tornado shelter... big enough to safeguard your family. Call it insurance. Then build your dreams, and go on with your life.

I am of the opinion, that when the good Lord calls me, I'll have to come... I can die just as easily inside my bomb shelter, as I can out in the open when a 'big wind' blows thru...

[Nevada]

Originally Posted by ErinP

Basements are fairly easy!
1. Frame your footers. Pour.
2. build up the walls with cinder blocks. Surface bond them (a special type of plaster with fiberglass in it).
3. Fill the voids with concrete if you want to get really strong. (Put J-bolts every foot or two, to stick up for step number four)
4. Put a 2x10 on top of the blocks (with the J-bolts coming through) so you now have a nailing surface.
5. Build your floor or roof as needs be.

Of course there is some flashing that you might want to apply, insulation, etc. but this is just a rough idea. There's a reason books are written on this subject.

Indeed! That's the homestead spirit.

ErinP is right, the basement walls may be able to be done by dry stacking concrete blocks yourself, then surface bonding. Google for it. It's easier than you might imagine.

[Nevada]

Originally Posted by arabian knight

Instead of just doing a basement in fear of a twister, why not have a "Safe Room" built in and that is way less then just having a basement for JUST Protection, unless you do think you will finish the area and use it all the time.

Sure, that's a great approach. The storm cellar would work well, thus avoiding the concrete foundation. A post foundation is much less expensive than a concrete slab.

[Witterbound]

Concrete is an expensive building material. I calculate that you'd need about 71 cubic yards of concerete for your 1920 sqft basement.
28 for 6" walls
23 for 4" floor
20 or so for footings
Concrete is about $100 a cubic yard here, I think, so you're talking about $7,100 for just the concrete. Then you've got rebar in the walls. Then you must insulate them if you want to stay warm in the winter, and you typically use those foam boards, which are more expensive than fiberglass bats.

It's much more economical, and you can do much more of the work yourself, on a "normal" 2x4 stick frame house. If you're trying to do it without borrowing money, you have to start small, then add on when you get more money. For $25,000, it's going to have to be pretty small to start.

[RedneckPete]

Originally Posted by Watcher48

IF you use blocks you need the hole at least 3ft wider and longer than the basement. You must backfill with gravel or stone. If you don't the frost and freeze will push the blocks in at frost line. its good to do this no mater what you do for a basement but its critical for block.

Total nonsence.

Pete