[DIYEnthusiast23]

Hello,
I recently just purchased a property that had a house demolished on it last year. The crew that demolished the house filled in the basement with fill dirt and put concrete slabs on top. The concrete work is not the greatest and you can easily see the dirt underneath the slabs. I was wondering if it would be worth it to dig out the basement again and have the extra space. The abandoned house that was demolished was built in the early 1900's, so I am concerned about the foundation. However, I know many people that have houses with "cave" basements built in those times that are still standing strong today. I have people telling me not to waste an already built basement that just needs dug out, but am afraid that this may get a little pricey. Any opinions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

 

[Nealtw]

Rip it up and start with new that can be made water proof and have the right drainage around it so you can plan on using it.

 

[joed]

Is it just a slab or is it a house on a slab.
Just a slab. Remove the everything, slab and old basement walls. The basement walls are probably not worth saving or more expensive to clean and certify than doing over.

 

[DIYEnthusiast23]

The house was torn down and they had a big hole I assume so they filled it in with dirt so it wouldn't be a safety hazard. I'm thinking if the general idea is to just redo the basement I may just pour a nicer slab on top of the dirt and leave the old foundation.

 

[ron45]

Does the basement have a well in it.?

In some areas you have two options.
Fill it like you have described
Or
Completely fill the well with concrete then you can have a basement.

 

[de-nagorg]

There are too many details missing to accurately advise what to do.

Location, water table, condition of the old basement walls, septic system, contents of the fill,

Best advice yet, dig it all out, and build from scratch.


ED

 

[carpdad]

I can't imagine spending that much money on that kind of foundation. Bank would not give you a mortgage anyway. Fill is obviously no good. Foundation (bsmt or slab) MUST be on undistubed or properly compacted ground. No if or buts. And what if original foundation fills with water?

 

[huesmann]

You can't trust that it was filled properly with structural fill, vs. just dumping dirt in there, before they put up the slab. Excavate it all, old foundation and all, til you get to subgrade.

 

[jproffer]

Was thinking the same thing as huesmann. Unless you're SURE they didn't dump the house remains in there too, I'd dig it all out before I built anything on it. The wood from the old house will rot away and leave voids. And from there.....well, you can imagine.