WAY OT: Are basements common in So. Cal?

[Gutenberg]

It is difficult to dig in many areas of San Diego because the ground is decomposed granite. Take a shovelful out and a three-quarters shovelful will slide right into the hole.

[Pat]

SoCal, our house, 1921-no basement. Neighbors house, 1918-small basement. Only one other basement on our street. The majority of older houses in this area, even those from the 1890s, don't have true basements, if any. Those that have anything, usually only have a small 'root cellar'.

Most everything from the 60s on is built on a slab. Only thing you'll find on a raised foundation will be a custom home.

[Paul F.]

Today, a basement foundation is often more expensive than it's "worth"...
It has to be strong enough to cope with earthquake standards. Not necessarily cope with the earthquakes, just with the building code standards.

That, and it's cheaper to lay a slab on flat ground than to dig a hole, pour a box, and then put a house on TOP of the that.

[MikeF]

Basements in California are environmentally friendly. When the big one happens, the house just falls into the hole, thereby not polluting the adjacent area with carcinogenic debris...

[kap]

LOL ... MikeF!

No basements here even tho' there are many houses, ours is included, in our neighborhood that were built at the turn of the century. But there are many homes with spaceous attics. One of our friends owns the Victorian home which belonged to the founder of the city. And the attic is large enough to be another master's bedroom!

[bfd]

Can't believe the high price of housing around here? It doesn't stop there. Everything is more expensive. At least if you had a basement you could hide a few hundred plants or some people. Any basements there might be around here are used for just that...

[ADent]

I grew up in SoCal and never saw a basement until I visited relatives back east.

Never saw a crawl space either. All concrete slab construction in the area I grew up in.

[trisho.]

So you guys mean the Tanner family's huge basement on Full House was probably a fake? (They lived in SF.)

[kap]

Trisho,
That is just not the only thing that is faked in CA