If you wish to increase the size of your house, there are alternatives to adding a story or constructing an addition. Another way to add extra space to your home is excavating a basement or turning a crawl space into a completed basement.

If you're considering adding a basement, you may ask, "How much does it cost to dig out basement areas?"

In this article, we'll discuss the factors that affect the cost of digging a basement and whether you should do a DIY or work with a professional for this home improvement project.

How Much Does It Cost To Dig Out Basement: Factors That Affect The Cost

When estimating the cost of building a basement, you must consider factors that affect the total cost of a basement excavation.

Finished Or Unfinished Basement

Whether you opt for a completed or unfinished basement will impact your final expenses. An unfinished basement may have lighting, be partially or completely waterproof, and often feature a bare concrete floor and stairs.

Still, it will only be suitable for storage. However, having an unfinished basement might be helpful when you need to expand and have more living space if you don't need the space right now and money is tight.

Finishing a basement will be far less costly than moving to a larger home or building an addition.

Finishing a basement involves a lot of labor, including installing HVAC, electrical, plumbing pipes, drywall, and flooring. If the basement area is being separated into different rooms, those inside walls would also be installed.

If they aren't already there, ventilation and egress windows will also be installed to make it a secure, usable, and cozy area.

Labor And Materials

The cost of labor and materials are two more variables that will affect the ultimate cost. Labor costs vary by geography and between urban and rural locations, with the former being more costly.

Material costs don't change much by area, but your choice of materials will affect the bottom line.

The level of finishing you select, whether plumbing is required, and how you want to use the finished living area will all affect the cost if you decide to finish your basement. Basements, for instance, can be utilized as:

• A game room
• A guest room
• A home theater
• A self-contained apartment with a bathroom and kitchen

Physical Lot Conditions

The type of soil, climate, and water table in your lot will also impact the final price of a basement excavation. Some soil excavation techniques will be more expensive.

A higher water table might require a sump pump and more thorough waterproofing. Digging deeper to avoid the deep frost lines and insulate more thoroughly may be necessary in colder climates.

Concrete Slab Foundation Or Basement

The cost of a typical concrete slab foundation will be higher in colder climates since a deep foundation is required to go below the frost line.

This means that compared to places where a shallow foundation is feasible, the price difference between concrete slab foundations and a complete basement foundation will be lower.

Type of Soil on the Property

The type of soil and ground conditions at your property can significantly impact the cost. There are different types of soil compositions in the US, and some can make excavation more challenging.

An example of this would be rocky or clay-heavy terrain, which will require more equipment and labor to finish.

In addition to this, if your property has a high water table, some measures will need to be taken to prevent future flooding, which will add to the overall cost.

Size of the Basement

Another factor in the overall basement excavation expenses would be the size and depth of the basement you're planning.

Naturally, the bigger the basement, the more excavation work and materials it will need, meaning higher costs.

Local Building Code Compliance

Unexpectedly, the project's costs may also increase due to local building standards and regulations. There are costs associated with obtaining the required permits, and your project might require sporadic inspections at certain points.

Relocating Existing Utilities

Moving and relocating existing utilities like water, gas, or electricity lines also impacts the overall cost.

To guarantee safety and regulatory compliance, this kind of work necessitates the expertise of professionals, which might be expensive.  

Waterproofing Costs

Ensuring your basement is waterproof and has proper drainage is essential to function properly.

Of course, waterproof membranes and drainage systems will add to the material and labor costs to prevent future water damage.

Disposal of Debris

Disposing of the excavated materials also adds to the cost counter by the end of the project. Transporting the debris and soil will lead to more costs, depending on the weight or volume of the materials.

Is Adding a Basement Worth It?

Adding a new basement to an existing house is costly and disruptive. The process, which might take months to finish, could render the house uninhabitable.

The remodeling cost must be carefully balanced with the benefits of more living space and a higher home value. When determining if this project is right for you, remember the following points.

According to Zillow, the return on investment (ROI) of a fully finished basement is approximately 70%. You will only get its full value if you finish the new basement.

Discuss whether the completed basement will be included in the official square footage of your house and the ramifications with your local tax assessor and planning department.

Think about the landscaping around your house. If there are trees or shrubs close to your house, you might need to make significant changes to the landscape to finish the project.

Should You DIY vs. Professional Basement Excavation?

Excavation is considered the most hazardous construction activity by several environmental safety professionals. There is a significant risk to your safety and your house's structural integrity, even if you could rent the big machinery you need.

To dig out a basement, you must hire experts with specialized training and experience in elevating or underpinning homes and excavating beneath them.

They will understand how to reduce risk by using shoring, sloping, and benching techniques. Labor, equipment, and insurance costs all contribute to the high cost of this project.

If you are looking for an excavation company that offers top-tier excavation services, years of experience, and relevant training, we at Shilling Excavation are your best bet.

We have been providing excavation, land clearing, land grading, and site preparation services to properties in Central Texas since 1992. The thousands of satisfied clients we have proudly served speak volumes about the quality of service we provide.

You can rest assured that your home is in good hands with us.

Do you want to learn more about basement excavation and how we can improve your property? Please reach out to us today!

While adding a pond in your backyard enhances the beauty of your house, it can also add a large number of values to your property that you might not have considered. Does building a pond increase property value? Well, having a water feature in the yard usually attracts many potential buyers who are willing to pay a large amount.

When built correctly, ponds can provide water for livestock and wildlife, fishing, boating, swimming, fire protection, aesthetics, and higher land value. Before digging, identify what value you hope to derive from the pond and incorporate those features into a carefully planned project. Pre-project planning will reduce long-term maintenance and repairs and lead to a better final result.

Have you ever wondered how creating a backyard pond can increase your property value? If not, you will learn all about it now!

Does Building a Pond Increase Property Value?

Yes, it does. However, the amount of value depends highly on factors like quality work and beautiful design. It means you will still need a valuable area, excellent quality housework, and an amazing design to get the best value out of your property.

There are many debates about how much value a pond can add to your property. While some suggest that the price might increase up to 7-10%, others believe that the value depends highly on the location of your house.

For example, warm places like California or Florida rarely face snowing or freezing. So, if you have a house with a backyard pond, you are more likely to get a higher price for your property.

However, ponds located in regions that experience heavy snowfall can only be enjoyed in the summer or occasionally in the spring. Because of this, people looking to buy in these areas may see ponds as impractical and won't be interested in paying extra for them. Hence, your property will end up devaluing.

However, some factors decide how much value will be added to your property. First of all, the place where your pond is located. It's best to place it in your yard since, no matter what, you would want people to look at the beauty you have in your property.

The quality of the pond materials also plays an important role. Using high-quality products and installation will only raise the price. Pumps and filters will keep the pond water fresh and clean, attracting buyers willing to pay a good value.

Decorations with plants and rocks will enhance the beauty of your yard and make your property appreciated by others.

Why A Backyard Pond Increases Your Property Value?

Installing a pond in your backyard can greatly boost the value of your property. However, have you ever thought about why and how it increases the value?

Think about areas near beaches. Who doesn't like to have a water source right beside their house? The same happens with a pond, which certainly attracts a large number of buyers.

Not only does a pond bring water into your life, but it also gives an aesthetic look to your house, eventually increasing your value. Also, it gives you an elegance and style in the neighborhood.

Buyers love the extra beauty of the house and the fact that it is unique in the area. Hence, they are ready to pay those extra bucks for your property. Also, you will get extra points if your house is in a populated area.

Moreover, you might get a rising value for where ponds are in a supply and demand position area. In that case, any kind of water feature will be considered to be a plus point for your property.

So, you can see that a pond affecting your property value depends highly on the location of your house. But whatever your location is, it will surely increase the value even by 1%.

Things to Consider When Building a Pond

Water Source

The water source for your pond can be the natural water table, seeps or springs, surface runoff, or a combination of any of these. Note that pumping water to supplement a pond can be expensive and affect the flow of any adjacent wells.

Soils

Landowners can excavate a small area before beginning a full-scale operation to assess the soil type fully. Three or four diggings per acre are adequate to assess the soil profile over the site, although more may be required if there are substantial variations in soil conditions.

The suitability of the pond location depends on the ability of the soils and shallow bedrock near the bottom of the pond to hold water. The bottom should contain a waterproof layer and be thick enough to prevent excessive seepage.

Clay and silty clays are excellent soil types for this purpose, while coarse-textured soils, such as sand, gravel, or sand-and-gravel mixes, are highly permeable and often unsuitable. Permeable soil types may be acceptable if they have a spring or seep.

Shape

Ponds can take on any geometric shape, including rectangles, circles, or ellipses. However, you can create a natural shape by fitting the contours of the natural landscape.

Identify major viewpoints from which the pond will be seen. Locate the pond to ensure that the major sight line crosses the longest portion of the pond.

Size

People typically correlate size with surface water area, not water capacity. But a pond the size of a football field and a foot deep holds the same amount of water as a pond that is a quarter the size of a football field but 10 feet deep.

What Type of Pond Will You Build?

An excavated pond is dug into reasonably flat ground. This type of pond is best suited to locations where the water demand is small. Because excavated ponds can be built to expose a minimum water surface area in proportion to their volume, they are advantageous where evaporation losses are high, and the water source is primarily runoff during the wet season.

The simple design, compactness, low risk of damage from flood flow, and low maintenance requirements make them popular in many areas of the state.

An embankment pond is a pool of water that collects behind a dam. The surrounding areas may have slight to steep slopes. Embankment ponds are more complex than excavated ponds and may require an engineer to design them.

It's important to ensure water does not back onto an adjacent owner's property or into an area of specific concern and that no homes, buildings, or roads would be affected by a dam failure.

In a combination pond, excavated material is used to build the dam, saving time and money. An engineer may need to design the project and oversee construction.

What is Your Pond Worth?

Many people don't manage their ponds actively because they don't understand how valuable it is. It's always a good idea to ask, "How much is my pond worth?" Sure, you might not consider swimming in your pond, and it's too small to use a boat, but it still has more value than you might think. 

If you view the surface as just a barrier in your yard, you're missing the point. That pond has depth, with three dimensions to consider. A one-acre pond having an average depth of five feet holds 1,630,000 gallons. If all that water were above ground rather than below, it would look much more impressive in the landscape.

Water helps keep temperatures steady and creates a green environment around it. Nothing in the scenery is more important than water. It draws in animals and creates its unique ecosystem. Certain aspects of this ecosystem are more desirable than others. This is when management becomes crucial. You can take steps to manage a pond and experience its natural benefits.

Regarding value, real estate adjoining water has a higher value if it is maintained. Suppose it has some naturally occurring issues, like trash accumulation, algae overproduction, and unkempt vegetation along the edges, making it appear swampy.

In that case, it will negatively affect the property value. This is everyone's problem nearby since the lower-valued property will be utilized as a comparable property for appraisals.

Steps To Increase The Value Of Your Home With A Pond

Now that you have a clear idea of how and why a backward pond increases your property value, you should know how to increase your home's value with a pond.

Step 1: Choosing The Location

First, you will need to choose a place to build your pond that is open from all sides, has no obstacles, and can be easily seen from the outside. Make sure there are no trees beside the area.

Step 2: Think About The Size

After that, you must choose a pond size suitable for the entire yard. While something too big will seem inappropriate in the area, something too small will not be seen easily.

Step 3: Decorations

Adding extra decorations like fish, plants, and rocks will be another plus point for your whole water feature. However, ensure those things are compatible with your weather and region. Also, don't add things that you won't be able to maintain regularly.

Step 4: Filters & Pumps

Then come the filters and pumps. If you decide to install those, make sure you choose the ones of high quality. You can't imagine how much value they will add to your house. You can also invest in chemicals to maintain a healthy pH level and reduce algae and bacteria.

So, the best thing to do is to maintain a proper balance in the area, size, and weather. Also, add some decorations to make the yard look more attractive.

Conclusion

While building a pond can depend on your location and weather, it's usually a great investment in any area. If you are planning to have a pond on your property, we at Shilling Excavation can help! Please reach out to us today!

While adding a pond in your backyard enhances the beauty of your house, it can also add a large number of values to your property that you might not have considered. Does building a pond increase property value? Well, having a water feature in the yard usually attracts many potential buyers who are willing to pay a large amount.

When built correctly, ponds can provide water for livestock and wildlife, fishing, boating, swimming, fire protection, aesthetics, and higher land value. Before digging, identify what value you hope to derive from the pond and incorporate those features into a carefully planned project. Pre-project planning will reduce long-term maintenance and repairs and lead to a better final result.

Have you ever wondered how creating a backyard pond can increase your property value? If not, you will learn all about it now!

Does Building a Pond Increase Property Value?

Yes, it does. However, the amount of value depends highly on factors like quality work and beautiful design. It means you will still need a valuable area, excellent quality housework, and an amazing design to get the best value out of your property.

There are many debates about how much value a pond can add to your property. While some suggest that the price might increase up to 7-10%, others believe that the value depends highly on the location of your house.

For example, warm places like California or Florida rarely face snowing or freezing. So, if you have a house with a backyard pond, you are more likely to get a higher price for your property.

However, ponds located in regions that experience heavy snowfall can only be enjoyed in the summer or occasionally in the spring. Because of this, people looking to buy in these areas may see ponds as impractical and won't be interested in paying extra for them. Hence, your property will end up devaluing.

However, some factors decide how much value will be added to your property. First of all, the place where your pond is located. It's best to place it in your yard since, no matter what, you would want people to look at the beauty you have in your property.

The quality of the pond materials also plays an important role. Using high-quality products and installation will only raise the price. Pumps and filters will keep the pond water fresh and clean, attracting buyers willing to pay a good value.

Decorations with plants and rocks will enhance the beauty of your yard and make your property appreciated by others.

Why A Backyard Pond Increases Your Property Value?

Installing a pond in your backyard can greatly boost the value of your property. However, have you ever thought about why and how it increases the value?

Think about areas near beaches. Who doesn't like to have a water source right beside their house? The same happens with a pond, which certainly attracts a large number of buyers.

Not only does a pond bring water into your life, but it also gives an aesthetic look to your house, eventually increasing your value. Also, it gives you an elegance and style in the neighborhood.

Buyers love the extra beauty of the house and the fact that it is unique in the area. Hence, they are ready to pay those extra bucks for your property. Also, you will get extra points if your house is in a populated area.

Moreover, you might get a rising value for where ponds are in a supply and demand position area. In that case, any kind of water feature will be considered to be a plus point for your property.

So, you can see that a pond affecting your property value depends highly on the location of your house. But whatever your location is, it will surely increase the value even by 1%.

Things to Consider When Building a Pond

Water Source

The water source for your pond can be the natural water table, seeps or springs, surface runoff, or a combination of any of these. Note that pumping water to supplement a pond can be expensive and affect the flow of any adjacent wells.

Soils

Landowners can excavate a small area before beginning a full-scale operation to assess the soil type fully. Three or four diggings per acre are adequate to assess the soil profile over the site, although more may be required if there are substantial variations in soil conditions.

The suitability of the pond location depends on the ability of the soils and shallow bedrock near the bottom of the pond to hold water. The bottom should contain a waterproof layer and be thick enough to prevent excessive seepage.

Clay and silty clays are excellent soil types for this purpose, while coarse-textured soils, such as sand, gravel, or sand-and-gravel mixes, are highly permeable and often unsuitable. Permeable soil types may be acceptable if they have a spring or seep.

Shape

Ponds can take on any geometric shape, including rectangles, circles, or ellipses. However, you can create a natural shape by fitting the contours of the natural landscape.

Identify major viewpoints from which the pond will be seen. Locate the pond to ensure that the major sight line crosses the longest portion of the pond.

Size

People typically correlate size with surface water area, not water capacity. But a pond the size of a football field and a foot deep holds the same amount of water as a pond that is a quarter the size of a football field but 10 feet deep.

What Type of Pond Will You Build?

An excavated pond is dug into reasonably flat ground. This type of pond is best suited to locations where the water demand is small. Because excavated ponds can be built to expose a minimum water surface area in proportion to their volume, they are advantageous where evaporation losses are high, and the water source is primarily runoff during the wet season.

The simple design, compactness, low risk of damage from flood flow, and low maintenance requirements make them popular in many areas of the state.

An embankment pond is a pool of water that collects behind a dam. The surrounding areas may have slight to steep slopes. Embankment ponds are more complex than excavated ponds and may require an engineer to design them.

It's important to ensure water does not back onto an adjacent owner's property or into an area of specific concern and that no homes, buildings, or roads would be affected by a dam failure.

In a combination pond, excavated material is used to build the dam, saving time and money. An engineer may need to design the project and oversee construction.

What is Your Pond Worth?

Many people don't manage their ponds actively because they don't understand how valuable it is. It's always a good idea to ask, "How much is my pond worth?" Sure, you might not consider swimming in your pond, and it's too small to use a boat, but it still has more value than you might think. 

If you view the surface as just a barrier in your yard, you're missing the point. That pond has depth, with three dimensions to consider. A one-acre pond having an average depth of five feet holds 1,630,000 gallons. If all that water were above ground rather than below, it would look much more impressive in the landscape.

Water helps keep temperatures steady and creates a green environment around it. Nothing in the scenery is more important than water. It draws in animals and creates its unique ecosystem. Certain aspects of this ecosystem are more desirable than others. This is when management becomes crucial. You can take steps to manage a pond and experience its natural benefits.

Regarding value, real estate adjoining water has a higher value if it is maintained. Suppose it has some naturally occurring issues, like trash accumulation, algae overproduction, and unkempt vegetation along the edges, making it appear swampy.

In that case, it will negatively affect the property value. This is everyone's problem nearby since the lower-valued property will be utilized as a comparable property for appraisals.

Steps To Increase The Value Of Your Home With A Pond

Now that you have a clear idea of how and why a backward pond increases your property value, you should know how to increase your home's value with a pond.

Step 1: Choosing The Location

First, you will need to choose a place to build your pond that is open from all sides, has no obstacles, and can be easily seen from the outside. Make sure there are no trees beside the area.

Step 2: Think About The Size

After that, you must choose a pond size suitable for the entire yard. While something too big will seem inappropriate in the area, something too small will not be seen easily.

Step 3: Decorations

Adding extra decorations like fish, plants, and rocks will be another plus point for your whole water feature. However, ensure those things are compatible with your weather and region. Also, don't add things that you won't be able to maintain regularly.

Step 4: Filters & Pumps

Then come the filters and pumps. If you decide to install those, make sure you choose the ones of high quality. You can't imagine how much value they will add to your house. You can also invest in chemicals to maintain a healthy pH level and reduce algae and bacteria.

So, the best thing to do is to maintain a proper balance in the area, size, and weather. Also, add some decorations to make the yard look more attractive.

Conclusion

While building a pond can depend on your location and weather, it's usually a great investment in any area. If you are planning to have a pond on your property, we at Shilling Excavation can help! Please reach out to us today!