Why aren't houses today typically built with basements?

Question

Why aren't houses today typically built with basements?

Answer 1

Quick answer is that it costs more.  A full basement is the cheapest form of space in a house, but is the most expensive way to build the foundation.  To save money, builders will sometimes build smaller homes with no basement.

That said, in many parts of the world (including other parts of your country) basements are still standard.

Answer 2

The buyers no longer want/need them in your area. But we still have them almost exclusively in my area.

Answer 3

It is more expensive to build a basement than not to.

Answer 4

It depends upon the climate.  In colder climates the foundation should be deeper than the frost line which may go down 3' to 6' (even more in severe winters in the north).  So unless there is high ground water, might as well dig out and make use of that space.

Answer 5

Depends on what part of the country you are in.

The footings of a homes foundation have to be below the frost line. In the south, the frost line is a couple of inches. That's why slab foundation homes are common there. The footing is easy to get below the frost line, the concrete slab is good insulation for the plumbing, and slab built homes have better wind resistance between the foundation and roof (which is good in the hurricane prone south east).

Basements are not very successful in the south. Because the ground is not frozen, there is a tendency for water to seep through the basement walls and floor. (It can be prevented with the installation of french drains and proper sealing of the foundation walls between the block and earth- but it is quite common for it to not be just right resulting in moisture problems).

In may places up north- a builder may have to go 4-5 feet to get below the frost line. At that point, might as well keep going and just put in a full basement.

Answer 6

In my area, the water table is too high so it's silly to build a house with a basement.

Basements are expensive.  Like most industries, people are trying to do things as cheaply and quickly as possible.