Basements????

[Michael]

We are looking at building a MH in the next few months, and are giving serious thought to a basement. Is it worth the extra cost to have it put in? One house we are looking at had a base price of 75K for a crawl space, and 96K for a basement. The 75 and 96 included power to the house, well, septic and drive, delivered and set up. Should it really be costing 20 for a basement, or should I just put in a big garage for storage and a shop?

I really like the idea of having a basement that we could possibly finish 1/2 of down the road, but I am not sure if I can swing the extra cost to have it done. I also notice that several of the floorplans dont have any optional basement stairs shown. Does that mean that it isn't an option, or do I have to talk with the manufacturer about that.

There is sooooo much to think about that I am very quickly becoming overwhelmed with the prospect of doing this wrong. There is so much to consider with all of the options available. I really could use some good advice on this.

Thanks

[lou]

I have a basement on mine and I am glad I did. With 2 kids and me being a pack rat the extra storage is great!. I still want and need a garage. The only regret is that I didn't have it poured I went with cinder block walls. No structural problems just slight moisture at the mortar joints. They had to add a special floor system to support the house and then they almost forgot to add supports underneath until I pointed out that the prints called for them. They added the stairs by making bedrroom #3 smaller and the entrance way down is in the living room.
My suggestion if you do get the basement is to watch them very closely as they set the foundation to make sure that they follow the print exactly and place the footings were they are suppose to go down the middle of the floor for the support posts. Other than that good luck

P.S. I have a Friendship home a division of Fairmont Homes Inc. out of Napanee 1996 Model

[Eugene]

A home on a basement is a definite positve move. well worth the cost. A few points:
Make sure the home is designed for a beasement set, don't put a standard fram home on a basement, there is not a good way to attach the home to the foundation.
Almost every model can be modified for a basement entry. Just make sure the factory does the work, you can't cut a hole in the floor later.
Have the walls and door to the basement entry insulated.

[Jim]

How do they get the mobile home on the basement? I have a hillside lot and was thinking of building a garage/basement into the hillside and putting mobile home on top if that is economically feasible.