6 Good Reasons to Raise Your House

6 Good Reasons to Raise Your House

Raising a house means significant renovation work, cost and professional input. However, the results are often don’t disappoint!

A property owner may decide to lift their building or residence for many reasons. Here are few examples:

Adding a Basement

Although this is rather rare in Quebec, there are some residences that do not contain a living space beneath ground level. So, what can you do if you find your dream home while house hunting but discover that there is no basement?

The solution is to hire a company to add a basement. It must have expertise in piles, house raising and foundation repair. The good news is that a basement may well increase the value of your real estate purchase!

 

Creating a Secondary Dwelling

To transform a residence into an intergenerational home or an income property, some owners decide to lift the building and create the living space beneath the house, similar to adding a basement to a single-family residence. In the case of a secondary dwelling, however, access to the main space must be closed (as needed), a front door must be installed, a kitchen fitted, etc.

 

Building Another Storey Beneath the Roof

You can raise your house without digging: lift the roof. This work is typically carried out to add a completely new storey to the residence or only half a storey (e.g. above the garage). It’s a great way to increase your square footage without moving!

During the renovation, the roof structure will remain intact (unless it is damaged), which reduces the cost.

Decontaminating the Ground

When faced with the presence of pyrite and other soil contaminants in the ground of their property, homeowners may be required to carry out soil decontamination work. In this case, lifting the building is necessary: simply decontaminating around the perimeter will not resolve the problem.

This is not the most exciting renovation project for homeowners, but it is often necessary.

 

Protecting the Structure

Raising a property is an excellent way to protect the structure from, for example:

Deterioration: If you notice that the foundation is in poor conditions—whether it be natural wear or following a natural disaster—the best solution may be to lift the home to repair and reinforce the foundation.

Flooding: Raising a house is sometimes necessary to add a drain beneath the foundation slab or to make it watertight to avoid flood damage to the foundation.

 

Improving the View

In some very rare instances, homeowners may decide to change their residence’s position to obtain a better view—such as cottagers who want to admire the bordering lake or surrounding mountains—or to optimize the use of their property. Incredibly, it’s possible!

This is likewise an option for those wishing to reduce their energy consumption by, for example, moving the windows to the sunnier south side of the property.

In all cases, raising the structure is a great way to increase your property’s resale value! Nevertheless, be aware that you will need a permit from your municipality for this type of renovation to ensure the work complies with planning bylaws.

 

Good luck!

RE/MAX Québec

By RE/MAX Québec

By RE/MAX Québec

A leader in the real estate industry since 1982, the RE/MAX network brings together the most efficient brokers.