Rossi Real Estate Services LLC, Rossi Real Estate Services LLCPhone: (518) 598-7711
Email: [email protected]
Email: [email protected]
When buying an older home, you might wonder how to get more livable space out of that low-ceiling basement. There are two ways to gain height: raise the foundation or lower the floor. Raising the foundation requires lifting the entire home off its current foundation, building a new foundation, and resettling the home. For most homeowners, the sheer number of things that can go wrong with a project of this magnitude makes it an unlikely option. An alternative is bench footing, a method of lowering the floor of the basement that results in a higher ceiling.
Bench footing is a straightforward technique regarded by contractors to be an optimal approach for supporting your building while providing room for more structural support and depth. With bench footing, professional contractors do not need to dig deep into the home’s foundation. Instead, they can lower the basement floor and add structural support from there.
The process is straightforward, but don’t try to do this one yourself: Hire a professional contractor. Bench Footing costs less than other methods because it doesn’t require you to dig underneath the existing footings. Instead, a new floor is dug through the existing basement floor. A new foundation is laid inside the existing one, creating your new basement floor and an additional wall inside your existing basement. It is important to consider that the width of your bench footing is determined by the depth you want to add to your basement. For every foot in depth that you add, you will need about a foot of width for your bench footing. The floor space of the basement will decrease in area by the thickness of the new wall.
The result is a ledge or “bench” all the way around the outer wall of the basement. That’s why they call it Bench Footing. A savvy contractor can make use of the space above the bench by installing cabinets, reading nooks and other built-ins. Others simply inset the entire wall to the new location.
If you need to increase your usable space but you are unable to add another story or extend your home on any side, making better use of your basement is the most valid option. In addition to being less damaging to your existing home, bench footing is less costly to complete and doesn’t change the exterior aesthetic of your home. This is particularly important if your home is in a historic area or has a strict association.
To get the best results with your bench footing, hire a professional contractor with several years of experience and with many positive reviews. Consult with your real estate agent for recommendations for a local contractor who can help you with your project.
Rossi Real Estate Services LLC is a boutique real estate brokerage firm that provides close personal attention to buyers and sellers in the Capital Region and surrounding areas. “Typical” is not a word that clients use to describe Rossi Real Estate's approach to home buying and selling. Building upon years of experience, Rossi Real Estate employs creative marketing approaches, combined with a vast network, to quickly sell homes. By creating home floor plans, professional photography, and online marketing videos, Rossi Real Estate is able to depict home layouts and professional marketing to potential buyers before stepping foot in your home; this saves the seller valuable time by attracting only those buyers who have greater interest in the home. Additionally, by employing targeted online marketing, Rossi Real Estate targets buyers searching for homes just like yours.
Joe Rossi, the Principal Broker at Rossi Real Estate, builds upon over 12 years real estate experience in every transaction. Joe zealously advocates for his clients by combining his diverse background in law, finance, complex negotiation, and management, with compassion and exemplary communication skills creates. He explains transaction details and guides his clients through every step of the buying and selling experience. Furthermore, Joe listens to his clients’ wants and needs. In a recent transaction, the buyer profusely thanked Joe, stating he was, “[T]he only one in the transaction that was capable of communicating with the sellers in a way that ensured we were able to close on our dream home”.
Our real estate practice includes leading professionals, all of which are NYS Licensed Real Estate Sales Associates: Joseph R. Rossi, Ryan Hart, & Dustin Cogswell. Their experience includes work at a fortune 100 company, military operations, and technical recruiting.
If you're looking for a real estate broker who goes above and beyond the industry, who genuinely cares about their clients, and who will drive results, contact Rossi Real Estate Services LLC today.
The Stuff our attorneys make us include...
In accordance with Real Property Law §442-H, Rossi Real Estate Services LLC implemented a Standardized Operating Procedure governing client engagement. As such, prior to any engagement, Broker:
1. Requires a buyer to produce identification if the identity of the buyer is not readily known through a personal relationship with the broker or licensed sales person;
2. Requires an exclusive agency agreement (i.e. exclusive broker agreement) prior to engagement with any buyer;
3. Does not require pre-approval for a mortgage loan; however, a pre-qualification letter for a mortgage loan or, for cash buyers, proof of funds is required.
Although Broker may not require certain information, a seller of real estate may require this information prior to showing the property and/or as part of any purchase offer.
