Revisiting the Walk-Out basement. We have written about the more and more popular style of home many times before. The Walk-Out basement is a foundation type that is being used more and more in San Antonio and throughout the Hill Country. A “Walk-Out basement” is usually used in a home situated on a sloped lot, so that the home is designed to its maximum efficiency, we say it follows the “lay of the land”. The upper or “main” level of the home is located on the beginning slope of the land, and a lower level “basement” is on the lower area down the slope – considered the true basement area. The upper and lower levels are connected by one large turn down or stem wall.
The turn down wall is the backbone of the whole concept. This portion of the build must be carefully engineered and extreme water proofing measures MUST be taken into consideration early. Walk-out basements are complex foundation systems and should only be trusted to builders who are experienced with the unique design challenges and water management techniques required to build them. They are worth every penny in enjoyment and return, but must be respected and well thought out for example through our Design Build process.
As a company we have been building this Walk-Out Basement Concept for over a decade with a chance to refine the process with each project. We also have experience building this basement home at 3,500 s.f. ans all the way up to 12,000 s.f. like the one shown in the image above!
