Every municipality is going to have a different rule or law on this in the US. In many areas, we used to mandate and/or allow storm water into the municipal sewer... but then it changed because flooding out the water treatment plant with turds is more costly for everyone.

However, just because it's dumped into the yard, does not mean the yard is a bog. Many municipalities have strict rules about not being allowed to flood out the neighbors. Some communities have a shared storm drain for rain water that you are allowed to tie into. Some use dry wells, some yards have soils with great ability to absorb the water, some collect rainwater for recycling, etc., etc. Every situation is different but generally no-one is allowed to dump into their neighbors' yards.

As far as basements, I can only speak for the Midwest near the Great Lakes. 1. Better resale (people want basements. 2. Tornado shelter, and 3. What was already mentioned many times and ignored, the fact that in a climate where the dirt freezes solid, you're already digging and pouring concrete 42, 48, or 60 inches underground.... so another few feet and you got an underground room the size of your house. And yet, not all homes in the US Midwest have them... many of the lower cost houses are on slabs (still with concrete foundation walls that must go down 42, 48, or 60 inches.) Google "frost heaving" if you need to know why a slab still needs a foundation to go below the frost line.

If you're looking for a one-size-fits-all answer for the US, there's not one. Great plains, mountains, deserts, swamps, beaches, hills, sand, clay, rock, freezing temperatures, etc... there's great diversity in building styles and traditions across this country.

Agreed. And the assumption that "basement = flooding" is just flat out wrong.

While many new houses in the Chicago area have sump pits and pumps to keep basements dry, my 120-yr-old house on a hill in good soil has a dry basement without any sump pits, pumps, or drainage pipes. Every situation is different, and one house may have chronic basement flooding while the neighbor does not.

Asked and answered. At this point you're trolling.

For sure. But he can't start arguments with Google results.

Oh boy. I took the time to give you a lengthy answer before so you're way off base saying something like that. Trolling? Ok, fair enough, might have been too harsh. But it sure seems that way when you ignore the answers given.

Except that detailed answers have been given and it seems like you want to argue without taking those answers into consideration.

1. Tornados. In the Midwest, the basement is the safest place. Unless you're within walking distance of a cave, culvert, or other kind of bunker, people like the peace of mind during a storm. If you notice most of the deaths from a tornado are from trailer parks, where obviously they have no access to a suitable storm shelter.

2. For the third, etc. time, "FROST HEAVING". This one seems to be glossed over. We do not allow "floating" slabs except for driveways and sidewalks. Slabs need a foundation that is BELOW the frost line. In the Chicago area, that is 42". It areas north of Chicago, that 48 or 60 inches. So even if you opt for a slab, you must install foundation walls UNDER the slab that are nearly halfway to where a basement floor would be. Since you already have a concrete slab, and the remaining issue is whether it's at ground level or basement floor, you also already have AT LEAST 42" of the basement wall. At this point, it's cost of additional excavation, a little more concrete in the wall, and the lumber for the first story's floor.

3. Resale. I cannot speak for other parts of the US, but in the Midwest, resale value is increased greatly by basements. More-so if they are finished into living space. You can argue about stupid holes all day long, but people around here see value in the added storage space, utility space, and sometimes converted living space.

4. Not to mention an out of the way place for your water heater, boiler, furnace, HVAC, electrical panel, plumbing, etc. Frees up living space upstairs and makes for quieter house when you don't have your furnace blower in the closet next to your living room couch.

I have a basement and I have several sheds. You could not be more wrong if you think a basement needs more maintenance than a shed. Not to mention the fact that apparently your climate is very different from the climate where I live. In the Summer it's very humid (70-90%) and hot (90's F +) with frequent thunderstorms. In the Winter it's cold (0 F sometimes -10 F) with frequent snow accumulation. Gusty wind is common in all seasons. Wood structures rot if they are not maintained, and roofs blow apart when neglected.

Because you keep ignoring the fact that we do NOT allow "floating" slabs, not even for garages. Slabs need deep foundations when you live in an area with frost heaving. Why dig half a basement and pour a slab over it?

Sheds also take up square footage. I live on many acres, other people live on city lots with almost no yard space for a shed. However, lots of Midwestern homes have either an attached or a detached 2-car garage on a slab.

Sheds are free?

Offset against cost of shed.

Cost doesn't matter when the cost is more than recovered. It's a feature in demand and resale value increases.

Outdoor water mitigation is exactly the same, or should be. On a slab, you do not want water absorbing, eroding, and pooling underneath or splashing onto your structure. Water is damaging whether there is a basement or not. Gutters and downspouts are there to carry water AWAY from the structure for protection of the structure.

You're against free exercise?

Kidding aside, we do not force people to use stairs or dig basements.

Another misnomer. This is not a bilge pump that is running 24/7. If this pump fails, other things usually also need to go wrong. I.E.... unless water table is literally under your feet, the sump pump rarely runs unless there is a severe storm. Even then, you usually have enough warning, and some have a backup pump.

Well, I don't what else to tell you. Some people obviously want basements or they would not be in such demand around here.

That's for sure.

"Since this foundation type has no footings, insulation is laid underneath the slab and along the edges to prevent frost penetration."

Again, "floating" slabs are NOT allowed here. Period. You want the phone number of my county building department so you can learn something about the differences between frost heaving and frost penetration?

From the link:

"Since this foundation type has no footings, ..."

Me too ... musing along, even using a cute emoticon. It's unfortunate you read it otherwise.

Nobody is knocking that product. However not every building product is suitable for every geographic location.

We freeze in the winter and it literally lifts concrete out of the ground. Floating slabs are not allowed here for that reason. Our slabs need walls that go underground at least 42".

EDIT: As per my previous posts, I say "here" and it only refers to US Midwest, northern IL, Chicago area.

For all the reasons explained already. Different climates = different needs.

Which geographic areas? I ask because that does not seem reflective of what's currently being built in the upper Midwest. Many Chicago suburbs even prohibit slab homes as they are seen as cheaply constructed.

I suppose that is true. I've lived my whole life in the Chicago area so I cannot say with certainty how much.

People that I know who move here from other parts of the US have remarked about basements being more common in this area. Also, like mentioned in a previous post, many Chicago suburbs institute building codes that prohibit homes on slabs as those are considered "cheap" or "poor".

It's also typical for people that live in colder climates to retire to warmer climates. Many Chicago retirees end up Florida, Arizona, and Texas. They take with them any predispositions ... I could see them building a new house with a basement because that's what they are used to from "back home".

100% true.

So glad I don't have one, but they are becoming more of the thing.

On the flip side, nobody goes to the meetings. It just takes one unhappy homeowner to read the by-laws, gather enough petitions, show up to meetings, and finally take the thing over or dissolve it.

yeah... but we never had them. So they're not readily available because they're not standard.

Personally, I don't see the need. Do you bend over to switch your lamp on/off at the outlet mounted 12" above the floor? Would it not be better to switch your outlet from the wall switch at normal user height near the door?

Hahaha... not quite. An HOA is just a quasi-private organization in charge of cutting grass in common areas, telling you what you can't store in your shed, and dictating color of your window shades. It's not really government.

That's a question for your building department in charge of electrical code.

A lot of the electrical code here in the US has to do with end-user behavior rather than actual safety of wiring. Example: one code says you must have at least one receptacle every 12 feet of wall. Nothing to do with safety of the wiring, but everything to do with trying to keep people from needing extension cords.

Yes. I never claimed that a basement is a solution for frost heave. I am countering that a slab here cannot be "floating", so after installing the slab's foundation walls to proper depth, you are really really close to having a basement.

Probably only when it rains.

One thing about the ground when it's dry... it takes some time to start to absorb water. In other words, when the rain hits, it just runs immediately into every crack until the clay gets wet and expands.

This is the closest thing we have, and I have NEVER seen anyone mount one in place of a regular outlet near the floor. It's a separate switch and outlet typically meant for the convenience of having an outlet near a wall switch. You'd have to wire the switch to the outlet to do something equivalent to what you have. (Also, you would lose one receptacle if you're using it in place of a duplex receptacle near the floor.)

Unknown (resized).jpeg

Some older houses have wall switches up near doorways that control wall outlets for plugged in lamps.

Otherwise, I am not sure what you're asking about IL specifically. Illinois counties follow National Electrical Code with some additional requirements.

And no place in the US is doing like the OP is saying. We do not typically have receptacles with their own self-contained switches near the floor.

This is common...

Unknown (resized).jpeg

Certainly not convenient. Most people plug something in and forget about it. Once plugged in, it has its own power button. Otherwise, cannot imagine controlling things via a special switch 12" above the floor.

hahaha.... exactly... plug something in and it doesn't work... run around the room flipping wall switches to see if the appliance is broken. It's not an ideal setup.

I don't think that's true at all- that there is a regional way of doing that.

I am in Chicago and see duplex outlets mounted both ways... referring to houses wired in 1940's through present day. Some vertical and some horizontal.

Just a few examples:

House built in 1970's - vertical everywhere except kitchen.
Two blocks away, house built in late 1970's - horizontal throughout.
Another house in between from late 1960's - vertical throughout.

Also, Maybe vertical was predominantly in older homes and horizontal is newer... but I would not go so far to claim that as fact any more than a regional thing.

I could go on, but I believe this was up to the electrician whether or not they asked preferences of homeowner.

Yep. Around here you cannot use a basement as living space without an "egress" style window. It must be a certain minimum size, a certain height off the floor, and be able to open or remove for an emergency.

My comment to the other person had nothing to do with your funny switched sockets, and please do not take me out of context.

I was merely responding to him about our shared experience within older US homes that have chest-high wall switches at the doorway controlling certain outlets near the floor... not one bit directed at you.

Never been there. Which kind are you referring? The squat floor-hole or the sit-down?

I'd roll my eyes, but I don't want to be rude.

But it does. Compare a drain pipe at the bottom of the stairs to a drainpipe coming off a roof. The roof has a lot more square footage of water collection and yet the gutters (eaves-troughs) and down-pipes can handle it. The stairs have less square footage than the roof and can also handle it... or should have been properly designed to handle it.

In that case, I'm surprised water retention ponds are not mandatory... although it would be expensive.

I don't know how it would work for you. Every geographic area is different. It works around here whenever a large mass of concrete covers earth... warehouses, parking lots, shopping malls, etc... all require a retention pond(s); low grassy area(s) that collect and hold the water until it absorbs into the ground.

We have those too. Depends on the infrastructure of the area.

There would only be arcing if the appliance being plugged in is already in the "ON" condition. Seems to be an issue of human behavior that won't necessarily be solved by adding a second switch. Don't plug something in when the switch is left on... in your case, two switches.

In the US, lights, including halogen work lights, typically have their own on-board switches... seems more convenient to control the work light at the work light.

Lots of interesting information here...

https://moss-design.com/basement/

"WHY DO CHICAGO HOMES HAVE BASEMENTS

... Cold weather above ground translates to freezing soil below the surface and the colder the air, the deeper the frozen ground. The freeze thaw cycle that take pace in that frost region can crack a concrete building foundation so its important to dig the foundation for any building down below the typical frost line. ... Excavating four feet of soil out from under a new building takes a lot of equipment and effort – but once you’ve begun, it takes only a little more to dig down a few more feet and have enough headroom for a whole ‘nother level of the house. Or better yet, dig down just those required 4’ and then set the “ground floor” a few feet above ground level."

Yes... reminded me of something I neglected in my previous replies. It's not dig down 42" and you're "halfway to a basement". You are more than halfway, since many foundation walls are poured to stick out of the ground several feet.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basement

"... However, basements are considered standard on all but the smallest new buildings in many places with temperate continental climates such as the American Midwest and the Canadian Prairies where a concrete foundation below the frost line is needed in any case, to prevent a building from shifting during the freeze-thaw cycle."

If you have enough flood water to wash away concrete walls, no normal sump pump could keep up anyway.

There are situations where if water is allowed to leak from under floor drainage pipes, it can wash dirt into the sump pit and large voids are created around the foundation, and eventually the entire building can shift or sink.

There's always that one guy who jumps on Facebook only to post a bitch-session about the stupidity being posted on Facebook.

Pooping away from home must be rough?

That's for sure.

But the article makes dubious claims, is poorly written, and factually problematic.

"In a cold climate zone a basement foundation counts on being buried at depths of between four and five feet to protect the footing and basement floor from freezing temperatures."

"Whether you start construction with a slab-on-grade or a foundation, in the absence of bedrock both will be resting on dirt. So one is not more 'stable' than the other, or more suceptible [sic] to frost heave than the other"

Yes, everything is resting on "dirt" and that's about all they got half-ass correct in that sentence, spelling and grammar included. (Is it still considered "dirt" everywhere... what about sand? I digress.)

When a foundation is on "dirt" BELOW the frost-line, it is more stable and not susceptible to frost heaving. When a floating slab is on "dirt" at grade level ABOVE the frost-line, it is less stable and completely susceptible to frost heaving. Even without frost heaving, there are certain ground conditions where a slab is much more stable with a foundation or footings.

I was thinking the same. I am not 100% sure, but radon became more of an issue when houses became more sealed up and energy efficient. The gas gets trapped and accumulates as opposed to older homes where it can be replaced by fresh air leaking in windows and other cracks.

I am not sure how they attribute radon with specific health conditions. Google says the main health concern is lung cancer, but I don't know how they pinpoint the root cause, especially if somebody has other lung cancer triggers... industrial environment, smoking, etc.

Oh please... I am not saying it's not real ... for sure a real cancer risk. I just think it's been established that there is less accumulation of radon when a house is not sealed up tight. I also know it's naturally occurring, and depends on location, geography, foundation, soil, bedrock, etc., etc. That's why we have test kits.