A two-story house with a steep roof and dormer windows is warmly lit from inside, showcasing the craftsmanship of custom home builders. It features gray siding, white trim, and stone accents. A curved pathway leads to the steps and landscaped front yard under a cloudy sky.

8 Reasons to Lift Your Older Home

ByKerr Design Build

If you live in an older or heritage home, lifting it as part of a home renovation has tremendous advantages. There are eight great reasons for doing so.

A house lift is done by digging out the current basement to a new depth and then extending the foundation walls downwards to support the home on new footings. This process is also called foundation underpinning, and it is one of our major construction services.

Here are the advantages:

  1. Higher ceiling heights are possible. If you choose to pour a new foundation, you can gain ceiling height by digging down and shifting the house up further out of grade level. Or, if you leave your existing foundation, you may be able to place your home back onto the foundation higher out of grade level, leaving you with a clearer ceiling height. This all depends on your design and what the city will approve for your renovation.
  2. This is an opportunity to rebuild your foundation. Often, heritage homes have a stone foundation, or they have foundation issues and leaks.
  3. This is also your opportunity to incorporate radiant floor heating. Good quality heat for the new lifted areas, and it keeps the toes warm!
  4. Modifications to your electrical, heating, venting, or plumbing can be made at this point easily. This is especially true if you pour a new foundation. Then, you will be able to customize your new basement area with a more efficient layout and whatever new special details you want or need.
  5. With a new foundation, you will be able to place windows in new and different areas. This will be done according to the zoning by-laws, considering that the wall closest to your neighbours will restrict the glazing area for fire protection.
  6. Incorporating window wells, and therefore enlarging the size of windows. To ensure the enjoyment of your new windows, consider a top-down style of privacy blind if you are close to your neighbour. This type of window covering will allow light in and block the view of the inside of the well if that’s an issue.
  7. Old city zoning restrictions weren’t as stringent as they are now, so your heritage home may have features that could not be replicated under the new rules. For example, expansive porches close the property lines. A house lift renovation keeps those fabulous older home design styles and heritage features.
  8. Some newer homes today are built to max out the zoning rules and allowable floor area, and therefore aren’t placing a priority on the building style or appearance of the exterior. Sometimes they almost become great big boring boxes! Your heritage home was most likely designed with great curb appeal, and perhaps by a well-known architect. Those special details that set it apart from other homes in the area are worth maintaining! If we don’t, we will soon be left with a ‘builders box’ and suburban feel in our downtown heritage neighbourhoods.

We breathe life into old homes with our design team.

We would love to design your dream home and offer a free, no-obligation consultation to discuss your project and give you a workable plan, whether you use us or not. 

To arrange a consultation, call us at 604-263-0343 or use our online form.