For houses, structurally, the basement walls typically form the foundations. In warmer climates, houses often do not have basements. In colder climates, the foundation must be below the frost line. Unless constructed in very cold climates, the frostline is not so deep as to justify an entire level below ground. Some designs elect to simply leave a crawlspace under the house rather than a full basement. Most other designs justify further excavations to create a full height basement sufficient for another level of living space. Even so, basements in North America are typically only 7 feet 10 inches in height rather than the standard full 8 feet of the main floors[1] . Older homes may have even lower basement heights as the basement walls were concrete block and thus could be customized to any height. Modern builders offer higher basements as an option.

The concrete floor in most basements is structurally not part of the foundation; only the basement walls are. If there are posts supporting a mainfloor beam, these posts typically go right through the basement floor to a footing underneath the basement floor. It is the footing that supports the post and the footing is part of the house foundation. Loadbearing wood stud walls will rest directly on the concrete floor. Underneath the concrete floor is typically gravel or crushed stone to facilitate drainage. The floor is typically 4 inches thick and rests on top of the foundation footings. The floor itself is typically sloped towards a drain point in case of leaks. ...

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