Filling in basement

[dharmon1976]

has anyone ever done this? Any comments or suggestions/advice?

We have a home built in 1939 that has a basement dug after the house was built. Brick foundation and the basement walls are brick and blocks.It also has a big brick chimney that runs through the middle of the house to the basement floor. The basement floor is in excellent shape

This basement is never going to be used for more than a furnace and electrical, which could be relocated upstairs.
We have had a portion of the basement walls bow in, split and the top is about to slide off. Would we be better off, instead of spending thousands to fix it, just fill it in? I have heard of people filling in basements with sand to equalize the pressure outside.

The house is old, but a nice house and at the moment, the foundation seems to be ok. We owe little to nothing on it and really could care less about keeping the basement

any help or advice would be greatly appreciated. This basement has been nothing but a wet ugle mess and is just a pain

Thanks,
Darla

[TJ1962]

In the structural repair industry we refer to these as "Michigan Basements". The main problem with these foundations is the erosion of soil under the original crawls space when it is dug deeper and blocks are added.

From your description I would most definitely have foundation inspected prior to filling it in to make sure that the original footing which are at main crawl space are not settling. Look for drywall or ceiling cracks, doors and windows off plumb.

If you do not mind losing the space, filling it in is an option. To make this area structurally sound is very difficult as well as expensive.

[dharmon1976]

thank you!