Are Michigan Basements Really Only in Michigan?

The term 'Michigan basement' is certainly used in Michigan but may not be 'exclusive' to Michigan.

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To understand this, you must first understand what the term 'Michigan basement' means.

According to Upgraded Home, the term Michigan basement is a general term for an unfinished basement that is usually dug out and has a cement or dirt floor. They are also considered to, basically, be a step above a crawlspace and are definitely not meant to be used for entertaining.

New Age Answers says that, as of 2018, the State of Michigan's glossary defines a Michigan basement as "a former crawl space which has been dug out, generally to a depth of 5 to 7 feet to allow a basement."

Although some Michigan basements include concrete blocks or bricks, typically they have either stone or cement walls. This, unfortunately, can lead to issues like basement seepage, flooding, and cracks in the foundation which can cause them to get very damp and musty.

But, thanks to the ever-growing field of technology, there are more ways than ever to deal with any problems that may arise.

For instance, you can deal with issues the old-fashioned way, using some of that good ol' elbow grease. This is a 'before' picture of a problem area in a Michigan basement that needs some immediate attention.

And this is that same problem area after scraping out the old crumbling concrete and replacing it with a new layer.

Or you can call a licensed specialist to use some of the new techniques.

So, the next time you see a Michigan basement, no matter what state it happens to be in, you can (and should) still call it a Michigan basement.

To see more, watch these videos below.