A growing family in Binbrook wanted more ceiling height for a basement rec room, but their budget didn't stretch to full perimeter underpinning. This is a walkthrough of how bench footings got them the height they needed, faster and for less, without compromising the space they had planned.
The Problem
The basement had just under 6 feet of ceiling height throughout - workable for storage, not for the rec room and home gym the family had in mind. Full underpinning had been quoted by another company, but the price exceeded what the family had budgeted for the project, and they were ready to shelve the renovation entirely.
The reframe: during the free assessment, we walked through bench footings as a second option - not a downgrade, but a different engineered path to the same height gain at a lower cost.
Choosing Bench Footings Over Full Underpinning
The basement was wide enough that a 12-inch perimeter bench wouldn't meaningfully affect the rec room and gym layout the family had sketched out - the equipment and furniture placement they wanted worked fine with a slightly reduced perimeter width. With no legal secondary suite planned, there was no code-driven reason to need every inch of floor space. Bench footings priced roughly 30% below the full underpinning quote for the same ceiling height target.
Engineering & Permits
Our structural engineer designed the bench geometry and footing dimensions for the home's specific perimeter and soil conditions. The City of Hamilton permit was approved in just under 6 weeks.
Excavation & Bench Pour
Centre floor excavated to target depth, formwork built to the engineered bench geometry around the full perimeter, and the bench poured in two staged sections with a City inspection before each.
The Result
- Ceiling height went from just under 6 feet to 7'6" at the centre of the basement
- Total project cost came in roughly 30% below the full underpinning quote for the same height target
- Project completed in about 6 weeks from permit approval to finished slab
- New waterproofing and sump system bundled into the same scope
The family got the rec room and home gym they'd originally planned, with the 12-inch perimeter bench absorbed into a storage ledge along one wall that barely registers in daily use. For method and pricing details, see our bench footings service page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Budget was the deciding factor, and their basement was wide enough that a 12-inch perimeter bench would not meaningfully affect their planned rec room layout. Bench footings delivered the height gain they needed at 30% less cost.
No. The mechanical room was positioned away from the bench-affected walls during planning, and the bench height was accounted for in the furnace and water heater placement before any excavation started.
About 6 weeks from permit approval to finished slab, compared to the 10 to 12 weeks a comparable full underpinning project would have taken for the same perimeter length.