Digging backyard - pouring/creating below-ground cellar/bunker

I was wondering if anyone has dug (or know if it’s legal to dig) their backyard and basically build a finished cellar /bunker. Below grade, no windows (thinking skylight) and not to create bedrooms/sleep but to make a cool “living room” space. Looking at this as a solution to add living space given a massive backyard but small brownstone footprint and FAR. Could easily build a 1,000 foot space below ground. Thoughts? Just hoping to get the group’s insights before getting an architect and having to pay. A new basically detached cellar like this should be doable and take no FAR right?

Guest User | 5 years and 3 months ago

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hkapstein | 5 years and 3 months ago

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I have done this, you can do it. You will need a structural engineer and a way to shore the yard while you pour the foundation, and this is fairly expensive, but there are way to work around it. It may be easier for you with the alley since you can potentially get a pile driver in. Also, there are rules for how a cellar can be configured, so talk to your architect about that. I recommend a full review rather than a directive 14 since you don’t want any chance of the approval being questioned once you start spending.

GreenThinker | 5 years and 3 months ago

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In that case. What I would do is get one of those tent like structures, 5 feet larger on each side than the hole you want to dig. Just so no one can really see what you’re doing. Rig your pant pockets in such a way that you can fill them up with dirt, walk to the nearest park and dump it through your pant legs. You do not want to be drawing attention to yourself with dumpsters and mini excavators.

Guest User | 5 years and 3 months ago

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Thanks for the responses. The funny situation is that there’s an alley on the other side of the backyard, so I might be able to get a digger back there. Otherwise I’ve got two teenage sons, a few shovels and summer is almost here 🙂 I’m going to analyze this for real and will be back to post results because I’m an optimist about being able to pull this off without being prohibitively expensive.

cate | 5 years and 3 months ago

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If the outrageous expense does not deter you, you will need permits, an architect, and an engineer to do the excavation safely (so it doesn’t harm nearby structures) and to get the proposal approved by the building department.

hkapstein | 5 years and 3 months ago

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Yes you can do this, but it’s expensive to do the excavation if you can’t get a digger back there. If you can, it will surely drive you neighbors nuts. If your co says cellar is for ordinary use, a living room is technically not compliant but who’s gonna know.

GreenThinker | 5 years and 3 months ago

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i often see new developments dig out the whole lot to create one big underground space, usually for parking/amenities/storage. when you’ve already got a excavator on-site, and their creating a new foundation, it’s not that big of a budget hit to do the whole lot. Same goes for when developers do horizontal extensions, they extend the cellar too. So, it’s deff possible from a dob/city stand point. It would just be very very expensive for an average person to undertake such a job and find people that would want to go along for that ride with them. Developers know all the foundation guys, engineers, understand the whole process of how to do it, and yet, a lot of them are getting stop work orders because of stringent excavation and foundation work is.

The mayor mentioned an idea of allowing people to build a tiny house up to 350 square feet in their backyards, that would be a better idea than creating a bunker.