Ever wondered why there are no basements in Las Vegas? This is a question answered in a recent edition of “Ask Mr. Sun“.
Few homes in the valley have basements because of the prohibitive cost of excavation. As anyone who has added a pool to their backyard knows there is a hard layer of rock a few feet down called caliche. This stuff is thick, hard and difficult to remove (excavators use jackhammers to break it apart piece by piece).