Originally posted by Stan James:
I don't know if this is a midwest thing, but I remember seeing several basements with a temporary roof and a staircase up to ground level when I was young.
Oh, that's for real then? I read about this in Tom Wolfes "I Am Charlotte Simmons", which is partly set in western North Carolina, and chalked it up to poetic license. There the reason for doing it was described as a lack of funds and credit.