ᐅ Is a Basement Practical for a Single-Family Home or Usually Too Expensive?
Created on: 30 Jun 2018 21:56
A
Abzug86
Hello everyone,
I’d like to take this opportunity to introduce myself briefly: my name is Michael, I’m 32 years old, married, (currently) no children, employed at an insurance agency in northern Bavaria, and my wife and I are planning to build a new single-family house in 2019. I will share more details in a separate thread once the concept is worked out in detail.
At the moment, we are getting inspiration from the catalogs of several general contractors and are considering which "type" of house is right for us. This raised the question: do we need a basement? And if so, for what purpose? I’ll explain this further with an example (both plots are level):
Single-family house 1: basement, ground floor, usable attic, footprint 100 m² (1,076 sq ft), living area (according to the Wohnflächenverordnung) 140 m² (1,507 sq ft).
Single-family house 2: ground floor, usable attic, footprint 130 m² (1,399 sq ft), living area (according to the Wohnflächenverordnung) 185 m² (1,992 sq ft).
Both options would cost roughly the same (~375,000 EUR turnkey). Single-family house 1 has a basement; single-family house 2 does not but offers significantly more living space. Both are heated by a heat pump.
In my understanding, there are three main reasons for having a basement: 1. as storage space, 2. for the heating system, and 3. for the utility/laundry room. Step by step:
1.) I can’t really think of much that I would need to store down there—at least not on a total area of about 50+ m² (540+ sq ft)...
2.) Since heating is provided by a heat pump, the "heater" itself would be located outside anyway. The basement would only house the controls (and the hot water tank?). I assume these could also be installed on the ground floor, right?
3.) If the utility room is in the basement and the bedroom is on the upper floor, my wife would have to go up and down two levels. Also, ventilation would be difficult when air-drying laundry. For these reasons, it might even make more sense to move this area to the ground floor.
I’m curious to hear your thoughts on basements—perhaps I am missing important points or have a wrong understanding regarding the "heating room." Thanks in advance for your help!
I’d like to take this opportunity to introduce myself briefly: my name is Michael, I’m 32 years old, married, (currently) no children, employed at an insurance agency in northern Bavaria, and my wife and I are planning to build a new single-family house in 2019. I will share more details in a separate thread once the concept is worked out in detail.
At the moment, we are getting inspiration from the catalogs of several general contractors and are considering which "type" of house is right for us. This raised the question: do we need a basement? And if so, for what purpose? I’ll explain this further with an example (both plots are level):
Single-family house 1: basement, ground floor, usable attic, footprint 100 m² (1,076 sq ft), living area (according to the Wohnflächenverordnung) 140 m² (1,507 sq ft).
Single-family house 2: ground floor, usable attic, footprint 130 m² (1,399 sq ft), living area (according to the Wohnflächenverordnung) 185 m² (1,992 sq ft).
Both options would cost roughly the same (~375,000 EUR turnkey). Single-family house 1 has a basement; single-family house 2 does not but offers significantly more living space. Both are heated by a heat pump.
In my understanding, there are three main reasons for having a basement: 1. as storage space, 2. for the heating system, and 3. for the utility/laundry room. Step by step:
1.) I can’t really think of much that I would need to store down there—at least not on a total area of about 50+ m² (540+ sq ft)...
2.) Since heating is provided by a heat pump, the "heater" itself would be located outside anyway. The basement would only house the controls (and the hot water tank?). I assume these could also be installed on the ground floor, right?
3.) If the utility room is in the basement and the bedroom is on the upper floor, my wife would have to go up and down two levels. Also, ventilation would be difficult when air-drying laundry. For these reasons, it might even make more sense to move this area to the ground floor.
I’m curious to hear your thoughts on basements—perhaps I am missing important points or have a wrong understanding regarding the "heating room." Thanks in advance for your help!
The garden shed doesn’t exist yet; it’s still just a plan for now. The 120m² (1,292 sq ft) attic space came about naturally based on the building footprint. Notably, it was overall cheaper than the basement, so it added more living space. And the insulated attic is included with our general contractor.
The question was whether a basement makes sense if you can get more living space for the same money, including the utility room on the upper floor.
The question was whether a basement makes sense if you can get more living space for the same money, including the utility room on the upper floor.
That’s exactly the pointless part of this discussion. In your contract, the attic is cost-neutral, you wanted the garden shed anyway, and the garage was supposed to be built instead of a carport. And maybe in your floor plan the corner for the utility room was just available. Yes, then a basement causes significant additional costs for little practical use unless you have specific hobbies. But that is a well-known fact.
For others, a carport might be sufficient in principle, they basically don’t have enough space for a real garden shed, would have to pay extra for attic conversion, and the utility room can be accessed from either the living room, kitchen, or guest room. In that case, a basement is almost cost-neutral. But again, that’s a well-known fact.
So there’s no need to stand around asking what a basement is good for!
It would only make sense to say: In my basement, I have a 15m² (160 sq ft) room left unused; what useful purpose could I put it to?
Next thread: My car has a fixed roof, so why would I still need a garage?
It’s also telling that the OP hasn’t participated since page 2. Probably just grabbing some popcorn.
For others, a carport might be sufficient in principle, they basically don’t have enough space for a real garden shed, would have to pay extra for attic conversion, and the utility room can be accessed from either the living room, kitchen, or guest room. In that case, a basement is almost cost-neutral. But again, that’s a well-known fact.
So there’s no need to stand around asking what a basement is good for!
It would only make sense to say: In my basement, I have a 15m² (160 sq ft) room left unused; what useful purpose could I put it to?
Next thread: My car has a fixed roof, so why would I still need a garage?
It’s also telling that the OP hasn’t participated since page 2. Probably just grabbing some popcorn.
KingSong schrieb:
A garage is really pointless (apart from preserving the value of the vehicle). I would rather say: monstrously wide garage doors, garage canopies extending up to the main entrance, and last but not least their lighting would be pointless without the garage itself.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
KingSong schrieb:
By the way, I agree with you, Fuchur, a garage is really pointless (apart from preserving the value of the car). Nowadays, cars can quite well survive without a garage.... Homeowners are really different. I could have just built a garage and skipped the house back then . And you definitely don’t want to leave a classic car outside (martens, theft, snow…).
With four cars, a workshop, and two children, the garage can never be big enough.
H
Hausbauer12 Jul 2018 11:18Bookstar schrieb:
With four cars, a workshop, and two kids, the garage can never be big enough.Do the children actually live in your garage?
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