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!
This is especially changing in southern Germany. For additional costs of more than 60,000 euros, you can easily get 200 square meters (2,150 square feet) more land in rural areas.
Anyone building a house without financial limits will probably include a basement. Those with a limited budget should seriously consider whether a basement is more important to them than land area, living space, location, etc.
I find the common argument about “resale value” quite weak, as the discount in such cases will likely roughly match the extra costs involved.
Anyone building a house without financial limits will probably include a basement. Those with a limited budget should seriously consider whether a basement is more important to them than land area, living space, location, etc.
I find the common argument about “resale value” quite weak, as the discount in such cases will likely roughly match the extra costs involved.
You’re not entirely wrong. However, I’ve heard that a concrete slab foundation isn’t cheap either. And you still need one even without a basement, right? With a sloped lot, you also have to budget for backfilling. On the ground floor, you’ll then need a leveled area. With a basement, you might actually end up saving money and gaining more usable space.
For me, it ultimately depends on habits and the type of property.
For me, it ultimately depends on habits and the type of property.
Sloping Plot
No basement, but standard living spaces, like many new buildings.
For sloping plots, living spaces are usually located in the lower ground floor. The garden is considered part of the living area.
Filling + retaining walls + foundation slab usually cost more than a lower ground floor/basement.
No basement, but standard living spaces, like many new buildings.
For sloping plots, living spaces are usually located in the lower ground floor. The garden is considered part of the living area.
Filling + retaining walls + foundation slab usually cost more than a lower ground floor/basement.
H
Hausbauer12 Jul 2018 19:37Denis L. schrieb:
This is changing, especially in southern Germany. For the additional cost of over 60,000 € you can easily get 200 square meters (2,150 square feet) more land in rural areas.I firmly believe that the marginal benefit of more land decreases significantly as the plot gets larger and eventually becomes negative after a certain point. In other words, beyond a certain size, the value to me goes down because I can’t make any additional meaningful use of it, but I do have higher costs and more effort.
Similar topics