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!
Egon12 schrieb:
In the residential areas in our immediate vicinity with about 150 building plots, exactly 2 households have built with a basement....could you share the average price per square meter of the building plot and the average plot size?
I’m curious... a rough estimate is fine...
Building plots range from 600 to 700 sq m (approximately 6,460 to 7,535 sq ft), with a building value ratio (BRW) around 120 euros. All types of building styles are available, including bungalows, semi-detached houses, and town villas. It is difficult to estimate square meterage, but the properties listed on Immoscout (for rent or ownership, terraced houses) range between 110 and 150 sq m (1,184 to 1,615 sq ft).
Egon12 schrieb:
Building lots from 600 to 700 square meters (6,460 to 7,535 square feet), land value around 120 euros per square meter, all types of buildings are available: bungalow, semi-detached house, city villa ...square meters are hard to estimate, what you find on Immoscout (for rent or ownership, terraced house) ranges between 110 and 150 square meters (1,185 to 1,615 square feet)...at that price, I would also consider a plot of that size and maybe build without a basement, but instead compensate with additional space on the ground floor, or a garage, extension, and so on... and I almost assume that construction costs in your area are somewhat lower.
We paid about three times as much per square meter...
As I already said, it’s very individual and depends on the specific conditions.
Bookstar schrieb:
120 euros per square meter is a dream, where can you still find that nowadays? We paid 105 euros per square meter (about 9.75 USD) in the district town, although it’s only a mid-sized center without a cinema. We get 10 euros (about 9.30 USD) of that back as a child bonus if we live there with our children for 10 years. However, if at least one of us doesn’t stay there for 10 years, we have to pay an additional 25 euros (about 23.25 USD). If everything goes according to plan, I can’t complain. In case of divorce, death, or relocation, it’s obviously problematic.