ᐅ Building with or without a basement in southern Germany – experiences?
Created on: 14 May 2019 17:24
C
Camille1984
Even though I am still looking for a plot of land, I am already thinking about the house.
In the south of Germany (Baden-Württemberg), it is quite common to build houses with basements, and my family also owns homes with basements.
However, I have always hated basements. As a child, I disliked having to go down to the basement to get something—the stairs, the darkness, and so on. Now, in my rented apartment, we have a shared laundry room in the basement. I hate it! If the washing machine were in the bathroom, I would probably prefer doing laundry.
I am fairly certain I don’t want a basement—also for financial reasons. But of course, everyone has their opinion. In an initial design plan, I included a utility and storage room of almost 10m² (100 square feet), an office of 15m² (160 square feet), a laundry room on the upper floor of just under 10m² (100 square feet) with a sloped ceiling, and a storage room behind a garage. When I think about the things currently stored in the rented basement, everything fits into these planned rooms, and the rest is basically junk…
So my question is for experienced home builders without basements in southern Germany: Do you miss anything? Are you concerned about potential resale value? What are your thoughts?
Thank you!
In the south of Germany (Baden-Württemberg), it is quite common to build houses with basements, and my family also owns homes with basements.
However, I have always hated basements. As a child, I disliked having to go down to the basement to get something—the stairs, the darkness, and so on. Now, in my rented apartment, we have a shared laundry room in the basement. I hate it! If the washing machine were in the bathroom, I would probably prefer doing laundry.
I am fairly certain I don’t want a basement—also for financial reasons. But of course, everyone has their opinion. In an initial design plan, I included a utility and storage room of almost 10m² (100 square feet), an office of 15m² (160 square feet), a laundry room on the upper floor of just under 10m² (100 square feet) with a sloped ceiling, and a storage room behind a garage. When I think about the things currently stored in the rented basement, everything fits into these planned rooms, and the rest is basically junk…
So my question is for experienced home builders without basements in southern Germany: Do you miss anything? Are you concerned about potential resale value? What are your thoughts?
Thank you!
G
Grantlhaua20 May 2019 07:10ypg schrieb:
You can fit three uses into 15 sqm (160 sq ft),I’m always amazed at how people manage this. We have nearly 15 m² (160 sq ft) for our utility room, and when I imagine adding the washer, dryer, and two drying racks in there, it’s just impossible. Not to mention any storage space at all.
You must have made up the term "laundry drying towers."
In our utility room, all the connections fit, including the gas boiler, electrical distribution panel, hot water tank, ventilation system, as well as 2.5 meters (8 feet) of shelving space and 2.8 meters (9 feet) of kitchen cabinets (old base units used as a workbench with the washing machine placed underneath). This is all on 13.5 m² (145 sq ft). It works. Even a tower-style drying rack (suitable for one load of laundry) could just fit without blocking access.
In our utility room, all the connections fit, including the gas boiler, electrical distribution panel, hot water tank, ventilation system, as well as 2.5 meters (8 feet) of shelving space and 2.8 meters (9 feet) of kitchen cabinets (old base units used as a workbench with the washing machine placed underneath). This is all on 13.5 m² (145 sq ft). It works. Even a tower-style drying rack (suitable for one load of laundry) could just fit without blocking access.
G
Grantlhaua20 May 2019 08:11Scout schrieb:
You must be joking about the rotary clothesline Just a drying rack then. A rotary clothesline in the basement would be a bit of a problem... Of your 2.5 linear meters (8.2 feet) of shelving, half of that would already be used up by my sports gear.... I can imagine it works, but it wouldn’t be possible in our place.
Grantlhaua schrieb:
I’m always amazed at how people manage this. We have almost 15m² (160 ft²) for our utility room, and if I imagine putting the washer/dryer and two rotary clotheslines in there, good night. Not to mention storage space.It’s great that you find this impressive. Not everyone needs a server or an oversized electrical system at home.
I’m also surprised that tech enthusiasts (?) get by without a drying room.
Rotary clotheslines with a radius of 2.5m² (27 ft²) should be placed outside. There’s no point in building an extra 8m² (86 ft²) for that. If it looks too unattractive, you’re welcome to use a modern electric dryer next to the washing machine. For delicate items and wool sweaters, a small wall-mounted drying rack is sufficient.
G
Grantlhaua20 May 2019 14:52ypg schrieb:
Great that you can get excited about this. Not everyone needs to have a server or an oversized electrical system in their home.
I’m also surprised that tech enthusiasts (?) manage without a crawl space. I don’t have a server or an oversized equipment cabinet. I said I can imagine that it works, but it’s not for us.
ypg, I think he assumes that in such a technical room (HAR) all the clutter should fit, besides the connections, heating systems, and washing machine.
Of course, it won’t, but you can definitely store some of the clutter there (dry and warm). However, even minimalists probably still need additional storage space.
Of course, it won’t, but you can definitely store some of the clutter there (dry and warm). However, even minimalists probably still need additional storage space.
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