Hello,
we are planning to build a single-family house in Bavaria, and due to groundwater pressure in the soil, the fully waterproofed concrete basement will be quite expensive. The general contractor said, "the basement costs more than the above-ground living space." Is it really possible that increasing the size of the above-ground house by nearly the same usable area that is lost by omitting the basement results in cost savings? In other words, is a 150 m² (1,615 sq ft) house with an expensive waterproof concrete basement more costly than a house without a basement but with 150 m² (1,615 sq ft) of living space plus 50-70 m² (540-750 sq ft) of utility rooms (the latter with cheaper flooring, etc.)? The general contractor only had a few rough rules of thumb, which obviously didn’t apply well in this case, and did not provide any actual cost calculations. Strangely, he also refused to calculate both options side by side, saying it would be too time-consuming.
Does anyone here have real experience with this? It would be very helpful, thanks in advance!
Best regards
we are planning to build a single-family house in Bavaria, and due to groundwater pressure in the soil, the fully waterproofed concrete basement will be quite expensive. The general contractor said, "the basement costs more than the above-ground living space." Is it really possible that increasing the size of the above-ground house by nearly the same usable area that is lost by omitting the basement results in cost savings? In other words, is a 150 m² (1,615 sq ft) house with an expensive waterproof concrete basement more costly than a house without a basement but with 150 m² (1,615 sq ft) of living space plus 50-70 m² (540-750 sq ft) of utility rooms (the latter with cheaper flooring, etc.)? The general contractor only had a few rough rules of thumb, which obviously didn’t apply well in this case, and did not provide any actual cost calculations. Strangely, he also refused to calculate both options side by side, saying it would be too time-consuming.
Does anyone here have real experience with this? It would be very helpful, thanks in advance!
Best regards
H
hausbauer29 Jul 2019 22:41haydee schrieb:
How about your ceiling heights and roof pitch?Maximum height is 8m (26 ft), with 2 full stories. That leaves a maximum roof pitch of 22°, and an attic height where I can just barely stand in the middle of the gable roof—with an extendable ladder included. Fine for old toys, but rather impractical for things I need more often.
haydee schrieb:
How about increasing the ground floor area by 10 sqm (108 sq ft) and giving the roof a steeper pitch?
Ground floor: utilities, plastering materials, freezer, drinks, tools
Upper floor: laundry, storage
Attic: hobby, decoration, etc. (current plan offers 45 sqm (484 sq ft) with standing height)
Behind the garage: grill, lawn mower, sunshade Increasing the ground floor area should work, hence my price question about basement area versus above-ground area. Serious use of the attic is ruled out due to the overly restrictive zoning plan (see above). So it has to go into the ground floor and upper floor. There’s no space behind the garage because of the plot—bicycles will probably be stored in the garage/carport, with the car parked in front.
So yes, it’s definitely all solvable and can be arranged somehow, but having a basement would have made it a lot easier.
One more question: Is laundry actually more practical on the upper floor, or is it better on the ground floor?
H
hausbauer29 Jul 2019 22:43Curly schrieb:
Here in our development area (which has existed for about 10 years), I’ve noticed in the last 1.5 years that for three houses, the entire perimeter was excavated and a basement waterproofing company worked on them. I’m glad we don’t have a basement. Stories like these are probably what will ultimately keep me from building a basement... Did the people who are having problems now cut corners during construction in any way? Or did they have a reputable building company, maximum quality control of the waterproof concrete structure (also known as “white tank”), etc.?
H
hausbauer29 Jul 2019 22:46Scout schrieb:
A basement will only be cheaper than an identical surface area if its construction differs from that of the ground floor or attic. For example, no plaster finish, small or no windows, lower ceiling height, no underfloor heating, and relatively simple electrical installations.Thanks, that’s very useful information. So if you build an above-ground “basement room”—meaning simply plastered, with only a small window or even no window, and a cheap tile covering—it really ends up cheaper than a basement with the same floor area? I think I’ll inquire about that.Laundry is located near the bathroom and bedrooms.
Just a few steps and the dirty laundry is taken care of, rearranging often happens alongside, ironing and folding benefit from natural daylight.
Shower done, quickly grabbed the favorite shirt.
It’s simply shorter distances. If it’s above ground, why not place it where it’s needed?
That’s not ideal.
How does the ceiling height change if the upper floor has a knee wall height of 190cm (75 inches) or 160cm (63 inches) and the roof pitch becomes steeper?
Just a few steps and the dirty laundry is taken care of, rearranging often happens alongside, ironing and folding benefit from natural daylight.
Shower done, quickly grabbed the favorite shirt.
It’s simply shorter distances. If it’s above ground, why not place it where it’s needed?
That’s not ideal.
How does the ceiling height change if the upper floor has a knee wall height of 190cm (75 inches) or 160cm (63 inches) and the roof pitch becomes steeper?
H
hausbauer29 Jul 2019 23:29haydee schrieb:
How does the standing height change if the upper floor has a knee wall of 190 or 160 and the roof becomes steeper? Good idea with the knee wall – but if a knee wall is allowed, it can only be up to 50cm (20 inches) according to the building regulations. That would be counterproductive...
I would not want the washer/dryer on the upper floor because the appliances are simply too noisy for me. Also, we sometimes have dirty garden clothes, dog blankets, dog towels for cleaning paws, and previously the kids’ play pants, so having a washing machine on the upper floor would be impractical for us.
Best regards,
Sabine
Best regards,
Sabine
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