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
Curly schrieb:
We bought our appliances new last year; they are from Miele and we specifically chose the quietest models, but I still find them loud.
Best regards,
Sabine I agree. If you can’t hear a spinning washing machine, there’s something wrong with your ears. A dryer with items like zippers inside is also noisy.
This has nothing to do with new or old appliances; that’s simply nonsense.
A laundry chute and a basement laundry room is a very good solution.
Basements should always be constructed as a watertight shell (white tank), not using masonry walls. That has too many potential pitfalls.
Bookstar schrieb:
Who doesn’t mind a washing machine that shakesNobody says that. But a machine making noise for 5 minutes while normally running for 2 hours, and then fairly quietly, is not really worth mentioning.
Even a quiet child can be loud sometimes – that doesn’t automatically make them a picky or fussy child.
A machine like that definitely makes some noise, in my opinion. It spins multiple times, and especially a heat pump dryer produces a certain level of noise... I don’t want that in the upper floor where I sleep, because I might do laundry late at night and wouldn’t want to worry about whether I can still run the machine then.
And overall, the entire process matters... where the laundry gets dirty and where it needs to go after washing. Our dressing room is upstairs, and I don’t want machines on the upper floor, so that leaves only the ground floor, but there was no space there... We would have needed an extension on the ground floor since we generally needed more space there than upstairs. However, this extension could have only been built on the south side, and that space wouldn’t have helped much because the kitchen and dining area are already quite large.
Therefore, you have to consider the whole package... we decided on a laundry chute solution so that at least the laundry can be sent down to the basement without any effort.
And overall, the entire process matters... where the laundry gets dirty and where it needs to go after washing. Our dressing room is upstairs, and I don’t want machines on the upper floor, so that leaves only the ground floor, but there was no space there... We would have needed an extension on the ground floor since we generally needed more space there than upstairs. However, this extension could have only been built on the south side, and that space wouldn’t have helped much because the kitchen and dining area are already quite large.
Therefore, you have to consider the whole package... we decided on a laundry chute solution so that at least the laundry can be sent down to the basement without any effort.
What I never understand about laundry chutes is this: they simply collect the laundry in a different place. Whether I have a laundry basket in the bedroom or bathroom, or in the basement, it hardly makes a difference.
And when I go down to the basement to bring up the freshly washed clothes to the upper floor and put them away in the closets—why can’t I just carry the laundry down from the upper floor to the basement on my way down? Without a laundry chute... it’s basically no extra effort at all.
And when I go down to the basement to bring up the freshly washed clothes to the upper floor and put them away in the closets—why can’t I just carry the laundry down from the upper floor to the basement on my way down? Without a laundry chute... it’s basically no extra effort at all.
Scout schrieb:
it's really no extra effort, is it?But inconvenientI can only speak from our own experience.
We need a waterproof concrete basement ("white bathtub" method) because the soil is clayey and does not allow water to drain away.
Nevertheless, we decided to build a basement because:
- The development plan restricts us from building upwards; otherwise, our attic would be larger. (Maximum wall and ridge height, maximum roof pitch.)
- We have a slight slope. When you consider the costs for soil replacement, filling, and the concrete slab, a basement is more feasible.
- A frost-protected foundation for the slab would also be more expensive due to the slope.
- We have a lot of stuff. Even after decluttering, there are things that need to be stored somewhere. For me, it’s a luxury to be able to keep certain items.
I believe it is often just a shift in costs—from the primarily visible ones (house price) to the “big unknowns” called additional costs/earthworks. And these have increased significantly recently and become much more expensive.
We need a waterproof concrete basement ("white bathtub" method) because the soil is clayey and does not allow water to drain away.
Nevertheless, we decided to build a basement because:
- The development plan restricts us from building upwards; otherwise, our attic would be larger. (Maximum wall and ridge height, maximum roof pitch.)
- We have a slight slope. When you consider the costs for soil replacement, filling, and the concrete slab, a basement is more feasible.
- A frost-protected foundation for the slab would also be more expensive due to the slope.
- We have a lot of stuff. Even after decluttering, there are things that need to be stored somewhere. For me, it’s a luxury to be able to keep certain items.
I believe it is often just a shift in costs—from the primarily visible ones (house price) to the “big unknowns” called additional costs/earthworks. And these have increased significantly recently and become much more expensive.
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