ᐅ Building a Single-Family Home With or Without a Basement on a Small Plot of Land

Good morning everyone,

In our house planning process, like many others, we are facing the question of whether to build with or without a basement.

We have a flat, 225 m2 (2,422 sq ft) plot, on which, according to the development plan, we are supposed to build a single-family house. The house consists of a ground floor, first floor, and a recessed top floor (this is required by the development plan) and has a maximum gross building footprint of 9x9 m (30x30 ft), so we expect a living area of at least 150-160 m2 (1,615-1,722 sq ft). Under these conditions, the basement question is quite complicated.

Arguments in favor of the basement:

• A basement obviously offers a lot of space, for example, for building services, laundry, storage, etc.
• Without a basement, we definitely need a utility room on the ground floor. Although the external dimensions of 9x9 m (30x30 ft) would allow for this, we would prefer to use that space differently (e.g., my wife is a teacher and needs a home office);
• We will build a 10x3 m (33x10 ft) garage with an extra room, but this is limited to about 4x3 m (13x10 ft), where we have to store bicycles and garden furniture. Unfortunately, there is no more space, e.g., for a garden shed or similar;
• We currently have one child but plan for at least a second or even a third. The space could therefore become tight;
• Higher property value.

Arguments against:

• Due to the high groundwater level, the basement must be built as a watertight structure ("white tank" method), which means:
• High costs—I estimate at least €60,000–70,000 (utility basement, with few or no windows);
• Despite the watertight construction, I am still concerned about moisture, for example, if the basement is not built correctly. A house with a damp basement is worth less than one without;
• The idea of more children is, of course, uncertain. What if more children do not come? We would have a large house with little use for it.

And so on...

I know there are many, partly inconsistent (what if...) factors involved. Also, the topic of basements is always sensitive; some are generally in favor, others generally against.

Nonetheless, I would be very grateful for concrete and objective advice. Perhaps some of you have faced the same issue under similar conditions (small plot, strict development plan regulations, no free layout expansion of the ground floor, soil conditions, etc.) and I would be interested to hear how this was or is resolved regarding building services and storage space.

For better understanding, I am attaching the development plan.

Many thanks to everyone who would share their experience with me. Best regards

And here is the floor plan as we are planning it (drawn quite simply).

Please show the upper floor as well. The home office and technical room do not fit properly on the ground floor.

To be honest, I’m not that far yet, but I imagine it roughly like this.

What is the groundwater level like where you are? What type of soil do you have (gravel, clay, etc.)?

Some of your rooms are partially unusable due to being too narrow.