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

Created on: 24 Jan 2020 08:25

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

Lageplan eines Bebauungsgebiets mit grünem Parkbereich, pinken Bauzonen, gelb gestreiften Flächen und Straßen

Legende der Bauordnung: Symbole zu Nutzungsarten, Flächen, Höhen und Beispielskizzen.

ypg24 Jan 2020 18:42

#55

Davidoff86 schrieb:

The soil survey is still pending, but one of the boreholes for the site development was carried out 15m (50 feet) away from our plot:
Groundwater is at 2m (6.5 feet) depth, and the soil contains a lot of clay. Anyway, it doesn’t have very good infiltration properties.

But a lot can be different just 15 meters away. It’s better to get your own soil report. It also serves as a basis for guaranteeing the structural engineering.

Grantlhaua schrieb:

With 225m² (2,420 sq ft), there probably won’t be much space for a garden. It’s actually quite cheeky that such a plot is being sold as a building lot.

Davidoff86 schrieb:

Hey! No, unfortunately it’s not available online, and somehow I can’t post the PDF file here. The development is called "Aufseesianische Wiesen"—you can find the architects’ projects who participated in the competition online.

Yes, they made a stylish design there: the main thing is that the city can showcase fancy houses. The development plan barely allows much flexibility, and on the internet you can already guess the block-shaped houses with a 6m (20 feet) setback.

Davidoff86 schrieb:

I wonder whether the setback floor counts as a full storey.

No, that’s exactly why it’s called a setback floor.

Scout schrieb:

Just as an example of what would be possible on a 9x9m (30x30 feet) footprint with a setback floor, based on the Villa Casa 131 by bgw (the garage windows still need to be relocated): 3 children's bedrooms, a utility/technical room, a laundry room on the ground floor, a separate work niche, a storage room on every floor, and you can even use the roof terrace without having to go through the bedroom, which has a panoramic window to the outside, ideally with roller blinds.

I think the layout of the house is good. It could work with 2 children. But not with 3 children plus the mentioned home office for the teacher.

Grantlhaua schrieb:

Personally, I would definitely build with a basement.

Me too. The plot hardly has capacity for any outbuildings except a garage. And where would you put the landscaping equipment or tools?
Inside the house, you also need enough storage space for 4-5 people. Two cases of drinks in the garage are hardly enough; there are four in the laundry room. Seasonal clothing, bedding, sports equipment, etc. all need to be stored somewhere. There’s no “I just don’t like basements” or “basements are always so damp and humid.”
For me, as someone who usually dislikes basements—definitely pro basement!

Grantlhaua schrieb:

Another idea: put most of the technical equipment under the roof (ventilation, heat pump, etc.)

I think a setback floor is way too valuable just for housing technical equipment.
Think conservatively: parents at the top, children in the middle, living area on the ground floor, and technical equipment, storage, plus the home office in the basement.

Now some numbers:

Site coverage ratio 0.4, floor area ratio 0.8

You’re allowed to build a maximum of 90m² (970 sq ft) footprint... maximum 180m² (1,940 sq ft) living space in the full storeys. (Phew... I had actually misread and thought it was WA 1.2 or 0.7, given the low quality.)
The setback floor is a bonus.
The garage apparently counts separately and is included in the site coverage ratio II.

Davidoff8624 Jan 2020 22:59

#56

Yes, we will definitely carry out a soil survey.

ypg schrieb:

Think conservative: parents on the top floor, children in the middle, living area on the ground floor, and technical rooms, storage, and the study in the basement.

That’s roughly what we had in mind as well.

11ant24 Jan 2020 23:36

#57

I zoomed in on the plan sent by the original poster: the white hatched area shows how the planner envisions the building (preferably a 6 m (20 feet) narrow “detached townhouse”); the front edge of the house is supposed to be directly adjacent to the public traffic area; the written regulations allow the setback of the upper floor only on the west side. Those Romans are really crazy. However, the plan is still a draft, published in May and June 2017, amended in March 2018, and without entries for public notice periods or similar yet. In contrast to neighboring development plans, the municipality’s website does not provide it yet, so the note about the building line not being strictly adhered to may indicate the expectation that it will still be relaxed to become a building boundary. I haven’t found any information about ground elevations so far. From my point of view, even assuming level ground, this is a borderline plot; if there is a slope involved, it would take a pathological optimist to build here. Parking space, carport, or garage may have to be set back from the building line, but the building line at the front of the plot essentially means that the front door threshold cannot be far above the street level. I guess the city planner hasn’t really experienced the rough sea air beyond the university campus yet.

Schematic building plan: Parcels II+S and WA 1.1, building height 11 m (36 feet), yellow/white striped.

https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/

kaho67425 Jan 2020 00:13

#58

With the limited space, there won’t be any direct southern sunlight on the ground floor. It’s unclear why townhouse-style homes weren’t planned here from the start.

Grantlhaua25 Jan 2020 08:58

#59

ypg schrieb:

Me too. The plot hardly has the capacity to accommodate any outbuildings besides the garage. And where would you put the vehicles or garden equipment?

And a basement doesn’t have to look like it did 20 years ago; it’s still a basement

Empty room with wooden floor, white walls, ceiling lights and visible cables, door on the right.

ypg25 Jan 2020 10:15

#60

Grantlhaua schrieb:

And a basement doesn’t have to look like it did 20 years ago; it’s still a basement

Exactly. The children’s rooms can be smaller because they can play and spend time downstairs. There would also be space for a sewing machine and a stationary bike. A child could even learn to play the drums, which otherwise wouldn’t be possible.
However, there’s no need to worry or approach this with a “what if” mindset.
If there are no children for the bedrooms, then one child can have a bit more space and there will be some leftover basement area. If you’re really fond of children, fostering or a student exchange might also be an option... But for now, the office and the sewing machine can also be located in the children’s area.

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

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