ᐅ Price Comparison of Basement Walls: Prefabricated, Sand-Lime Brick, Lightweight Concrete Blocks, Concrete Formwork Blocks, Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (AAC)

Hello everyone,
can someone give a rough estimate of which construction method is the most cost-effective for a non-residential basement, such as a typical storage, hobby, or workshop basement?
We will be doing all the work ourselves, so only the material costs are relevant.
(I am excluding prefabricated basements because even without a crane you can’t really manage those yourself.)
It’s not just about comparing the blocks or bricks, but the entire wall build-up including waterproof coatings, insulation, plastering, etc., according to KFW55 standards.

Maybe someone has faced the same decision and can provide an overview.
Architects always compare including labor costs, but not material-only costs, since they say hardly anyone wants to do masonry themselves these days.

Looking forward to your feedback.

impluviatus schrieb:

The comparison is not just about the bricks themselves, but the entire wall construction including possible waterproofing slurry, insulation, plaster, etc., according to KfW 55 standards.

I would actually compare only the bricks. The wall construction is basically the same everywhere – waterproofing, insulation, and so on. Therefore, the price is also comparable.

If I had to choose, I would go for sand-lime plan bricks. Depending on your equipment, you can even get them ready-planned in large format (this works like a puzzle, as each brick has a fixed place).

impluviatus schrieb:

Can someone give an instinctive answer on which construction method is the most cost-effective for a non-residential basement, like a regular storage, hobby, or craft cellar?

First of all, the 11ant basement rule > "With or without basement: a rule as a decision-making tool" can help you decide whether a basement is advisable for your plot at all.

impluviatus schrieb:

It’s not just about comparing the individual bricks, but the complete wall build-up including, where applicable, waterproof coatings, insulation, plaster, etc., according to KFW55 standards.

Why do you want to include the purely functional basement within the thermal envelope?

impluviatus schrieb:

Price comparison of basement walls: precast, calcium silicate blocks, pumice, concrete formwork blocks, aerated concrete (Ytong)

Even if the basement is not exposed to moisture, I would avoid aerated concrete (Ytong) for the exterior walls; for interior walls, however, I would definitely recommend it to hobby masons.

We can certainly give you more valuable advice about your basement if you show the house it is to be built underneath. So far, we don’t know anything about your project. In general, I would recommend having a possible basement planned with an architect (see above).

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