ᐅ Building a Single-Family Home With or Without a Basement on a Small Plot of Land
Created on: 24 Jan 2020 08:25
D
Davidoff86
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:
Arguments against:
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
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
D
Davidoff8624 Jan 2020 10:53Scout schrieb:
No, it doesn’t. What is binding for you initially is the development plan, where it states II+S inside a circle. So, you have to build 2 full stories plus the attic. How the attic is defined can be found in the building regulations of your federal state, which we still don’t know. It is in Bavaria, I actually mentioned that above.
Scout schrieb:
We also have a traffic-calmed dead-end street at the end of a row of terraced houses, where usually only two neighbors drive behind. The “front yard” is about one meter deep (around 3 feet), like with all neighbors, and without any fencing. This basically serves as our walkway, which causes no problems since there is no through traffic and mutual consideration is not unknown. That’s good to know. We will certainly also get in touch with the future neighbors to the south of our site to find out about their plans.
D
Davidoff8624 Jan 2020 11:12Oh, hello! Unfortunately, there is no online version available, and somehow I can’t post the PDF file here. The development area is called “Aufseesianische Wiesen.” You can find the architects’ projects who participated in the competition online.
I tend to prefer a basement if the budget allows.
I would rather have a carport instead of a garage, with a smaller storage room behind it.
150/160 sqm (1,615/1,722 sq ft) is not much space for 3 children, especially since many things accumulate and get passed down from one child to the next.
I would plan for 3 children. Maybe design the walls so that rooms can be combined later by knocking through them.
I would rather have a carport instead of a garage, with a smaller storage room behind it.
150/160 sqm (1,615/1,722 sq ft) is not much space for 3 children, especially since many things accumulate and get passed down from one child to the next.
I would plan for 3 children. Maybe design the walls so that rooms can be combined later by knocking through them.
Well, 150-160 sqm (1600-1700 sq ft) is rather small for three children, so the expectations tend to be quite high. I grew up with two siblings in a house that had about 120-130 sqm (1300-1400 sq ft) after the attic was converted. It did have a basement, of course, but generally that size was sufficient, even if the rooms were not as large as what you find in modern houses. However, if possible and without too many compromises, I would plan to include a basement as well. Regarding the rooms, I would either design them so that some can be combined again or lay them out in a way that a large room could be divided into two proper children’s bedrooms using a drywall partition.
Davidoff86 schrieb:
But the front door practically right on the street, even if it’s barely trafficked?? I don’t know...No, my first thought would be something like this:Although I don’t know the details from the development plan regarding the boundary buildings with outbuildings.
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