ᐅ Building with or without a basement in southern Germany – experiences?
Created on: 14 May 2019 17:24
C
Camille1984
Even though I am still looking for a plot of land, I am already thinking about the house.
In the south of Germany (Baden-Württemberg), it is quite common to build houses with basements, and my family also owns homes with basements.
However, I have always hated basements. As a child, I disliked having to go down to the basement to get something—the stairs, the darkness, and so on. Now, in my rented apartment, we have a shared laundry room in the basement. I hate it! If the washing machine were in the bathroom, I would probably prefer doing laundry.
I am fairly certain I don’t want a basement—also for financial reasons. But of course, everyone has their opinion. In an initial design plan, I included a utility and storage room of almost 10m² (100 square feet), an office of 15m² (160 square feet), a laundry room on the upper floor of just under 10m² (100 square feet) with a sloped ceiling, and a storage room behind a garage. When I think about the things currently stored in the rented basement, everything fits into these planned rooms, and the rest is basically junk…
So my question is for experienced home builders without basements in southern Germany: Do you miss anything? Are you concerned about potential resale value? What are your thoughts?
Thank you!
In the south of Germany (Baden-Württemberg), it is quite common to build houses with basements, and my family also owns homes with basements.
However, I have always hated basements. As a child, I disliked having to go down to the basement to get something—the stairs, the darkness, and so on. Now, in my rented apartment, we have a shared laundry room in the basement. I hate it! If the washing machine were in the bathroom, I would probably prefer doing laundry.
I am fairly certain I don’t want a basement—also for financial reasons. But of course, everyone has their opinion. In an initial design plan, I included a utility and storage room of almost 10m² (100 square feet), an office of 15m² (160 square feet), a laundry room on the upper floor of just under 10m² (100 square feet) with a sloped ceiling, and a storage room behind a garage. When I think about the things currently stored in the rented basement, everything fits into these planned rooms, and the rest is basically junk…
So my question is for experienced home builders without basements in southern Germany: Do you miss anything? Are you concerned about potential resale value? What are your thoughts?
Thank you!
There have already been many threads discussing the pros and cons of basements. Opinions on this will always vary.
We are building with a basement. Why? For several reasons. Our plot is 420 sqm (approximately 4520 sq ft), which was the largest available in the development we wanted. However, we have to create space for two parking spots on it. With a bit of space in front and behind, that leaves about 2.5 parking spaces. The house’s footprint is roughly 100 sqm (about 1076 sq ft), plus a small terrace. After accounting for a green strip all around the house, there isn’t much space left. If I skip the basement, I will need above-ground areas for technical equipment, utility room, storage, as well as an alternative space for guests or hobbies. Maybe not a one-to-one replacement, but these add up to several square meters. This space would have to be built above ground first, which also costs money (certainly a bit less) and requires space, which I don’t have much of.
We are not hoarders, but there are still some things that need to be stored. And the stuff needs to go somewhere. Also, not just because of the limited plot size, I’m not a supporter of a 70 sqm (about 750 sq ft) garage with no car in it.
If I had 800 sqm (approximately 8600 sq ft) or more of land, I might consider building without a basement.
We are building with a basement. Why? For several reasons. Our plot is 420 sqm (approximately 4520 sq ft), which was the largest available in the development we wanted. However, we have to create space for two parking spots on it. With a bit of space in front and behind, that leaves about 2.5 parking spaces. The house’s footprint is roughly 100 sqm (about 1076 sq ft), plus a small terrace. After accounting for a green strip all around the house, there isn’t much space left. If I skip the basement, I will need above-ground areas for technical equipment, utility room, storage, as well as an alternative space for guests or hobbies. Maybe not a one-to-one replacement, but these add up to several square meters. This space would have to be built above ground first, which also costs money (certainly a bit less) and requires space, which I don’t have much of.
We are not hoarders, but there are still some things that need to be stored. And the stuff needs to go somewhere. Also, not just because of the limited plot size, I’m not a supporter of a 70 sqm (about 750 sq ft) garage with no car in it.
If I had 800 sqm (approximately 8600 sq ft) or more of land, I might consider building without a basement.
I have my utility room on the upper floor and STILL have a basement!
We have a small plot of land and quite equipment-heavy hobbies – without a basement, we would have needed either more ground floor space or a garage with enough storage. There was no room for either.
So we have a basement, which, due to a slight slope, has two rooms with natural daylight. One is a guest/fitness room, and the other is a workshop with a door leading outside. For us, this is the perfect solution. (Our setup is similar to face26’s.)
But every plot has its own optimal solution. That’s why I find discussions before owning a plot quite pointless.
You can state your preferences, but not much more.
If I had a 1000 m² (10,764 sq ft) plot, my ideal solution might have been different…
We have a small plot of land and quite equipment-heavy hobbies – without a basement, we would have needed either more ground floor space or a garage with enough storage. There was no room for either.
So we have a basement, which, due to a slight slope, has two rooms with natural daylight. One is a guest/fitness room, and the other is a workshop with a door leading outside. For us, this is the perfect solution. (Our setup is similar to face26’s.)
But every plot has its own optimal solution. That’s why I find discussions before owning a plot quite pointless.
You can state your preferences, but not much more.
If I had a 1000 m² (10,764 sq ft) plot, my ideal solution might have been different…
H
hampshire16 May 2019 17:07For us, it was a no-brainer – a sufficiently sized plot of land and a lot of soil class 7.
Still, I maintain: if you don’t want a basement, you shouldn’t build one. Building with a basement is not cheaper even on a sloped site – unless the floor is called a basement purely for "regulatory" reasons.
Still, I maintain: if you don’t want a basement, you shouldn’t build one. Building with a basement is not cheaper even on a sloped site – unless the floor is called a basement purely for "regulatory" reasons.
I have the same question right now!
I am planning to build a semi-detached house. According to the zoning plan, I am allowed to build three stories. Now we are in the planning phase and wondering what would be better: a house with a basement and two living floors, or a house without a basement and three living floors? Unfortunately, I won’t be able to afford a house with both three living floors and a basement.
I am planning to build a semi-detached house. According to the zoning plan, I am allowed to build three stories. Now we are in the planning phase and wondering what would be better: a house with a basement and two living floors, or a house without a basement and three living floors? Unfortunately, I won’t be able to afford a house with both three living floors and a basement.
If you have the choice, it’s better to go for 3 above-ground floors. More light and air. And if you want to use the basement as living space, it will usually be more expensive to build than above-ground. If you want a utility basement instead, as an alternative you can simply leave the top floor as a more solid shell or build it as an attic/loft with a proper staircase.
Grantlhaua schrieb:
However, you have to consider that you cannot compare a modern basement to those built 20 to 30 years ago. If you only plan the basement as a storage room, it obviously isn’t cost-effective. But if you move above-ground spaces downwards—such as laundry, hobby room, technical installations, or storage—and possibly reduce the size of the plot as a result, the basement becomes more financially interesting. This does not change the negative impression the original poster has about basements. Using a basement for laundry, hobby, technical equipment, and storage is the same purpose basements have served for 30 to 50 years. Three of these uses can fit into about 15 sqm (160 sq ft), and a hobby room can be accommodated on the ground floor, first floor, or attic with a good layout.
Similar topics