ᐅ Built without a basement and regretted it?

We also don’t have a basement, but groundwater was the issue here as well... otherwise, we would have built with a basement...

Basement = exercise room (ping pong table, gym equipment), workshop, bike storage area, utility room. Essential. Currently being partially tiled.
Attic = office/archive, guest room, library, sewing and ironing room.
Additionally, storage for suitcases and a place to overwinter plants.

We need both. However, they were not newly built since this is a renovated existing property.

Hello,

D3N7S schrieb:

Let’s be honest! When building your dream home, did you make an irreversible, critical mistake by deciding against a basement and now regret it?

Looking at the completed building projects, only a very small percentage included a basement. Some could certainly have afforded it, others preferred to invest money above ground instead. For some, the topic was already off the table due to high land prices.

However, I can say that a basement is only worth the significant extra cost if it is actually used—not just for the first couple of years because it feels nice to have one. It’s a myth to believe that, starting from moving in and during the cold season, you will always be celebrating in the basement.

The idea of a basement comes from a time when it was indispensable to have one. Almost every household had a kitchen garden; the garden’s produce had to be stored somewhere. I clearly remember having to work in the garden from Easter (digging the soil) until the first frost (leek); not fun as a child (every family member had to help), but essential for the family’s livelihood. The basement was literally overflowing with potatoes (early and late harvest) and all kinds of vegetables throughout the year.

Starting with Aldi, this gradually changed. Aldi built its massive success by buying up the reserves from West Berlin. Suddenly, peas no longer had to be shelled by hand, beans cut, fruit picked and canned... all at an unbeatable price that made the hard garden work seem unnecessary. As a result, gardens gradually turned into purely decorative ones. From that point, another phenomenon appeared: existing basements became storage spaces for “things that might still come in handy.” It was quite common for these stored “treasures” to be discarded unused as bulky waste years later. Until then, at least, they had a “good time.”

Recently, I sat with some young people, one of whom is a trained master carpenter. They want to build a basement with, of course, a workshop in the basement. My grandfather was also a master carpenter, and I know very well what discussions about noise (circular saws reach levels that can cause headaches) and dust will take place in this household in the future. I am pretty sure the builder’s dream will quickly evaporate—if the basement is actually built. Then it turned out to be an expensive dream.

Anyone considering building a basement should be very clear about what the underground space will be used for. For example, the occasional table tennis game—in my opinion—is much more enjoyable outdoors in nice weather and thus a costly decision for a basement. In other words, no one should fall under the mistaken belief that just because a basement makes it possible, seasonal activities will suddenly take place in the basement all year round. On the other hand, if they regularly play snooker and the table cannot fit above ground, a basement is certainly worth a second thought.

Among the clients for whom we have built basements, they are used regularly throughout the year. Some use them as offices, others as regular living space, and others have created a small wellness area in the basement. All these uses share the fact that they are used permanently and do not just represent a dream.

HTH
Best regards, Bauexperte

When I look around in the basements of relatives and acquaintances, I usually find the following:
-oil tank
-the old kitchen that was rebuilt in the basement, filled with things people bought in the 1980s but never really needed (classics like pressure cookers, egg cookers, Krups kitchen machines, old dishes)
-shelves, which, as Bauexperte described, used to be stocked with preserved food and now hold various clutter
-even more items that might possibly be needed again (an old wardrobe filled with the good coat from the 1970s, a fine corduroy suit with shoulder pads, the back-then expensive leather jacket, boxes of “things,” multiple generations of Christmas tree stands, extra shelves, etc.)
-washing machine
-drink crates
-“workshop”
-chest freezer

Honestly, I don’t need any of this. Heating systems today take up hardly any space. I don’t want to climb stairs just to do laundry or grab drinks.

Our utility room is not too small. There is enough space for the washing machine, drinks, shelves for “things.” Combined with a small storage room on the upper floor for Christmas decorations, winter jackets, extra chairs, a small room behind the garage, and a garden shed, I have plenty of space.

And by the way, in all the cases where people asked me before building how one could possibly build sensibly without a basement, this is exactly what their basements look like, as described above.

There may be exceptions like those Bauexperte mentioned (pool table, wellness area, etc.), but I am not one of them.

At first, we also thought a basement “just comes with the house,” but our planner quickly steered us toward building a larger ground floor instead. The main reason was cost—no need for a basement. We don’t have any hobbies that require one. The spa area goes into the upstairs bathroom, and there’s plenty of space for everything we need. I’m not really a collector; I regularly declutter because too much stuff just weighs me down. My husband is different, but he gets assigned a few square meters, and once that’s full, he has to declutter as well.

Thinking about the houses we’ve had before (my parents’ houses), the basement was only used to store the kinds of things mentioned above—things that really should have been gotten rid of long ago. So, we’re happy to save the money.

Baujulchen schrieb:
Those who tend to "clutter" will find something to fill, even without a basement.

Whether it’s the attic, storage room, utility room, or whatever...

You’re absolutely right - but tidying up a corner or storage room is still manageable, whereas a basement tends to be completely neglected.

Baujulchen schrieb:
We probably would have kept even more toys and stuff instead of selling them, used the ping pong table in winter occasionally, celebrated children’s birthday parties in the basement party room, and so on

I believe that’s exactly the nonsense: you hardly use devices set up in a dimly lit basement room. Also, a basement party room is a relic from the 1950s, when "good furniture" cost five times as much (relative to income). Who wants to drink from dusty glasses, stare at old beer steins and laughing fish on the walls, while a colorful party light flickers and old junk still serves its purpose?! Only because they can’t bring themselves to part with it...

nasenmann schrieb:
- the old kitchen set up again in the basement filled with things bought in the 1980s that are no longer needed (classics like pressure cookers, egg cookers, Krups food processors, old dishes)

I’m with you on that! For me, the equipment area/sports room that @Computersylvia mentioned also fits here. The basement is for those who can’t let go of things (after all, it once cost money).

Of course, there are exceptions: anyone who has no opportunity to create sufficient living space for the family on the ground floor or in the attic—be it office, guest room, play area, or other purposes.

As a real estate photographer, I’ve seen far too many basements. About 80% of them had one thing in common: an assortment of old items everywhere. Overall, nothing inviting, because every corner showed stagnation. Even the laundry room always had a neglected, unpleasant corner.