ᐅ Built without a basement and regretted it?

Sebastian79 schrieb:
You can convince yourself of anything – even the absence of a basement

Exactly – that’s why we decided to have a basement. But there were several reasons from the start: a) the available footprint of the house (with 84m² (900 sq ft) not exactly huge, but when the development plan doesn’t allow more, there’s no point in discussing it), b) the terrain – this way we could slightly raise the house above the surrounding ground without much effort, which we preferred, c) I don’t like to keep my ski and bike workshop as well as winter sports equipment in the garage, d) I’m not a fan of large garden sheds – the garden isn’t very big anyway, e) all the building services could be installed in the basement; on the ground floor, that would have taken up too much space.
And of course – there’s still a lot stored in the basement, which is gradually being sorted out, while upstairs everything is still quite spacious and manageable…

Best regards
I.

I don’t need to sugarcoat it—I’m fully convinced, and I’m happy that so much money is freed up for more luxury / a nicer garden. But anyone who thinks they need one should just build it, and that’s that.

Or you can simply add a basement AND still have enough luxury for extra features.
To each their own!

Sebastian79 schrieb:
You can talk yourself into anything – even a missing basement

You can talk yourself into anything – even an unnecessary basement

Bautraum2015 schrieb:
To me, these arguments against a basement sound very much like defending a decision not to have one

To me, these arguments in favor of a basement sound very much like defending a decision to have one

As you can see, it works both ways. Whether to have a basement or not is quite an individual choice. With today’s utilities and technology, a basement is not as important as it was 30 to 50 years ago. Some simply want the extra space, which is usually more cost-effective than building a larger house above ground. This is especially true if the foundation is already being excavated to a considerable depth.

Personally, I don’t miss having a basement, even though I previously lived in a fully basemented house with over 100m² (1,076 sq ft) of basement space divided into six rooms. My washer and dryer are located on the ground floor in the utility room. However, I have also planned a small storage room on the upper floor where these appliances will likely be moved soon to shorten walking distances. Beverages are stored in the utility room. Food and supplies are completely stored in the fairly large kitchen, keeping everything close at hand. Other stuff, like seasonal items (Christmas decorations), is kept in the attic. Heating and ventilation take up so little space that in the 8m² (86 sq ft) utility room there is still room for glass recycling, paper, beverages, washer, dryer, and stroller. My workshop is in an extension (21m² / 226 sq ft) behind the carport. Even when I had a basement, I didn’t use it for the workshop—not just because of dirt, but also because I sometimes work on larger items there that I don’t want to carry up and down stairs all the time. Garden furniture is currently still stored in the workshop over winter along with bikes; once the patio roof is finished, these will stay outside during winter.

For my friend, however, the basement is essential. He has his office, sauna room, home theater, and a storage room down there.

Of course, cost is also a consideration with a basement. A basement would have cost me over 40,000 euros (about $40,000). For that amount, I can get a lot of other nice things and don’t need to make compromises. At the moment, I wouldn’t even know what to put down there.

Bautraum2015 schrieb:
Or you can simply build a basement AND still have enough luxury for some extras
To each their own!

Don’t exaggerate. Even for wealthy people, the budget is still limited.

Living space – I notice that most people really think this area is going to be used as a storage room.

I am also very happy to have a 12m² (130 sq ft) technical room with a washer and dryer. And still to have a utility room on the ground floor that doesn’t have to accommodate laundry and such.

I suspect (!!) that nowadays basements are more often built as living spaces rather than as utility basements – at least in my wider circle of acquaintances.