ᐅ Garage in the basement (gentle slope) – pros and cons?

Hello.

I’m using my first thread to introduce myself (and us). We are a married couple with a child from Baden-Württemberg (near Karlsruhe) and have a plot of land in sight that we really like.
The only challenge: the plot is directly on the street and is about 1 to 1.5 meters (3 to 5 feet) higher than street level. The driveway would, of course, be from the street side.

Our house is planned to have a basement anyway, so we thought of placing the garage under the house with access to the basement.

This would give us more floor space on the upper level in terms of width and leave us with a larger garden at the back.
We are of course aware that moisture could be an issue and that it might cost a bit more because of that.

What do you think? What are the pros and cons of having a garage under the house?

Regards,
Ben

On the other hand: You always have to climb stairs, even if it can be difficult at times.
On the other hand: You have already listed enough advantages.

If it suits the plot, why not.
Is the basement still sufficient for your needs?

I think so.
I was planning to store garden tools outside anyway. For us, it’s more about having a storage room, laundry area, and the utility room. I think that should be sufficient.

We are aware of the steps. Of course, there is also the option to use the pathway leading to the front door.

A stairlift is also possible.

Then I actually don’t see any problem.

Thank you for your assessment.
We visited a model home park and were met with some disbelief when we shared our wishes and ideas.
Most providers simply wanted to present their own ideas and did not engage with ours.
Many of them were concerned that the car might rust due to the increased humidity.

I suspect that standard houses or standard basements cannot implement this as easily. In modern homes, it is important to carefully consider where the thermal envelope is interrupted and whether the car should be parked inside or outside the thermal envelope (in my opinion, outside).

An architect designing a custom-built house should have no problem at all with this planning requirement!