ᐅ Garden shed as a basement substitute?

We recently secured a reservation for a building plot and are now considering what exactly to build on it. One critical aspect is the basement. I would like to have one, but honestly, it’s quite expensive, and the risk of unplanned additional costs is also significant. Besides the utility room, the basement should also include a small workshop (there’s always something to do in the garden) and possibly a sauna (since we enjoy sauna sessions, but with a small child, it’s not easy to take long trips).

Today, we started thinking about possibly replacing the basement with a garden shed and building only a slab foundation. Besides cost savings, the advantage would be that tools from the garden would be easily accessible without dirtying the house hallway, and bicycles could also be stored there. The main disadvantage would be the lack of insulation and the space required.

I’ve done a bit of online research and found some kits, for example approximately 8 x 4 + 4 x 4 m (26 x 13 + 13 x 13 ft) in an L-shape, offering nearly 30 sqm (320 sq ft) of space for the workshop and storage, plus the sauna with a small wet area in front. Financially, the shed (kit including roof, foundation, painting) should be under 20,000, plus connections for electricity and water. Would 5,000 for these connections be realistic?

The plot is relatively large for today’s standards at 700 sqm (7,535 sq ft) and almost perfectly rectangular. The idea would be to place the garden shed as a border building behind the house in the northeast corner, with a carport in front (driveway in the southeast). Any opinions on this?

I think this idea is absolutely good; for example, an outdoor sauna is very easy to implement, and you can largely ignore issues like insulation and moisture. A workshop on the ground floor is also more practical. For these purposes, I wouldn’t build a basement, as it’s more expensive and less useful in this case. Even an outdoor shower would be enough... everything is simply easier to design outdoors.
I believe you can also save a significant amount of money, depending on the design, fittings, and your own work.
Maybe you could have the carpenter set up the basic frame on a foundation for you and then do the cladding and interior walls yourself.
You just have to make sure you get approval from the building authorities / planning permission... we had a bit of a tough time with that.

If this can be approved: go for it.

Not all development plans allow a second building of any size or limit a garden shed to, for example, 50 cubic meters (around 1,765 cubic feet). In particular, constructions on or near the property boundary are also length-restricted, and those with habitable rooms do not benefit from boundary privileges.
Furthermore, the decision for or against a basement is not made alone; the plot plays a role as well: if the plot "demands" a basement, avoiding it costs roughly the same as building one.

---

https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/

A garden shed of a certain size and wooden construction is generally exempt from requiring a building permit / planning permission. The sauna is more complicated, as it is considered a living space, and in Hesse we had to obtain a permit for it. Additionally, we had to register a building encumbrance for the sauna because it extends up to the property boundary.

Therefore, it is important to check directly with the building authority and clarify the requirements.

But the idea is good and understandable.

Getting approval will be difficult. The unit definitely needs insulation and heating, etc. I don’t think $20,000 will be enough. A small, basic garden shed already costs around $8,000 if you build it yourself. The whole thing will probably cost about $30,000. But that’s still $50,000 cheaper than a basement, and you get natural daylight, etc.

So it could be an option!