ᐅ House Construction with Extension or Basement/Hobby Workshop
Created on: 20 Nov 2017 10:03
S
Spiernik
Hello dear house building forum,
We are currently planning to build a house. Unfortunately, we are finding the planning quite difficult. It feels like a chicken-and-egg problem.
How much does the house cost? It’s hard to say without knowing the land price.
How much can the land cost? It’s hard to say without knowing the house price.
Therefore, we are trying to estimate the costs at the moment.
We would like to build a basement as a hobby workshop. We have quite a number of machines that would appreciate a proper place to stay.
Extension or basement, because we prefer not to have the dirt inside the house. Simply increasing the living space of the house is not an option for this reason.
What we would like to have at a minimum:
1. Heated (via the house’s central heating system?)
2. > ~50m² (540 sq ft)
3. Power supply (including three-phase power)
4. Partially soundproofed / insulated
| **Basement** | **Extension** |
|--------------|---------------|
| *Advantages* | *Advantages* |
| - More garden space
- Direct connection to the house
- No issues with building distance requirements
- Potentially higher market value of the house?
- Climate buffer?
- Better sound insulation (for neighbors)
- Network technology can be centralized | - Cheaper (?)
- Ground-level entrance
- Large gate/door
- Can possibly be added later |
| *Disadvantages* | *Disadvantages* |
| - Cost
- Utility room in the basement incurs additional cost
- Moisture and mold?
- Difficult natural lighting situation
- Poor access (always via narrow stairs)
- Bikes have to go to the garage
- Possibly need a sewage lift system
- Difficult soil could increase costs | - Less garden space
- May not visually match the house
- Security against break-ins? |
These are the pros and cons we are more or less certain about.
But some questions remain open:
1. Foundation for the extension? Slab foundation or like a garage?
2. Are building distance requirements also applicable from the extension to the property boundaries?
3. What is the difference (from a building regulation perspective) between a garage and an extension?
4. Can the extension be heated via the house’s central heating? Is it possible to relocate a utility room to the extension even if it is not directly connected to the main building?
5. Costs? Is there a general rule of thumb about the cost ratio? For example, does an extension usually cost only about 80% of a basement for the same floor area?
We are currently planning to build a house. Unfortunately, we are finding the planning quite difficult. It feels like a chicken-and-egg problem.
How much does the house cost? It’s hard to say without knowing the land price.
How much can the land cost? It’s hard to say without knowing the house price.
Therefore, we are trying to estimate the costs at the moment.
We would like to build a basement as a hobby workshop. We have quite a number of machines that would appreciate a proper place to stay.
Extension or basement, because we prefer not to have the dirt inside the house. Simply increasing the living space of the house is not an option for this reason.
What we would like to have at a minimum:
1. Heated (via the house’s central heating system?)
2. > ~50m² (540 sq ft)
3. Power supply (including three-phase power)
4. Partially soundproofed / insulated
| **Basement** | **Extension** |
|--------------|---------------|
| *Advantages* | *Advantages* |
| - More garden space
- Direct connection to the house
- No issues with building distance requirements
- Potentially higher market value of the house?
- Climate buffer?
- Better sound insulation (for neighbors)
- Network technology can be centralized | - Cheaper (?)
- Ground-level entrance
- Large gate/door
- Can possibly be added later |
| *Disadvantages* | *Disadvantages* |
| - Cost
- Utility room in the basement incurs additional cost
- Moisture and mold?
- Difficult natural lighting situation
- Poor access (always via narrow stairs)
- Bikes have to go to the garage
- Possibly need a sewage lift system
- Difficult soil could increase costs | - Less garden space
- May not visually match the house
- Security against break-ins? |
These are the pros and cons we are more or less certain about.
But some questions remain open:
1. Foundation for the extension? Slab foundation or like a garage?
2. Are building distance requirements also applicable from the extension to the property boundaries?
3. What is the difference (from a building regulation perspective) between a garage and an extension?
4. Can the extension be heated via the house’s central heating? Is it possible to relocate a utility room to the extension even if it is not directly connected to the main building?
5. Costs? Is there a general rule of thumb about the cost ratio? For example, does an extension usually cost only about 80% of a basement for the same floor area?
Spiernik schrieb:
Exactly. That’s why I’m asking these silly questions.There are no silly questions.
Spiernik schrieb:
Well, in this case I’m afraid a basement might not even be more expensive than an extension. Instead of a 9x9m (30x30 ft) foundation slab, I’d need a 14x9m (46x30 ft) slab including earthworks. And the extension isn’t really much cheaper than living space if I basically have to fully finish it.I would say it depends on the plot of land.
Possibly a standard detached house with a technical room within the thermal envelope. Then an extension (if allowed by the building permit / planning permission) outside the thermal envelope that lets you easily move vehicles, machinery, bicycles, and lawnmowers in and out on ground level. With a window and maybe electric heating. Overall, that won’t be as expensive as a basement. Ground-level space is always more practical to use than a basement. Then you could add a carport as a boundary structure.
Or you could build an L-shaped house, with a workshop on the ground floor and your storage space under the roof above, maybe including the technical room.
In the end, it comes down to the plot.
D
daniels8720 Nov 2017 17:01For us, having a basement just happened naturally. We have a workshop, a (proper) gym, a utility room, and storage.
We also considered building larger from the start. But in practice, that’s not so simple. For example, if I increase the floor plan by about 25 square meters (270 square feet), it doesn’t automatically mean that the ground floor and upper floor each gain an extra 25 square meters (270 square feet). The layout often changes completely.
Our basement is unheated. Only the stairwell has underfloor heating. The temperature in my workshop is actually ideal. It’s perfect if it’s a bit cooler there, and if I’m mostly sitting down working (soldering, programming, etc.), I just open the door to the heating room, which warms it up by maybe 1-2 degrees Celsius (2-4 degrees Fahrenheit).
In the gym, the coolness of a basement is simply fantastic. Soundproofing is also a consideration, both for the workshop and the gym.
EDIT: And our basement is bone dry. We only have a controlled ventilation system on the ground and upper floors, so I kept the basement doors open for the first 2–3 months. Damp basements are pretty much a thing of the past, unless there was poor workmanship or cost-cutting.
We also considered building larger from the start. But in practice, that’s not so simple. For example, if I increase the floor plan by about 25 square meters (270 square feet), it doesn’t automatically mean that the ground floor and upper floor each gain an extra 25 square meters (270 square feet). The layout often changes completely.
Our basement is unheated. Only the stairwell has underfloor heating. The temperature in my workshop is actually ideal. It’s perfect if it’s a bit cooler there, and if I’m mostly sitting down working (soldering, programming, etc.), I just open the door to the heating room, which warms it up by maybe 1-2 degrees Celsius (2-4 degrees Fahrenheit).
In the gym, the coolness of a basement is simply fantastic. Soundproofing is also a consideration, both for the workshop and the gym.
EDIT: And our basement is bone dry. We only have a controlled ventilation system on the ground and upper floors, so I kept the basement doors open for the first 2–3 months. Damp basements are pretty much a thing of the past, unless there was poor workmanship or cost-cutting.
Spiernik schrieb:
Instead of a 9x9m (30x30 ft) slab, I will need a 14x9m (46x30 ft) slab I like to see that when someone plans in reasonable dimensions (which is usually not the case with forum newcomers).
Spiernik schrieb:
We are currently planning to build a house. Unfortunately, we find the planning difficult. Somehow, I always see a chicken-and-egg problem. Take a look here: https://www.hausbau-forum.de/threads/grundrissplanung-unbedingt-vor-Beitrag-Erstellung-lesen.11714/ – there is a questionnaire there, the answers to which provide a comprehensive picture for those helping with planning.
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