ᐅ Is a Basement Practical for a Single-Family Home or Usually Too Expensive?
Created on: 30 Jun 2018 21:56
A
Abzug86
Hello everyone,
I’d like to take this opportunity to introduce myself briefly: my name is Michael, I’m 32 years old, married, (currently) no children, employed at an insurance agency in northern Bavaria, and my wife and I are planning to build a new single-family house in 2019. I will share more details in a separate thread once the concept is worked out in detail.
At the moment, we are getting inspiration from the catalogs of several general contractors and are considering which "type" of house is right for us. This raised the question: do we need a basement? And if so, for what purpose? I’ll explain this further with an example (both plots are level):
Single-family house 1: basement, ground floor, usable attic, footprint 100 m² (1,076 sq ft), living area (according to the Wohnflächenverordnung) 140 m² (1,507 sq ft).
Single-family house 2: ground floor, usable attic, footprint 130 m² (1,399 sq ft), living area (according to the Wohnflächenverordnung) 185 m² (1,992 sq ft).
Both options would cost roughly the same (~375,000 EUR turnkey). Single-family house 1 has a basement; single-family house 2 does not but offers significantly more living space. Both are heated by a heat pump.
In my understanding, there are three main reasons for having a basement: 1. as storage space, 2. for the heating system, and 3. for the utility/laundry room. Step by step:
1.) I can’t really think of much that I would need to store down there—at least not on a total area of about 50+ m² (540+ sq ft)...
2.) Since heating is provided by a heat pump, the "heater" itself would be located outside anyway. The basement would only house the controls (and the hot water tank?). I assume these could also be installed on the ground floor, right?
3.) If the utility room is in the basement and the bedroom is on the upper floor, my wife would have to go up and down two levels. Also, ventilation would be difficult when air-drying laundry. For these reasons, it might even make more sense to move this area to the ground floor.
I’m curious to hear your thoughts on basements—perhaps I am missing important points or have a wrong understanding regarding the "heating room." Thanks in advance for your help!
I’d like to take this opportunity to introduce myself briefly: my name is Michael, I’m 32 years old, married, (currently) no children, employed at an insurance agency in northern Bavaria, and my wife and I are planning to build a new single-family house in 2019. I will share more details in a separate thread once the concept is worked out in detail.
At the moment, we are getting inspiration from the catalogs of several general contractors and are considering which "type" of house is right for us. This raised the question: do we need a basement? And if so, for what purpose? I’ll explain this further with an example (both plots are level):
Single-family house 1: basement, ground floor, usable attic, footprint 100 m² (1,076 sq ft), living area (according to the Wohnflächenverordnung) 140 m² (1,507 sq ft).
Single-family house 2: ground floor, usable attic, footprint 130 m² (1,399 sq ft), living area (according to the Wohnflächenverordnung) 185 m² (1,992 sq ft).
Both options would cost roughly the same (~375,000 EUR turnkey). Single-family house 1 has a basement; single-family house 2 does not but offers significantly more living space. Both are heated by a heat pump.
In my understanding, there are three main reasons for having a basement: 1. as storage space, 2. for the heating system, and 3. for the utility/laundry room. Step by step:
1.) I can’t really think of much that I would need to store down there—at least not on a total area of about 50+ m² (540+ sq ft)...
2.) Since heating is provided by a heat pump, the "heater" itself would be located outside anyway. The basement would only house the controls (and the hot water tank?). I assume these could also be installed on the ground floor, right?
3.) If the utility room is in the basement and the bedroom is on the upper floor, my wife would have to go up and down two levels. Also, ventilation would be difficult when air-drying laundry. For these reasons, it might even make more sense to move this area to the ground floor.
I’m curious to hear your thoughts on basements—perhaps I am missing important points or have a wrong understanding regarding the "heating room." Thanks in advance for your help!
haydee schrieb:
Clothes in the dryer, on the drying rack next to the washing machine, and spotted clothes also hang in the sun during winter.
What supplies? Just a few beverage crates and some provisions? Where they are needed. In the kitchen or in the storage room between the garage and the living areasUsing the dryer is out of the question; it damages delicate clothing. Many items can’t go in there. In winter, I definitely don’t want to hang laundry outside. And next to the washing machine? How big would the utility room need to be to properly sort and hang clothes with two kids? Then you might also have heating components, descaling equipment, ventilation systems—so you’re already at about 25 m² (270 sq ft), which requires a large ground floor space. Plus, there’s the noise from the spin cycle.
We always keep a lot of supplies at home. What’s currently needed is in the kitchen or pantry. Reserve stock is in the basement, and when something is on sale, I buy extra. Sometimes I even have three cartons of milk at home. There’s also a separate freezer in the basement, plus homemade jams and similar preserves.
Well, I also believe the time will come when we’ll be glad to be able to sustain ourselves for one or two months if the supermarkets close for some reason.
Best prepper regards
Bookstar schrieb:
where you are glad to be able to provide for yourself for 1-2 months if the supermarkets are ever closed This is again an argument in favor of an underground basement so as not to waste valuable vegetable garden space for a substitute basement above ground…
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I hardly have any clothes that aren’t allowed in; even all my blouses hold up well. Children’s clothes are always partially dried, which makes them softer. The drying rack can hold up to two loads at once. Suits dry on hangers.
Sunlight, even in winter, is the most effective and cheapest stain remover.
8 square meters (86 square feet) are needed for sorting laundry, washing machine, dryer, hanging space, sink, and cabinets.
I also have enough food for three weeks. If it comes to a point where supermarkets are closed for weeks, hopefully you have a bunker or an impressive arsenal of weapons. Public order will no longer exist.
Sunlight, even in winter, is the most effective and cheapest stain remover.
8 square meters (86 square feet) are needed for sorting laundry, washing machine, dryer, hanging space, sink, and cabinets.
I also have enough food for three weeks. If it comes to a point where supermarkets are closed for weeks, hopefully you have a bunker or an impressive arsenal of weapons. Public order will no longer exist.
Denis L. schrieb:
Even a 20sqm (215 sq ft) room just for drying laundry and storage is cheaper than a basement.It depends on the plot, but it can be true. Only with a basement do I effectively get 100 sqm (1,076 sq ft) of extra space for free.
I'm simply an advocate for basements. As a child, I loved having one for fitness and as a party room. Even now, I definitely don’t want to do without it. Maybe it’s partly a Southern German mindset—here almost everyone has a basement. Although in current new housing developments, basements are increasingly being left out, which is understandable given the prices.
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