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!
Denis L. schrieb:
in Karlsfeld asking for a purchase price of 920k. .Well, it really depends on WHERE in Karlsfeld, right? If you just rush along Münchner Strasse, I wouldn’t want to live there either. But in the residential areas towards the back, in the north there’s the lake right nearby, to the northeast there’s forest, and also the regatta course.
You definitely have peace and quiet depending on the location, and can quickly access the highway (depending on traffic). All factors that drive up prices.
Bookstar schrieb:
In the past, one always pictured a small villa with a pool when thinking of a million. But the euro isn’t worth much anymore; now it gets you a terraced house with a tiny garden in a questionable neighborhood...Where we live, you can still build a sort of villa with a large plot for a million—but definitely not in Munich. I always wonder how people who work in Munich manage. I mean those with "average" incomes. The surrounding areas of Munich are just as unaffordable for them, and rents are also extremely high—so where and how do they live?
C
Caspar20203 Jul 2018 20:00You guys are spoiled down there in the south. I live just outside Cologne. For that price, you can already get something really nice; on the other hand, from my experience with colleagues, I know I wouldn’t have double the salary on my payslip if I were working in Munich.
It’s not always just the euro’s fault.
It’s not always just the euro’s fault.
Abzug86 schrieb:
You can still build a sort of villa with a large plot for a million euros here – but not in Munich. I always wonder how people who work in Munich manage. I mean those with "average" incomes. In the Munich suburbs, it’s just as unaffordable for them, and rents are also extremely high – so where or how do they actually live? They rent. And it’s not unusual for rent to already take up half of their net salary.
Caspar2020 schrieb:
You people down south are spoiled. I live just outside of Cologne. For that price, you can get something really nice; on the other hand, I know from experience with colleagues that I wouldn’t have double the salary on my paycheck even if I worked in Munich.
It’s not always just the euro’s fault.Not even close. Many people in Munich work for mechanical engineering companies with collective agreements. You can compare that with your own federal state.Rent, yes... in Munich, we paid the same for an 88sqm (945 sq ft) apartment as we do here for a 155sqm (1,668 sq ft) semi-detached house with a medium-sized garden.
That IS outrageous. And when I think about being a single parent with a child, possibly in a not-so-stable job—there’s no chance without support and zero chance to save even a cent or to improve one’s situation.
That IS outrageous. And when I think about being a single parent with a child, possibly in a not-so-stable job—there’s no chance without support and zero chance to save even a cent or to improve one’s situation.