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!
Bonnie_Ham schrieb:
Where are the nurses, hairdressers, caregivers, administrative staff, police officers, and others in Munich supposed to live?
For several thousand of Munich’s social housing units (!), city employees already have a right of occupancy, but the supply is far from sufficient. This is truly a serious problem. And just because the situation is even worse elsewhere doesn’t make it any less problematic.
The purchase prices are currently ridiculously high everywhere, you are absolutely right. Many hospitals provide staff housing, but of course, this is not a real solution. My hairdresser moved back to Greece last year.
In my opinion, many vocational training jobs in the Munich area carry a high risk of old-age poverty. Private retirement provisions are unaffordable for many.
H
Hausbauer15 Jul 2018 16:56Sorry everyone, once again: No one is forced to live and work in Munich. A hairdresser can work elsewhere, and a nurse can apply for jobs in other locations.
I also can’t afford a single-family house right in the middle of Cologne or Düsseldorf; you just have to live with that. So, I look for more affordable (though not cheap) alternatives. If life in Munich is too expensive for me, I have to consider other, less costly options.
I’ll say it again: The purchase price levels have reached extreme proportions, especially in Munich and its surroundings. But no one is forced to live exactly there.
I also can’t afford a single-family house right in the middle of Cologne or Düsseldorf; you just have to live with that. So, I look for more affordable (though not cheap) alternatives. If life in Munich is too expensive for me, I have to consider other, less costly options.
I’ll say it again: The purchase price levels have reached extreme proportions, especially in Munich and its surroundings. But no one is forced to live exactly there.
Hausbauer1 schrieb:
No one is forced to live and work in Munich. A hairdresser can work elsewhere, and a nurse can apply for a job somewhere else.I basically agree with that.
But if you want to still be able to get your hair cut in Munich or have an emergency paramedic arrive in time, you can’t keep pushing them further and further outside the city.
Finally, the IMF has done what German institutions probably won’t do out of self-interest: they have identified a bubble in some major German cities, especially Munich. On average, Munich properties are being traded at 46% above their real value.
H
HilfeHilfe5 Jul 2018 20:37Alex85 schrieb:
I basically agree with that. But if you want to still be able to get a haircut in Munich or have emergency paramedics arrive when needed, you can't keep pushing people further and further out.
But finally, the IMF has done what German institutions probably won’t do out of self-interest: They have declared a bubble in some major German cities, especially Munich. Munich real estate is being traded at an average of 46% above its real value. The problem is that building and buying continue nonetheless. Nothing will change quickly as long as the economy remains strong. Regarding hairdressers, I can only say that the salary is shamefully low, but a friend told me that tips vary widely depending on the salon and can be quite good. Of course, there are differences between Saxony and Bavaria. The service sector is being pushed more toward the US model. In that case, tipping becomes necessary.