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!
D
daniels871 Jul 2018 14:56HilfeHilfe schrieb:
A basement is unnecessary and costs 50-60k. It just becomes a place for junk that gets thrown away after 20 years, and people somehow think they will use it. Two kids, a garden shed (10 sqm (108 sq ft)), and an external storage room (8 sqm (86 sq ft)). Everything that needs to go is sold on local classifieds. My parents have an XXL garage/basement. They have to post 10 ads every few weeks because they keep finding some unique item again.The inability to keep things organized is, of course, a very strong argument against having a basement. I think even without a basement, people would still clutter everything up.
Our storage room in the basement is the smallest room at 9 sqm (97 sq ft), and it is still relatively empty. Everything stored there is something we might use once or twice a year. I don’t like it when drawers in the living room or kitchen are completely full.
hampshire schrieb:
The space argument is valid—especially for garden enthusiasts who won’t want to do without a garden shed or ground-level access to garden tools. If it’s made somewhat larger, moisture-protected, and frost-free, you basically have a small workshop right there...Garden tools don’t belong in my workshop either. That’s why a storage room of about 15 sqm (161 sq ft) will be built under the carport.
H
HilfeHilfe1 Jul 2018 15:09daniels87 schrieb:
The inability to keep things organized is, of course, a very strong argument against having a basement. I think even without a basement, you’d end up cluttering everything anyway.
Our storage room in the basement is the smallest room with 9 square meters (97 square feet), and it’s still relatively empty. Everything that we might need 1-2 times a year ends up there. I don’t like it when drawers in the living room or kitchen are completely full.
Garden tools don’t belong in my workshop either. For that, there will be a tool storage room of about 15 square meters (160 square feet) under the carport. Yes, I know, basement owners often talk about being organized. I’ve only seen two basements that looked tidy. The rest were just full of junk. Things stored in boxes, labeled or unlabeled. My workshop consists of a drill/cordless screwdriver, a well-organized selection of screws and wall plugs, and a small toolbox. If I need any special tools, which is about every eight years, I borrow them from my father-in-law or the hardware store. They have everything! Recently, I bought a stone saw for €140 because renting it was just as expensive. I’ll be selling it soon for €90. Purpose served. Oh, and yesterday I needed a plane, searched like crazy, and then bought one for €8.95. Today I randomly found another one! Now I have two! Made in China and ordered online. Nobody needs to stockpile anymore. Those with workshops get annoyed because everything is constantly being lent out. Me included.
We don’t have a basement. We don’t really need one; there’s enough space. On the ground floor, there is a large workshop, a laundry room, space for oil tanks, the heating system, and the water pump. Next to the kitchen, on the north side, there is a pantry (for the many jars of preserves ). Other tools and equipment are stored in a shed; car-related items are kept in a cabinet in the carport. Additional storage goes into the unfinished attic.
In general, though, I think basements are great. My mother-in-law has a regular basement – dry and consistently warm throughout the year. She stores fabrics, clothing, party dishes, beer garden benches there, and does laundry. One room serves as a pantry with a chest freezer. Besides this regular basement, there is a traditional cellar used for storing apples, potatoes, and vegetables in winter.
But I believe it’s like many other things: there’s no one-size-fits-all recommendation. Everyone is different. Some want a large pantry; others don’t even like to keep a packet of pasta in stock at home. Some prefer to have everything ready for bigger celebrations and parties; others rather rent what they need from a party service when the time comes. Some accumulate many tools and spare parts around the house, while others prefer to call a professional. Some own extensive (winter) sports equipment; others do not. Everyone really has to decide that for themselves.
I’m sure the vast majority here in the forum wouldn’t be happy living in and with our house – but that’s not the goal. Only we are. So each person must set their own priorities and honestly consider how much space they need, where, and for what purpose.
In general, though, I think basements are great. My mother-in-law has a regular basement – dry and consistently warm throughout the year. She stores fabrics, clothing, party dishes, beer garden benches there, and does laundry. One room serves as a pantry with a chest freezer. Besides this regular basement, there is a traditional cellar used for storing apples, potatoes, and vegetables in winter.
But I believe it’s like many other things: there’s no one-size-fits-all recommendation. Everyone is different. Some want a large pantry; others don’t even like to keep a packet of pasta in stock at home. Some prefer to have everything ready for bigger celebrations and parties; others rather rent what they need from a party service when the time comes. Some accumulate many tools and spare parts around the house, while others prefer to call a professional. Some own extensive (winter) sports equipment; others do not. Everyone really has to decide that for themselves.
I’m sure the vast majority here in the forum wouldn’t be happy living in and with our house – but that’s not the goal. Only we are. So each person must set their own priorities and honestly consider how much space they need, where, and for what purpose.
D
daniels871 Jul 2018 16:15HilfeHilfe schrieb:
Yes, I know, basement owners often talk about organization. I have only seen two basements that looked tidy. The rest were just full of junk. Items stored in boxes with or without labels. My workshop consists of a drill/cordless screwdriver, a well-organized selection of screws and anchors, and a small toolbox. When I need special tools every eight years, I borrow them from my father-in-law or the hardware store. They have everything! Recently, I bought a stone saw for €140 because renting was just as expensive. I’ll sell it soon for €90. Served its purpose. Oh, and yesterday I needed a plane, searched like crazy, and finally bought one for €8.95. Then I found another one by chance today! Now I have two! Made in China and bought online. Nobody needs to hoard tools anymore. Those who do have workshops get annoyed because everything keeps getting borrowed. To me. Everyone understands “workshop” differently.
By your definition, a large drawer is enough. But a bigger 3D printer or a CNC milling machine definitely wouldn’t fit in there, not to mention a pillar drill. My wife would also be furious if I soldered at the kitchen table.
I think whether a basement is needed or not is a very individual decision.
This thread is completely pointless. The original poster had already made up their mind before writing the first post.
I planned with a basement, and if I had a flat plot, I would have built without a basement. There are few rational reasons for a basement. Either you want or need one, or you don’t—period. Why are you all complaining here? Pure waste of time.
I planned with a basement, and if I had a flat plot, I would have built without a basement. There are few rational reasons for a basement. Either you want or need one, or you don’t—period. Why are you all complaining here? Pure waste of time.
Basements today are no longer like they used to be. When building a basement, it should be fully insulated with a finished floor and a ceiling height of 2.50 meters (8 ft 2 in), the same as the ground floor. Ideally, it should also have light wells, etc. This way, the level will not be a dark storage room but a fully usable living space.
If the plot of land is flat and larger than 800 m² (8,600 sq ft), I think I would build without a basement as well.
If the plot of land is flat and larger than 800 m² (8,600 sq ft), I think I would build without a basement as well.
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