ᐅ Is building a basement still justified today?

I also know from most basements that they tend to get cluttered rather than being used efficiently. We have a lot of overnight guests, so we have guest rooms plus a bathroom on a separate floor. When the one or two unbearably hot weeks in summer come, we simply sleep in the basement.

The large room is often used for gaming, watching concerts at high volume, or hosting parties (bar with water connection). I don’t want any of that in the living room.

If the room ever does get cluttered, I’ll know something is wrong—let’s see.

Is it allowed to have a workbench in the garage? I thought only a car was supposed to go there. For example, we don’t have space for a garden shed. So some extra storage space in the basement is really helpful.

But I can also understand the perspective of the “other side.”

lastdrop schrieb:

In any case, I’d rather spend my time above ground than underground.

Yes, me too. I generally find basements uncomfortable, whether in my parents’ older 1970s house or in new builds. Basements just aren’t my thing, even when they’re finished as living space. Nearly all the rooms that homeowners often place in their basements wouldn’t appeal to me down there. Not to mention whether you actually need a party room, hobby room, home theater, or whatever. In our case, those rooms would probably stay empty most of the time because they wouldn’t be used, whether in the basement or above ground. But of course, that varies for everyone, and some people clearly enjoy having those spaces, in which case a basement might make more sense—especially where land costs are high.

Just for storage space, a basement would have been too expensive for us. So from the start, we decided to build without one. Here in the countryside, land is still very affordable (55 €/m² (about $5.80 per ft²)), so if necessary, we would rather have built bigger above ground than included a basement. However, I think we have enough storage space as it is—more is always nice, but you really have to ask yourself if you actually need it. I see it with my parents: a huge, fully basements house, plus a garage with a workshop. And the basement is packed to the brim. But if you look at what my parents actually use and need there... you could easily throw away 90% of it. Since they have the space, they just keep everything. There are even school notebooks from my elementary days that will never be looked at again, and old carnival costumes from 1980 that nobody will ever wear again.

In our house, we will have a utility room on the ground floor of just over 10 m² (about 108 ft²) for technical equipment, washing machine/dryer, and some shelves for rarely used kitchen appliances, etc.; a storage space under the stairs of around 4-5 m² (about 43–54 ft²), for cleaning supplies, drink crates, and so on; a storage room behind the garage with 18 m² (about 194 ft²), for tools, bicycles, lawnmower, possibly garden furniture; the attic (pitched roof) for rarely used items like surplus tiles/paint, seasonal decorations, old children’s toys, etc.; and a large walk-in wardrobe with around 7 meters (23 feet) of closet space to store all our adult clothes as well as bedding, sportswear, and so on. We also have a study room where paperwork will be stored and, if necessary, other items like a yoga mat if there’s no more room in the utility room. I think this will be sufficient. Did we really need a basement just for storage? I don’t think so.

By the way, in this region, very few homeowners build with basements. I’d estimate maybe 10%, if that. And we live in the countryside where people “have always built with basements” and most plots are on a (slight) slope.

I have no idea if a workbench is allowed in there or not. We're just putting it in anyway. It is 7 meters long (23 feet), so there is enough space. Besides, only the motorcycle will go into the garage. The car will be parked in the carport next to it.

A workshop in the garage is a definite no-go for me. I use it quite often, and in winter the garage is freezing cold, while in summer it gets very hot. Above all, I don’t want to keep my expensive equipment (oscilloscope, laboratory power supplies, workshop PC, tools, etc.) in the garage.

I believe this really depends on the room layout. If you need several utility rooms, a basement is simply more economical than having the same area above ground.

And if the basement gets cluttered... I think that depends on the mentality. If there is no basement but only a garage, it will probably get cluttered by the same type of person in the same way.

*Daniels87rechtgeb*

I know garages that haven’t been used for their original purpose for a long time because they’re completely filled up. The car is parked in front of them.
So, if someone wants to fill up their space with stuff, they will, whether they have a basement or not.

There are people here who discuss the cost of the basement but then plan a garage where no car is supposed to go. That’s really baffling. Depending on the garage, it can quickly cost 10,000 to 20,000 euros. A basic utility basement costs less than 600 euros per square meter (if it is not waterproof concrete).

I think many have the general idea in mind that "basements are expensive" without actually having a concrete offer in writing.