ᐅ Is it advisable to omit basement windows in a ventilated cellar?

Created on: 12 Feb 2016 11:26
A
andimann
Hello everyone,

The idea actually came to me through Cumpa’s thread about light wells:

If I connect the basement to the mechanical ventilation system, could I then also do without basement windows?

Background: initially, we did not plan for a mechanical ventilation system, so we naturally included windows in the basement rooms. Now, however, we are including mechanical ventilation, and the basement will be ventilated as well.

So the question is whether we could simply omit the windows in basement rooms 3 (storage room) and the utility room. The light wells there are somewhat inconvenient anyway...

Basement room 2 will be an office with a light well, so these windows are fixed. Due to our design flood level, these will also be flood-resistant windows along with drainage for the light well.

For basement room 1, I am uncertain; it will be my workshop, so I will probably keep the window there.

Whether this really makes sense, I don’t know yet. For the light well in basement 2, I will need drainage anyway and have to run it to the inspection chamber. So the potential savings may be limited to the flood-resistant windows in basement 3 and the utility room, plus the light wells. Together, that will already be around 3,000 to 4,000 euros.

So my question to the group:

Have you installed windows in a basement with mechanical ventilation, or could you actually do without them?


Best regards,

Andreas

Floor plan basement level with three basement rooms, corridor, and utility/laundry including gas condensing boiler.
sirhc16 Feb 2016 09:58
I will follow this with interest.
B
Bieber0815
16 Feb 2016 21:29
I would recommend having a window in rooms intended for occupancy, such as a workshop or hobby room. For purely utilitarian rooms, like storage or technical rooms, I could easily manage without a window. I would connect all rooms to the controlled ventilation system.
andimann3 Mar 2016 20:53
Hi,

just a quick update: we have now painted the basement windows in the large storage room (Basement 3) and the utility room. This also works better for us in relation to the terrace above.

Best regards,

Andreas
sirhc3 May 2016 11:52
All four light wells/basement windows have now been removed from the plan. Only the guest room will have a "proper" window (inclined glazing). The entire basement will be connected to a mechanical ventilation system with heat recovery and will have underfloor heating.
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R.Hotzenplotz
15 Oct 2017 21:03
We will probably skip the window in the guest room. The contractor says it can only be done with an excavated light well and not with a small window at floor level with a burglar-proof grille. That would be terrible for the guest, having to worry all the time that someone is standing outside the window. I find basement windows with light wells really awful.
A
Anitra
16 Oct 2017 09:47
A guest room without any windows and especially without natural daylight is not very inviting. It feels more like a large storage room with a bed and a wardrobe inside. Outside, the sun is shining brightly, and your guest... well... will probably turn on the light first when they move into the room in the afternoon. It’s a bit of a shame, really.

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