Hello everyone,
We are building a prefab house (urban villa passive house KfW 40 Plus including photovoltaic system, nearly 160 sqm (1,722 sq ft) with a fireplace and hip roof with a 25° (25 degrees) roof pitch).
We submitted the building notification without a basement for cost reasons (according to the manufacturer, a basement including the shell costs about 60,000 Euros, and based on our bad experiences with basements in rental apartments).
For the past two weeks, I can’t stop thinking that this might be a mistake. Where will we go if we want to host a party? Where do we put the hobby room, winter clothes, flea market boxes, fitness equipment, souvenirs from our vacations, my decorations, and many other things? What if we want to add a sauna later?
Unfortunately, the rooms upstairs are already fully utilized. We had the idea of a guest house in the garden that could also serve as a hobby room and storage space. But our architect told us that this would probably not be approved. We are only allowed to build 30 m³ (1,059 cubic feet). A conservatory would be too small and also quite expensive, according to our research.
I would appreciate any experience reports or advice. I’m afraid we will really regret this and that I won’t be happy.
Furthermore, we were strongly recommended the Proxon air-to-air heat pump system, sold by Proxon (Zimmermann ventilation). However, during the cold days, I am very concerned that the floor (we have tiles downstairs and laminate upstairs) will be too cold, especially for our baby. We were told that with modern underfloor heating, people don’t really feel the cold anymore. We are uncertain which type of heating is right for us.
One more thing: we have a garage with space for one car and a small storage room. Unfortunately, the plot does not allow for anything bigger. I’m also not sure if it would have been better to include a door from the garage into the house; we only just started to see this might be really necessary.
I always feel like I forgot something important in the house planning that I might later regret, and as a result, I lie awake at night. I just can’t switch off.
We are building a prefab house (urban villa passive house KfW 40 Plus including photovoltaic system, nearly 160 sqm (1,722 sq ft) with a fireplace and hip roof with a 25° (25 degrees) roof pitch).
We submitted the building notification without a basement for cost reasons (according to the manufacturer, a basement including the shell costs about 60,000 Euros, and based on our bad experiences with basements in rental apartments).
For the past two weeks, I can’t stop thinking that this might be a mistake. Where will we go if we want to host a party? Where do we put the hobby room, winter clothes, flea market boxes, fitness equipment, souvenirs from our vacations, my decorations, and many other things? What if we want to add a sauna later?
Unfortunately, the rooms upstairs are already fully utilized. We had the idea of a guest house in the garden that could also serve as a hobby room and storage space. But our architect told us that this would probably not be approved. We are only allowed to build 30 m³ (1,059 cubic feet). A conservatory would be too small and also quite expensive, according to our research.
I would appreciate any experience reports or advice. I’m afraid we will really regret this and that I won’t be happy.
Furthermore, we were strongly recommended the Proxon air-to-air heat pump system, sold by Proxon (Zimmermann ventilation). However, during the cold days, I am very concerned that the floor (we have tiles downstairs and laminate upstairs) will be too cold, especially for our baby. We were told that with modern underfloor heating, people don’t really feel the cold anymore. We are uncertain which type of heating is right for us.
One more thing: we have a garage with space for one car and a small storage room. Unfortunately, the plot does not allow for anything bigger. I’m also not sure if it would have been better to include a door from the garage into the house; we only just started to see this might be really necessary.
I always feel like I forgot something important in the house planning that I might later regret, and as a result, I lie awake at night. I just can’t switch off.
G
Gartenfreund9 Jan 2017 06:45I live in a house with a basement, so I simply cannot imagine living without one. You can store so much down there that you wouldn’t have space for otherwise. Here, the heating system (oil) and washing machine are located in the basement. There is also a room for food storage and a chest freezer, as the temperature stays constant around 12°C (54°F) throughout the year. Christmas decorations, rarely used pots, and baking pans are also stored in boxes in the basement. Additionally, there is a hobby and craft room where a floor drill press and a lathe have found their place.
I wouldn’t like having a garden shed because it takes up unnecessary space. It also costs money to buy and maintain. In winter, it might even need heating, which again costs money. If you want to connect it to your heating system, there will be additional expenses for laying pipes and proper insulation.
I would recommend considering what you can do yourself, for example, wallpapering or landscaping your garden. Things like that, and using the money saved for the basement. Also, don’t forget the money you don’t spend on the garden shed.
What negative experiences have you had with a basement so far?
I wouldn’t like having a garden shed because it takes up unnecessary space. It also costs money to buy and maintain. In winter, it might even need heating, which again costs money. If you want to connect it to your heating system, there will be additional expenses for laying pipes and proper insulation.
I would recommend considering what you can do yourself, for example, wallpapering or landscaping your garden. Things like that, and using the money saved for the basement. Also, don’t forget the money you don’t spend on the garden shed.
What negative experiences have you had with a basement so far?
H
HilfeHilfe9 Jan 2017 07:32It is definitely possible to build a house without a basement and manage just fine.
We have an external storage room as well as a 12 m² (130 sq ft) garden shed because we own/use the garden area attached to the house. The garden shed is used to store gardening tools as well as seasonal decorations for winter and Easter. The storage room, which is warmer, holds old clothes and leftover items from the local festival.
What many people struggle with is simply letting go. Just dispose of old junk or sell it through online classifieds. We have become quite relaxed about this over time. There is no other way; otherwise, we would have space problems. We own a 110 m² (1,184 sq ft) property with four people living in it.
We have an external storage room as well as a 12 m² (130 sq ft) garden shed because we own/use the garden area attached to the house. The garden shed is used to store gardening tools as well as seasonal decorations for winter and Easter. The storage room, which is warmer, holds old clothes and leftover items from the local festival.
What many people struggle with is simply letting go. Just dispose of old junk or sell it through online classifieds. We have become quite relaxed about this over time. There is no other way; otherwise, we would have space problems. We own a 110 m² (1,184 sq ft) property with four people living in it.
🙂 It’s basically a fundamental choice: do I live with or without ‘baggage’? We definitely live WITH it. With books and inherited dishes, with pictures and various hobbies, with winter and summer wardrobes and several suitcases, with Christmas and Easter decorations, with a wine cellar and a family archive.
Yes, it is also a burden – but it is also an enrichment. Yet each person has to decide that for themselves.
Yes, it is also a burden – but it is also an enrichment. Yet each person has to decide that for themselves.
B
Bieber08159 Jan 2017 09:10I have now brought the (few) bottles of wine from the garage into the house because I was concerned about the -6°C (21°F) temperature outside (the freezing point of red wine is, as far as I know, around that range). I would like to have a cellar and also a larger/more usable attic.
Nofret schrieb:
🙂 It is basically a fundamental decision: do I live with or without ‘baggage’? We definitely live WITH it. With books and inherited dishes, with pictures and multiple hobbies, with winter/summer wardrobes and various suitcases, with Christmas and Easter decorations, with a wine cellar and a family archive.
Yes, it is also a burden—but it is also an enrichment. But everyone has to decide that for themselves.Is it?
- Books in the basement -> If that’s a hobby, you plan a small library room, but please not in the basement, rather in a nice spot with a window and a comfortable chair.
- Dishes in the basement? My kitchen is big enough to store everything there. Things I never use but keep for sentimental reasons can also go to the attic.
- Pictures? The same... attic, you swap those at most once in a blue moon.
- Winter/summer wardrobes -> walk-in closet with enough space... no annoying back-and-forth packing and unpacking (which is tedious anyway).
- Decorations in the attic...
- Wine cellar... I prefer it on the ground floor. Ok, then it’s just a wine fridge in the utility room 😉
- Hobbies... hobby room? I don’t want to pursue my hobby in the basement... Gear for skiing can also be stored in basement substitute rooms like the utility room or attic, depending on how often you use them. OK, someone with a huge stamp collection or an old train enthusiast might need a basement, but such hobbies are not so common anymore 😉
OK, what I am noticing myself: we also need an extra room for things you only use maybe once a year 😉 Without a basement or attic, I wouldn’t manage either.
But most things I prefer to store where I can easily reach them. Always running down to the basement for a bottle of wine? Hmm. Constantly switching between winter and summer clothes... Hmm. Always carrying laundry up and down two flights of stairs, PHEW. Each to their own.
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