House with a basement

[bspeedy]

Most seem to like basements so I'll chime in with a dissenting opinion.

I grew up in a house with a basement. In fact, my bedroom was down there. Three times during my upbringing, I stepped out of bed into about 3 inches of water. Uh-oh. Wake up the folks and get busy. Tear out the carpet, start vacuuming, dry everything out. Get carpet re-installed and try again until...

I've owned houses with a basement, a slab and now a crawlspace. The crawlspace house is our current house that we had custom built. Here's the logic for me. For 30-50 grand for a basement, it makes absolutely NO sense unless you have no space above ground. Seriously - an UNDERGROUND HOUSE???? Think about that. In my case, I have 53 acres. And I'd spend a crap-ton of money to build a house UNDERGROUND for what????

Instead of the basement, I have a 3-car attached garage AND a 2800 sq ft pole barn with five 12x12 doors. Now that's some valuable storage space!!!

 

[buckeyefarmer]

Because a basement can add 10% to 20% to the cost of a house. Some people choose to put that money elsewhere, or can't afford it in the first place. Furnace, water heater, laundy, freezer, etc., all work above grade, too.

If the house has crawl space, less than 5% more. I would cut out a granite countertop and pay for the basement.
My dad blasted out rock for his basement.

 

[prichard]

Most seem to like basements so I'll chime in with a dissenting opinion.

I grew up in a house with a basement. In fact, my bedroom was down there. Three times during my upbringing, I stepped out of bed into about 3 inches of water. Uh-oh. Wake up the folks and get busy. Tear out the carpet, start vacuuming, dry everything out. Get carpet re-installed and try again until...

I've owned houses with a basement, a slab and now a crawlspace. The crawlspace house is our current house that we had custom built. Here's the logic for me. For 30-50 grand for a basement, it makes absolutely NO sense unless you have no space above ground. Seriously - an UNDERGROUND HOUSE???? Think about that. In my case, I have 53 acres. And I'd spend a crap-ton of money to build a house UNDERGROUND for what????

Instead of the basement, I have a 3-car attached garage AND a 2800 sq ft pole barn with five 12x12 doors. Now that's some valuable storage space!!!

That's exactly what we are currently building. For the price of a basement I am building a detached shop. I'd rather noise, dust and exhaust fumes not enter the house. As we age we want nothing to do with stairs. Also with the granite we encountered putting septic in wed likely need to blast to go deep enough and don't have the slope for walkout.

 

[rbstern]

Most seem to like basements so I'll chime in with a dissenting opinion.

I grew up in a house with a basement. In fact, my bedroom was down there. Three times during my upbringing, I stepped out of bed into about 3 inches of water. Uh-oh. Wake up the folks and get busy. Tear out the carpet, start vacuuming, dry everything out. Get carpet re-installed and try again until...

I've owned houses with a basement, a slab and now a crawlspace. The crawlspace house is our current house that we had custom built. Here's the logic for me. For 30-50 grand for a basement, it makes absolutely NO sense unless you have no space above ground. Seriously - an UNDERGROUND HOUSE???? Think about that. In my case, I have 53 acres. And I'd spend a crap-ton of money to build a house UNDERGROUND for what????

Instead of the basement, I have a 3-car attached garage AND a 2800 sq ft pole barn with five 12x12 doors. Now that's some valuable storage space!!!

That's what was right for your situation. In my new construction, also on sizable acreage, the ranch is being built on a slope that goes down to a lake. Walk out basement is seen as the very natural approach to maximizing lake access and view.

If I was in your situation, I wouldn't have dug a basement, either. People build the house that suits their topology, lifestyle, budget, needs, wants, etc. None of us have exactly the same list of needs and wants.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

If you're paying 30 to 50 grand for a basement, you got bigger problems...

 

[rbstern]

If you're paying 30 to 50 grand for a basement, you got bigger problems...

Or a bigger house.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

Or a bigger house.

And if you can afford that, the basement shouldn't be the money issue.

To each his own.

As far as water, put in floor drains, and/or water alarms.

 

[rbstern]

And if you can afford that, the basement shouldn't be the money issue.

To each his own.

As far as water, put in floor drains, and/or water alarms.

The point is, every homeowner (or would-be homeowner) is different. What you value, somebody else may not. That's why they build houses with basements, crawlspaces, or on slabs. They all suit different purposes and circumstances.

 

[shaeff]

Haven't hooked it up yet, but hoping to have it up and running this fall.

Edit- the walk-out is out of the picture frame in the lower right on the long side of the foundation. 6' wide doors.

Edit2- also had a radon pipe installed, just in case! It's connected to a perimeter of perforated pipe under the slab.

 

[GLyford]

Another issue I see, OP is in Va., I see responses from WI, ND, GA, TX etc.

Big difference in required depth of footings to avoid frost. In Va it appears to be 18". Where I am it is 48. Basements (even non-walk-out like mine) make a lot of sense when you already have to dig deep anyway. Slabs, "footed" slabs, piers and crawlspaces make a lot of sense when you don't. And as someone else mentioned, lot size comes into play. My lot here is under 2ac, many are 1/2ac or smaller. On a larger property, adding a barn or freestanding garage instead may make more sense...and still not have to deal with stairs.

If your intended lot has the slope to make a walk-out practical, I would be inclined to do it, and leave it unfinished but it shows two of my biases: 1. I live in the land of full basements, so it is what I am used to and like, and 2. I am a packrat and tool user, more (unfinished) workspace is always in demand. It is pretty easy to justify the purchase of a whole floor of work space when it is included in the cost of the house.