basement or not

[semtex]

We are still in the house hunting process. As a first time buyer, one thing I noticed is the basement adding big value to the house, maybe 15%? One silly question: what's the benifit to have a basement, some answers from my coworkers:
1. keep junks
2. strong fundation
3. If pipe breaking, no need dig a hole at the floor.

Currently we are interested in one 1982 colonial house, 3000 sf with no basement. Big enough for a couple with a three years old boy. In fact, more than enough. So number one is not in the list any more, how about number 2 and 3? Some other things?

Thanks

 

[brewer12345]

If I had it to do all over again, I'd probably skip a basement. If the house has plenty of space for your needs and the price is right, I wouldn't hold out for a hole in the ground under the house.

 

[crazy connie]

I enjoy a basement when possible. Great for storage, place to hang out & make noise for kids, pool table, pin ball, casino slots, workshop, guest space etc... Also, depending on part of country you are in it can be safer during extreme weather (think tornado alley). It is space you can decide to expand into later if you have a young growing family. I would never put the laundry facilites there though. Traversing the stairs should be an optional. It also is earth sheltered and can provide a cooler place in summer if you do not have central air. Escape route windows or walk out is essential to my way of thinking. On new construction housing it gives you options for down the road once you have grown into the payments.

 

[brewer12345]

I enjoy a basement when possible. Great for storage, place to hang out & make noise for kids, pool table, pin ball, casino slots, workshop, guest space etc... Also, depending on part of country you are in it can be safer during extreme weather (think tornado alley). It is space you can decide to expand into later if you have a young growing family. I would never put the laundry facilites there though. Traversing the stairs should be an optional. It also is earth sheltered and can provide a cooler place in summer if you do not have central air. Escape route windows or walk out is essential to my way of thinking. On new construction housing it gives you options for down the road once you have grown into the payments.

IIRC, semtex is in NJ. At least in my part of God's Green Earth (NJ), a high water table makes the basement less of a great thing than it might otherwise be.

 

[bbbamI]

We've owned 2 houses that had basements. The space was good, but we could never completely eliminate the moisture/leaks. The house we own now is one story with no basement. As we are racing towards old fogeeism, we don't miss the stairs at all.

 

[saluki9]

Having a basement (along with the garage) was the main reason we just bought our house. It was the one thing I missed most while living in a condo.

My wife really likes the idea of my messy hobbies, exercise equipment, and screaming at the TV during Bears games to be underground

 

[haha]

I like a basement, but they are rare in Puget Sound area. It is hard to keep them dry in the clay soil and high rainfall conditions that are common here.

But having one is good in the right area. Your wife will let you do stuff down there that she would never put up with in the house proper.

Ha

 

[Martha]

Ha is absolutely right.

But don't get a house with a basement if it is at all damp. It is next to impossible to get an absolutely dry basement in my part of the country.

Also do a radon test if that is an issue in your part of the country.

 

[lazygood4nothinbum]

in our early years we grew up with a wonderful finished basement with ping pong table, pool table (courtesy of my mother's favorite uncle who manufactured them) and we even had restaurant booth seating. in the unfinished area there was a wash room and dad had a dark room.

i remember exploring my grandparents' unfinished basement and the walk-in attic. those were great times. attics are sooo cool.

since moving to florida yer lucky to find a house with closets, never mind attic or basements (which would be underwater here). very few people have room for billiards.

 

[Sandy]

Great for storage, place to hang out & make noise for kids, pool table, pin ball, casino slots, workshop, guest space etc..

In Florida you generally can't get basements, so we opted for an extra bedroom which we converted to a kid play room/den as they grow. For your area, I don't know the cost difference between a 4 br house no basement or a 3 br house with a basement (or whatever br/basement trade off you want), but you might want to consider weigh something like that in your plans.

 

[kat]

As has already been said...... depends on where you are, even by neighborhood.

My house is on clay and the basement is waterproof, and it's nice on a hot day. It's too damp feeling for regular use for my tastes, but I'm not lacking space.

My parents and siblings have houses five to ten miles away on sand. Their basements are bone dry and used as a regular part of the house. My sis and her husband put a huge family room in the basement and their four kids are there every day.

That's upstate NY. It varies.

kate

 

[Sheryl]

Most of the pros and cons have already been stated. I would dearly love a basement, for stuff-storing purposes, but we are, like Ha, in the Northwest where they are not common.

Reason: House foundation must be deeper than frost level. In the Midwest or northeast you have to go down 3-4 feet, IIRC. If you're half-way there it is not too much more expensive to build a basement. Here, we just go down 24" (used to get away with 18") which is way cheaper than a basement.

Another plus to the basement is the ease with which you can get to the underside of your plumbing, electrical and heating if you ever need to work on it or do remodeling. Crawl spaces SUCK for that purpose. Crawl spaces are also a pain to insulate and keep dry. But basements can be wet too.

 

[uncledrz]

Great place to store stuff, just make sure its dry, just make sure its dry, just make sure its dry , I haven't said it enough, but you get the idea.

 

[Corporateburnout]

Practically every house in this area (Boston suburbs) has a basement. This is our third house with a basement and I don't remember seeing one without. Had to waterproof the basement of our previous house. In our current home it is dry but a few of my neighbors basement will get wet when we get more than 3 inches of rain. I have an entertainment room with a pool table a bar and a big screen TV. Great place for the guys to hang out and watch playoff Football.........Go PATS........

 

[semtex]

Thanks a lot guys, I know I could always get wise reponse here.

 

[Khan]

Great place to store stuff, just make sure its dry, just make sure its dry, just make sure its dry , I haven't said it enough, but you get the idea.

Listening to the sump pump as I type. More rain by the weekend.

 

[jazz4cash]

As most have indicated, it is primarily a regional issue. A basement is the least expensive square footage you get in a house. If most of the homes in an area have one, it is desireable for resale if nothing else.

The dampness/moisture issues are greatly affected by the type of foundation. Older homes with cement block basements tend to be wet or at least damp. Newer homes have poured concrete which tend to be much more resistant to ground moisture. If I was looking at an existing home with a basement, I would avoid the the ones that use concrete block.

 

[Goonie]

Since I've w*rked in the wastewater field (sewage) for just over 30 years, I would prefer NO basement....which is what I have.

I take phone calls daily from residents that have poo-water backing up in their sewage holding tanks basements! If you're looking for a house with a basement, make CERTAIN that it has what is known as an "overhead sewer". The simple, basic definition of that is a sewer service that ALL of the house's drains (sinks, bathtubs, showers, toilets, etc) go into and is suspended from the floor joists, so it is above the outside grade of your house. It then goes downward, below grade level, and out of the house to the city sewer main (or septic tank, etc). There should be ABSOLUTELY NO drains hooked up to it BELOW the level of your outside grade.

We sent all of our residents a brochure explaining all that to them, and basically said there should be NO drains at the same level OR lower than the nearest sanitary sewer manhole.

An acceptable, though less favorable option (and less reliable and higher maintenance option) is to have a "backflow" preventer installed on the house's sewer service just outside the foundation. It needs to be in a vault or pit that is accessible for maintenance, repair, and replacement. Depending on plumbing codes, this may require the hiring of a licensed plumber....$$$.

Also, if you get a basement, make certain that your homeowner's policy covers backed-up/flooded basements. Some do...some don't!!! Don't get caught with your boots on, and your pants down!!! In the case of our municipality, we (the City) are NOT liable for flooded basements reqardless of the cause, due to the fact that there are preventative measures that CAN be taken....whether or not they ARE taken.

My personal preference would be an extra room (if I needed the space) rather than a basement! 8)

 

[Nords]

What's this fascination with burrowing in the dirt like photophobic moles?

There are very few basements in Hawaii (the soil is mostly rocky clay and hard to dig). Homes are built on concrete slabs (way stronger than a basement foundation) or on posts (not so strong but much cooler). Everything you guys are waxing sentimental about doing in a basement-- including a few fascinating yet unmentioned activities that I spent a lot of time pursuing in my high-school years-- in Hawaii is done in the garage. Many families here even have phone extensions, big-screen TVs, recliners, and full diningroom sets in their garage.

Of course there's no need to keep a Hawaii garage (or basement) warm or cool, as long as it's shaded & ventilated. Frankly for some of those aforementioned teen activities, a ventilated garage would have dissipated the evidence more rapidly (and offered more escape routes) than a baseent.

Yeah, I know what you're thinking-- where do you keep your car? In Hawaii, cars don't go in the garage. They go in the driveway or in the street. A neighbor of ours even parks their '65 Mustang and their 2001 Jaguar... on the street.

 

[Goonie]

Many families here even have phone extensions, big-screen TVs, recliners, and full diningroom sets in their garage.

My next door neighbor's garage is like that. He has a fully equipped (near commercial grade) kitchen out there as well as a full bathroom (complete with wallmount urinal). That's where they host holiday/family gatherings, bridal/baby showers, and "Guy's nights out" and general "hey, let's drink beer" gatherings. It's also big enough to keep his DW's Toyota in there to keep her happy. :

 

[Bikerdude]

As most have indicated, it is primarily a regional issue. A basement is the least expensive square footage you get in a house. If most of the homes in an area have one, it is desireable for resale if nothing else.

Agreed. In an area with basements not having one cuts 50 to 70% of buyers out of your market on resale. If you get it really cheap though maybe its worth it as you can discount it when you sell.

 

[Nords]

as a full bathroom (complete with wallmount urinal).

Well thank goodness they have a garage door, too.

There are some things you never want to see the neighbor waving!

 

[wallygator69]

Hi,

Condensed version. Can expand if anyone really care.

Water is my nemisis. Never do the basement thing again.

I got a headache. Sorry no spell check or reread even. Probaly lots of errors but kinda cranky reliving all this..

1. Grew up on Hospital Hill in Quincy south of Boston. Highest elevationfor many miles. Spring somewhere near by. Had a 12 ft row boat in the basement incase rain over ran the sump pump. Eventually put 2 sumps in to alleviate. Still floods massively. God forbid power falure.

2. Moved North of Boston. Nice garrison Walk out basement. No prob for several years. BIG rain spent 24 hours with shop vac saving now finished basement. Jack hammered up inside perimeter of 50% of basement floor. French drain sump. All great for several years. BIG rain. Shop Vac UGHHHH! Sold in 2002. All fine til spring this year new owner had to replace carpets and I DID IT UP RIGHT..

3. Next bought a Condo in basement of a renovated old nursing home. 4000+ sq ft. Master bedroom 60ft x 24ft. Walk in closet the size of a garage. 6 person hot tub, Pool table, wet bar, 60 inch Samsung home theater. Turned out to be like styles of th Drunk and Stupid. Day we closed. LITERALLY. Flood. Builder claimed rag from plummer stuck in pipe caused it even though it happened to be raining. OK. FIXED? NOt! Next rain they dig up Masterbedroom floor put in french drain. OK. Wief concerned about stains in grout on tile in both bathrooms. Kind of comes in goes...... BIG rain. Wife steps in 3 inches of water in Master Bath. Wake up in the morning put rubber boots on that we left next to the bed so we wouldn't die. Water all gone. Look behind the wall and discover 50 moldy sheets of sheetrock and tons of exposed dirt. Remove all all sheet rock grade it. Research on line and put down 8mil plastic vapor barrier. (anyone with a crawl space beneath theeir house needs to do this. 90% humidity goes to 20% in literally minutes. Ask if you want info). Working days and days in skanky humidity reults in Pneumonia and 4 week illness. Builder thinks I am Anal and buys it back. LITERALLY AND I MEAN LITERALLY 2 hours after we close I go to turn the key over and it is raining buckets. NO hard feelings in the condo I physically hand the key over to the builders foremen. Met me there to be sure I was Anal. I hand over the key, have a beer. Foreman says waht the F%%&&, Carpet getting dark. Rips open access panel where vapor baror is and sump pump ( failed to mentinon pump earlier). Water is 6 inches over the slab, leaking through the dry wall. I leave and immediatley buy a sum pump to replace the old one in my new house. Closed on it the day before. Being hot **** I bring old pump back to the condo. Shop vacs a plenty going non stop. . Builder is now there. Toilet is off and as the water rolls across the floor the builder is pushing it down the toilet stack. I grab a shop Vac and for 2 hours suck up 100's (LITERALLY) 100's of gallons of water until the builders helpers showed up.... THE DAY I CLOSED>....

4. Get to new house. Somethng is strange. Sump pump dry but water running in the basement window. Down the wall and someone has cut a slot beneath the basement window. Water goes in and away. Sump pump is 2 FEET. YES 2 FeEET from the slot and not a drop of water in it. Builder new there was issue per neighbhor and pu many feet of stone ubder the house. I have a pool table I love for the basement as a result of a 4000 sq ft condo. I dig a french drain around the house into a 10 by 10 by 12 ft pit with 6 55 gallon drums to fix the problem. Lived ther e2 years to the da and FIRE to Myrtle Beach,

END of BASEMENT Stories (written with breviity in mind)....

5. NO BASEMENT. Yeah! BUT.......I spent 3 hours yesterday helping my contractor fix the drainage system he screwed up to alleviate shitload of water pooling around the house. I HATE Water. (throw arms up like mini Jim Cary in the Grinch). Design review board had him put it where I did not want it and I was away for the Holiday. He shot it with a transient level.. eah but water won't flow up hill. Sorry SIR I don't know what could've gone wrong. Ripped it all out and back in.

BUT.

Outside, the water is outside. It is, it really is......

New house has closets, closets, pantries, storage.

Screw the Basement. Below Grade sucks.

I can be more blunt and give more detail if it will help.

UGH!

AGAIN. I got a headache. Sorry no spell check or reread even. Probaly lots of errors but kinda cranky reliving all this..

Going to throw up or to bed

W

 

[Delawaredave]

For us, the basement is for much more than storage - it's been a wonderful "anything goes" playroom for the kids over the years: wood shop, art studio, dodgeball games, sleepovers, making tents, etc

If you can get a "walkout" basement (sliding door to outside) you get a fair amount of natural light in basement and easy in/out.

Our local building code requires "french drains" around the inside perimeter - I don't know what that means, but the room has been dry for 20 years.

 

[donheff]

The basement in my townhouse is dry as a bone. A nice, cozy space to watch the large screen TV. One downside - the basement doesn't extend all the way back. The area under the kitchen is a crawl space floored in dirt. My experience dealing with rats nesting there is hair raising -- uuugh. The joys of city life - still beats the sticks.