Basements

[southerngale]

I have always lived in the south and we don't have basements along the coast. I'm looking for a new house and during this ever so time-consuming process, I try to tune in to househunters and a few other HGTV shows where people are looking for a new house whenever I get a chance. I guess I've been a little clueless all these years as to how many people actually use basements as another living area. I always assumed most of them were used for storage, a place to go during severe weather, etc., but there are many areas where a nice basement is expected when buying a house. It's just so foreign to me, living in this area all my life. How many of you all have basements and are they more like a garage or more like another room of your house?

[JonathanBelles]

I had a basement in NY. Our basement was broken into two rooms. One was used for entertainment (TV-Playstation-darts-couch-minibar) and was kind of like a small living room. The second half was used for storage, but it also had coolers, our Severe Thunderstorm Kit in it, a big fridge/freezer, washer/dryer, and cat pan in it. Basements are very useful if you can find a house with one. I miss it down here.

[O Town]

Not many homes here in FL have them, but my inlaws do and its filled with "stuff", they use it as storage. When I visited my b/f in Georgia though she was living in the basement of her inlaws home. It was very spacious, only thing is there wasn't much sunlight or windows. As she was looking for a new house up there it was like you said, almost expected to have a basement, and if it was already a "finished basement" the houses were more expensive. It is a great thing to have to use for either storage or living space. I guess it would be cheaper to buy a house with an unfinished one and finish it yourself.
Happy house hunting Kelly.

[Miss Mary]

Kelly - I was born and raised in Cincinnati and have always had a basement. The older homes I grew up in didn't have sump pumps, just a drain in the floor. I do not recall having water in our basements (had several homes before I was 20). Most of these basements looked just like the That 70s Show basement. Painted floors, throw rugs, old, outdated furniture, not ready for the garbage heap yet, washer/dryer nearby, sometimes a freezer, etc. When my husband and I had this house built we always intended to finish off the basement. It has a sump pump and we've had to replace it 4 times over 18 years, they only seem to last 3 to 5 years each. Now we have a battery back up sump pump too, if the power goes out. We don't want to have to re-drywall, etc. It took us over 10 years though to get around to it.....LOL We finished off half 5 years ago and painted the walls a bright, almost neon green. We intentionally chose light colored carpeting so it wouldn't seem dreary down there and these lights colors worked. It's never dark down there - since it's not a walk out basement (one or more walls are exposed enough in the back to have full sized windows and a sliding or atrium door.) We ended up putting in a gas FP down there and have a big screen TV. So it's become our main TV viewing area. Especially for movie rentals. We've said we should ahve finished off the basement years ago.....why didn't we? It wasn't the money (we did it ourselves, total bill was under $2500), it was more or less time. Our kids were little and we had an endless weekend schedule of games.....

Anyway, we are glad we finished it off but one side is still storage. Or I should say huge mess. I would love to organize that side but I never have seem to have the time.

Here's the trick if you buy a home with a basement, don't put anything down there you don't want to keep. And organize your boxes from the get go. My SIL bought plastic shelving from Home Depot that collapses but when snapped together, very sturdy and quite large (3 foot deep shelves by 4 or 5' across). I need to buy some of these shelves....

Good luck! And oh yeah, it is a nice place to go when there's a severe TS or Tornado Warning.

[Stephanie]

I've had a basement in almost every house that I've lived in. When I didn't have one, I REALLY missed the additional storage capacity that it had.

The one I have now is mainly used for storage, the cat's litter boxes are down there, the heater, etc.

We have a separate utility room for our washer and dryer that connects to the garage.

IF you can get a house with a basement, I'd highly recommend it BUT check to see if it has a sump pump (many new houses have one or at least a well for one). They're extremely helpful if the land around your house doesn't properly drain the rain water away from it. We have the well for it, but my house is on top of a slope, so the rain does go around the house. In flatter territory, the water just stands.

[wx247]

My house has a full finished basement and I love it. We have a den w/ fireplace and snack bar, bedroom, bathroom, and office downstairs. It makes the house so much bigger. The upstairs is nice by itself, but having the basement gives us the opportunity to have our own space when needed.

The best part of all is that it stays cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Plus, it is always there in the event of a tornado warning. I would NEVER own a house without a basement.

[Dionne]

Basements in the southern states are not that common. It is because of the water table. In the northern states the basement serves a dual purpose. Most importantly it gets the foundation of the home below the frost line. Basements are expensive. The basement is also where the boogie man hides......usually behind the washer or water heater......he likes to loosen water supply fittings.

[Stephanie]

Basements in the southern states are not that common. It is because of the water table. In the northern states the basement serves a dual purpose. Most importantly it gets the foundation of the home below the frost line. Basements are expensive. The basement is also where the boogie man hides......usually behind the washer or water heater......he likes to loosen water supply fittings.

[Pburgh]

I've never lived in a house without a basement. The home I have now is a multi-level. It has 4 levels. The lower level which has the garage, laundry area and pantry (or wine cellar!!) is totally underground in the front and totally above ground in the back. The next level up is a family room and full bath. It's half underground in the front and totally above ground in the back with a glass sliding door going out to a covered porch and out to the back yard. The main level has living room, dining room and kitchen. The upper level has 3 bedrooms and a bath. I have a really large shed in the back of my driveway which holds all the holiday decorations and gardening "stuff". So the basement area or pantry as I call is strictly laundry and kitchen (pantry) storage. I have a workbench in my garage. So no, I don't use my basement as storage.

Now, I live alone so I guess if I didn't have 2 extra bedrooms upstairs with big closets, I'd probably use my basement for storage.

I haven't found the boogie MAN yet, but if I find him, I get to keep him!!!!! LOL

[southerngale]

A multi-level house would be so kewl. We have a lot of two-story homes around here, and a few three-story homes, but I can't think of any four-story, single-family homes.

Steph and Miss Mary... there aren't any homes around here with basements. If we want a safe place to go during a storm, we would need to buy or build a storm shelter. During tornado warnings and other severe weather, we go into a hallway or interior room, and pray for the best. There are a few basements in Texas, but it's a very rare thing, and there's none that I know of down here near the coast. It wouldn't be a smart thing to have here.

I know one person who has a basement in Texas... it's in Central Texas, and it's flooded several times. It's one of those on a hill, where one side is underground and the other side has windows.

I knew that basements were pretty common in other places... I just didn't realize how common, nor did I realize how many of them are actually used as living areas.

If I had a basement, I would probably expect to meet an ax murderer on the way down, or the body of the guy Chad murdered. (see last meal thread... lol)
I guess I need to get out of the armpit of Texas more often.

[Pburgh]

There are 6 or 7 steps between each level. So it's pretty easy on the legs. The back corner of the lowest level, the pantry wall is the perfect place when tornados are around. It has the added attraction of being the place where I store my wine!!!!

[vbhoutex]

There are 6 or 7 steps between each level. So it's pretty easy on the legs. The back corner of the lowest level, the pantry wall is the perfect place when tornados are around. It has the added attraction of being the place where I store my wine!!!!

Definitely the perfect storm cellar!!!

[Stephanie]

A multi-level house would be so kewl. We have a lot of two-story homes around here, and a few three-story homes, but I can't think of any four-story, single-family homes.

Steph and Miss Mary... there aren't any homes around here with basements. If we want a safe place to go during a storm, we would need to buy or build a storm shelter. During tornado warnings and other severe weather, we go into a hallway or interior room, and pray for the best. There are a few basements in Texas, but it's a very rare thing, and there's none that I know of down here near the coast. It wouldn't be a smart thing to have here.

I know one person who has a basement in Texas... it's in Central Texas, and it's flooded several times. It's one of those on a hill, where one side is underground and the other side has windows.

I knew that basements were pretty common in other places... I just didn't realize how common, nor did I realize how many of them are actually used as living areas.

If I had a basement, I would probably expect to meet an ax murderer on the way down, or the body of the guy Chad murdered. (see last meal thread... lol)
I guess I need to get out of the armpit of Texas more often.

I knew that down South and in other areas of the country, basements aren't feasible, especially when you live close to water and are at sea level. The majority of the homes along the New Jersey shoreline, and I'm assuming up and down the East Coast do not have basements either because of that.