Hello!
I have bought a nice old house from the late '50s. It hasn't been renovated since the '90s, so it needs fixing for 2030 and beyond. It will be a very fun project.
The house has a basement, with entrances both outside and inside. It just happened that the house I wanted came with a basement. I've never had a basement, and personally, I don't see myself using it for anything other than a little storage and laundry (though I have thought about moving the laundry room upstairs, but that's for another thread).
I'm considering closing off the indoor staircase to create a small hallway and moving the bedroom doors to enter from there instead, as well as making a walk-in closet at the end of it.
The practical questions:
The floor between the living area and the basement is 30 cm concrete. I'm thinking of attaching beams to the concrete along the long sides (about 4 m) and then as many floor joists as needed across the entire length. Then put on a board and floor. Insulation from underneath. Is this how you would have done the job, or have I missed something?
Is there any reason related to, for example, air circulation or anything else that makes this a bad idea?
User question, since basements are an obvious blind spot for me:
Will any future potential buyers of the house be put off by the fact that there's only an entrance from the outside and therefore reject the house because of this?
I would be super grateful for input!
/P.
P.S. If anyone wonders "why on earth?" my two biggest reasons are these: 1) the bedroom doors open right into the hall, just a few meters from both the kitchen and the front door. I've only had it like that in one of my previous apartments. In small houses, it somehow feels exposed that they are so close to the front door (and makes it too easy for a psycho to find their way straight into the bedroom 😜). By moving the bedroom doors, the rooms would get a slightly more private feel, as well as much-needed storage. 2) I might as well use the entrance from the outside since most things that belong in a basement, in my opinion, are used outdoors.
I have bought a nice old house from the late '50s. It hasn't been renovated since the '90s, so it needs fixing for 2030 and beyond. It will be a very fun project.
The house has a basement, with entrances both outside and inside. It just happened that the house I wanted came with a basement. I've never had a basement, and personally, I don't see myself using it for anything other than a little storage and laundry (though I have thought about moving the laundry room upstairs, but that's for another thread).
I'm considering closing off the indoor staircase to create a small hallway and moving the bedroom doors to enter from there instead, as well as making a walk-in closet at the end of it.
The practical questions:
The floor between the living area and the basement is 30 cm concrete. I'm thinking of attaching beams to the concrete along the long sides (about 4 m) and then as many floor joists as needed across the entire length. Then put on a board and floor. Insulation from underneath. Is this how you would have done the job, or have I missed something?
Is there any reason related to, for example, air circulation or anything else that makes this a bad idea?
User question, since basements are an obvious blind spot for me:
Will any future potential buyers of the house be put off by the fact that there's only an entrance from the outside and therefore reject the house because of this?
I would be super grateful for input!
/P.
P.S. If anyone wonders "why on earth?" my two biggest reasons are these: 1) the bedroom doors open right into the hall, just a few meters from both the kitchen and the front door. I've only had it like that in one of my previous apartments. In small houses, it somehow feels exposed that they are so close to the front door (and makes it too easy for a psycho to find their way straight into the bedroom 😜). By moving the bedroom doors, the rooms would get a slightly more private feel, as well as much-needed storage. 2) I might as well use the entrance from the outside since most things that belong in a basement, in my opinion, are used outdoors.
Give the same advice we usually give to everyone who has bought something new. Live in it for at least a year before making drastic changes. You can always find simpler small fixes that still make a big impact. Save the major interventions until you truly know what you want to prioritize.
It's probably not that difficult to solve, and you are on the right track towards the correct solution. Some future buyers would see it as positive to have a hall/closet instead of stairs, and others, like me, would like to be able to access the basement from inside.
My advice is to live there for a while and let the current layout settle in. You can avoid having nosy neighbors peeking into your bedroom by closing the door. One snowy and cold day this winter, you will swear about not being able to fetch whatever it is from the basement because the stairs are gone.
If there still needs to be a lot fixed in the house, maybe you can tackle other things first. If nothing else, it might be good to have an accessible basement during the renovation.
My advice is to live there for a while and let the current layout settle in. You can avoid having nosy neighbors peeking into your bedroom by closing the door. One snowy and cold day this winter, you will swear about not being able to fetch whatever it is from the basement because the stairs are gone.
If there still needs to be a lot fixed in the house, maybe you can tackle other things first. If nothing else, it might be good to have an accessible basement during the renovation.
What do you think is the main reason for that then? I forgot to mention that the house is located south of Malmö, so at least it's unlikely that snow-related issues would be the cause of my cursesCentano said:
There's other precipitation besides snow. But regardless of the weather, it's very practical to be able to go down to the basement without first having to put on shoes and go out to unlock the basement door. As already said, settle into the house first before taking such measures. I would never get rid of the inner stairs, but then again, I run into the basement several times a day 😋N Nya husägaren said:What do you think is the main reason for that? I forgot to mention that the house is located south of Malmö, so it's unlikely that snow-related issues would be the reason for my curses
I have a house with a basement with only an external basement staircase. And I hate it. My basement is invaluable with space for an extra freezer, beer storage, workshop, and other storage. It's a hassle to have to put on outdoor shoes, outerwear according to the season every time.
I love my basement and could never imagine a house without it. I have actually thought several times about building an internal basement staircase.
I love my basement and could never imagine a house without it. I have actually thought several times about building an internal basement staircase.