Would you buy...

a home with no basement, assuming it fulfills all of your other wishlist criteria? How impt is the basement? Will I regret not having one for storage or potential living space? WDYT?

Re: Would you buy...

A basement was a MUST for us...but that is just us....to each his own...you have to think about what works for you! Good luck!

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Total must for us because of the kids and toys...I didn't want them visible when you walk in the house

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If it had a garage I'd be able to live without the basement.

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the one we are buying doesnt have a basement for storage. our lower level is den, bathroom and bedroom. We do have an attic that would be good for storage, a garage and a crawl space. how big is the attic?

Re: Would you buy...

the house we are buying does not have a basement, but it does have a huge 2 car garage with a lot of storage room. is there any other storage space in the house?

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Yes we did. I never had a basement and not a big fan of them. I would just make sure you have a lot of storage areas/space.

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We dont have a basement but we have a pretty big garage and attic space so we have plenty of storage.

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As long as it made up for in closet/attic/garage space, yes. I need a lot of storage- it's amazing how quickly crap accumulates.

Re: Would you buy...

I think every family "lives" differently and has different needs, so you need to ask yourself what you see as the potential benefits of a basement. Once you identify those, you might realize there are other features of a house that provide the same benefits.

For example, if you want the basement as extra living space, such as for a tv-watching/hang out room, maybe an above-grade level den can satisfy that need. Or if you want it as a kids' playroom or an office, maybe an extra bedroom will suffice.

If you are concerned about storage, maybe a 2 car garage and an attic will be enough, or maybe not. I have a 2 car garage and an attic, but I still use by basement to store things that I use semi-regularly and need to keep within reach, such as extra tablecloths and large platters for entertaining.

But I think it's really individual preference.

Re: Would you buy...

Aren't most Levitt homes basement-less?

Not sure how important a basement is to me as long as there is adequate alternative storage space.

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No, only because of resale

basement for me, would never be living space. I hate basements, mine is finished and I don't use it for anything but wash/dryer. so I can do without it, I just dont'want the house to be hard to sell later

Message edited 2/28/2011 9:10:36 PM.

Re: Would you buy...

Message edited 3/1/2011 4:42:46 PM.

Re: Would you buy...

I wouldn't, because I like the security of a basement in case of tornadoes. There are some lovely, inexpensive new houses being built in Lancaster County, but no basements. I'm not sure if buyers can arrange to have them, anyway or not. And we would definitely need a basement for storage!! Mary

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A basement wasn't a priority to me since we lived in a small 1br prior to buying our house but boy am I glad I have one. Right now its used for storage but eventually it will be a play room. I have an attic but I'd have to get up through one of the bedroom closets so we really don't use it

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I would if it had a garage and an attic.

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We bought a house with a basement and I am glad we did...I couldn't imagine not having it for storage. I also grew up with a basement which we used as a den which we plan to do to.

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Basement was more important to us then an extra bathroom. We wanted a mancave/drum room/playroom spot.

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We're in the process right now of buying a home that doesn't have a basement. We looked at alot of houses in Levittown so we knew there was a good chance we wouldnt be getting a basement.

I made sure that if were looking at a house w/o a basement that it at least has a garage. The house we're buying now has a 1.5 car garage..so there's plenty of room for storage. Also there is alot of closet/storage space within the house.

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I have to have a basement. It's where my woodshop is. I don't have a garage (yet), but unless I had a 3 car garage, I wouldn't have space for putting my tools in the garage, since the cars would get that area.

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We have a levitt cape which is now a colonial. When we bought the house we had a 1.5 car garage which is big enough for a car and storage shelving all around the perimeter. I have a spare fridge in there too.

We never had attic space because the originial owner sealed up the attic space (eaves). I just built a shed in the back yard so that really helped. We now have an attic.

Do I regret buying a house without a basement? Yes sometimes I do. The times I regret it is at holidays and birthdays when the kids are going nuts from all the sugar intake and the adults want to be able to talk. In my house the first floor is one huge room. The kitchen, living room, dining room and play room are all visable to each other.

We have one bedroom which is a guest bedroom where when we finally get unpacked will be a room for the kids to hang out.

Would I move from Levittown? Nope I love it here

Scott

Re: Would you buy...

After apartment living since I moved out of my parents house, and with a child-- I dreamed of the day when I had a basement for storage! It was a must for us.

HAving said that, our basement is pretty much all finished and is living space and doesn't really have storage-- although we do have a large garage and an attic.

As long as the house has the space you need-- you don't necessarily need a basement per se, but just the space and usage that it allows. KWIM?

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The house we bought has a small basement that has our washer dryer, water heater etc...we're going to finish it eventually and make it an office, so no storage... We have a huge two car garage and an attic. DH actually was one of the rare ppl that did NOT want a basement bc of flooding and water issues

Message edited 3/1/2011 8:30:30 AM.

Re: Would you buy...

We did. Our house is 100+ years old and has a cellar with only the gas burner and water heater. I didn't grow up with a basement and I know people who had horrible issues with their basement so it was not a must-have. The location, style of house and number of rooms were more important to us.

Re: Would you buy...

no! we finished ours and part of it is DHs office with an additional bathroom and the other half is washer dryer, den, pantry. To us it is really necessary to have that extra space even if it was unfinished. I personally wouldnt want to squeeze a washer and dryer on my first floor.