no basements....is this common??? (Greensboro: new home, construction, living) - The Triad Area - City-Data Forum

gopats · 03-02-2008, 04:33 PM

Right now we are doing most of the house hunting via the internet until we get down there to do it in person. What we seem to notice are lots of homes w/ out basements. Is this common???? Seems to be common in newer homes vs. homes over 10 yrs. old. Can anyone elaborate on this and just par for the course in the South?

Mind you we currently live in a house w/ no attic and an old dirt basement so we are used to lack of space but assumed this is one thing we would be able to have in a house down South vs. not have. Just a little clueless.

superk · 03-02-2008, 04:47 PM

Think about it. There's no real frostline to worry about, so there's no need to dig footings very deep, and the Piedmont has a high water table. Why pay money to dig down into the clay 8 or 10 feet when there's really no good reason to. Besides, with great rooms and family rooms and bonus rooms and walk-in attics, it seems to me that a basement would represent an awful lot of wasted space.

That being said, there are houses with basements, as I have been inside a few in the Triad area. Usually, they have a basement because they're situated on a sloped lot and that situation usually lends itself to pouring a basement anyway. Expect to pay substantially more for a basement when you find one.

superk · 03-02-2008, 04:49 PM

By the way, a great way to see a lot of homes in one area is to spend a day traveling to the homes opened to the public by the builders in a "Parade of Homes". Lots of fun, even if some of them are way beyond your means.

distortedrumble · 03-02-2008, 05:12 PM

there are homes with basements but the lots are usually sloped in a way that provides windows or a door out. that being said....yeah i kinda want a home with a basement too.

staywarm2 · 03-02-2008, 06:44 PM

Basements are wonderful. Great place for a workshop. Wonderful to store items, like holiday decorations. The best thing is that if you don't know where to put something, it's easy. Just take it down to the BASEMENT!

Huckleberry3911948 · 03-02-2008, 06:45 PM

we dont have them here bek we dont wana get any closer to hell any sooner than we have to.

JJM · 03-02-2008, 09:20 PM

We built an new home last fall after looking and looking for a basement house that wasn't terribly old, leaky, and damp. It was almost impossible for us to find.
Instead, we built a new home with a great big attic and big closests. It took time to find a builder who built what we wanted but we did. Good luck!

Capstone · 03-02-2008, 10:06 PM

We have many homes with basements, both old and new. There are also lots of houses with floored attics where you can store your stuff. Let me know what part of the Triad you are searching for, the price range, # of bed and bath, and I will send you an e-mail with a listing of these homes with basements.

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yourhometriad · 03-03-2008, 09:01 AM

It is less expensive for a builder to put in a "bonus" room than it is to have a basement, esp. when the yard is flat. So rarely do you see basements on newer homes. The Bonus room takes its place. Especially in areas where you have to have well and septic- no worries about disturbing water table. So if the yard has a slope, it is more likely to have a basement.

Older homes are more likely to have basements, but since this is NC, eventually they will spring a leak.

wolfeyes · 03-03-2008, 03:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gopats

Right now we are doing most of the house hunting via the internet until we get down there to do it in person. What we seem to notice are lots of homes w/ out basements. Is this common???? Seems to be common in newer homes vs. homes over 10 yrs. old. Can anyone elaborate on this and just par for the course in the South?

Mind you we currently live in a house w/ no attic and an old dirt basement so we are used to lack of space but assumed this is one thing we would be able to have in a house down South vs. not have. Just a little clueless.

All depends on the areas your looking in. Alot of homes where we live has basements.
Our house has a full basement. Were also interested in selling our house. Its a 5bedroom, 3.5bath home, has 3 Gas fireplace one in livingroom, one in master bedroom and one in basement, also 3 car garage. Its very private, were on a dead end road. One house is being built behind us but u cant really see it. And were only 20 minutes south of Greensboro.
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