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I'd want a larger family room and no formal living room. I'd want my fireplace in my family room which adjoins the kitchen. I'd also want adequate space in the kitchen for informal dining. So many floor plans put the kitchen table in front of a sliding glass/patio door. It makes it difficult to use that door if there's not enough space around the table.
I like the idea of the bedrooms in the basement. But then again, I like clean, dry basements. Since the kids will basically just be house guests, they'll be fine. As far as resale value, I guess it depends on the buyer. If they have younger kids--say under age 10, they probably wouldn't want them in the basement. But if they have teenagers, they'd be so happy to have their rooms there.
Smart idea to put the smaller room near the upstairs master for an office/nursery.
I would say if the lower level has a ground level entrance and windows then it is not a basement. It is just another level in the house. Such as one might find in tri or split level house.
I might consider a two story home with master and all I want on the lower level with guest rooms and baths upstairs. Basement living, even as a guest does not appeal to me especially with no exits. I did have a basement office and TV room which was fine.
Very early planning stages of our next house and hopefully our LAST house. I am considering a house that would have a large master bedroom on the main level as well as a smaller bedroom that we would use as an office but could be a nursery or bedroom too. In the lower, finished level (basement 9' ceilings) having 3 bedrooms. One bedroom would be a smaller "master" with a walk through to a bathroom and then two other bedrooms that would have hallway access to that same bathroom.
My thinking is we want main floor living as we get older. Having 3 bedrooms in the lower level would give our children space when they come to visit with their eventual families (thinking Christmas and other larger family gatherings) but for resale having 3 bedrooms on one level is desirable.
On the main level, because of how we live and the furniture we have, we would have a smaller formal living room being the "focal" point as you walk in the main door, a formal dining room to the right of the entryway. Behind the wall of the living room would be the kitchen and an informal living space. There would be a fireplace in the formal living room but not one in the informal room--mainly because I don't want to try to decorate around a fireplace and tv--just goofy set up anyway you try.
So, would a house like that appeal to you? I am especially thinking of the appeal to families with smaller children. Basements here are common, everyone has one and bonus in the hot summer is they stay cool.
Just make sure that the upstairs and downstairs are on separate thermostats. My husband's family had a house with bedrooms downstairs and in the summer you would freeze to death because it was 20 degrees hotter upstairs than in the basement. Likewise, in the winter I would freeze because it was always 20 degrees warmer upstairs where the thermostat was.
Actually, I liked having the bedrooms downstairs because it was much more quiet being insulated from street and outside noises. I also liked it that the windows were small which made it easier to keep the room dark for sleeping (which I prefer).
Remember that you really need to have carpet in the basement, otherwise the floor is always going to be freezing cold on bare feet.
I would say if the lower level has a ground level entrance and windows then it is not a basement. It is just another level in the house. Such as one might find in tri or split level house.
I just wanted to ask the same. This does not looks like a basement. I would think that basement is partially BELOW the ground level.
Your picture show regular first level.
This is how the basement windows are located. They are below the ground level:
I just wanted to ask the same. This does not looks like a basement. I would think that basement is partially BELOW the ground level.
Your picture show regular first level.
This is how the basement windows are located. They are below the ground level:
Yes, they are still called basements here. Usually the set up is that in the front of the house you wouldn't have any basement windows, everything is "ground level" then there is a slope to the property so the sides are below ground to start and gradually become "ground" level in the back--for a "walkout" basement. The pictures you show are similar to a lot of basements here too, they wouldn't have a walkout and I wouldn't do this kind of floor plan in that situation.
Right now we have what is called a "daylight" basement where the part of the basement facing the street is completely below ground but we have a slope from the front yard to the back yard and the part of the basement back there is partially underground so we don't have a door to walk out into the back yard but we have full size windows that are slightly above ground level.
Both of these are very common around here. We get as much light in our basement as we do on the other levels of our house. The ceilings in our basement are 9' ceilings too.
It would look something like this from the back but you can see how the back yard slopes down allowing the lower level of the back of the house to be exposed. The basement goes the width of the house so it is under the front of the house too, just not open like the back.
One thing about these boards, something I thought would be general knowledge isn't necessarily the case across the country. If I posted this on an upper midwest board, everyone would know what I was talking about .
It would look something like this from the back but you can see how the back yard slopes down allowing the lower level of the back of the house to be exposed. The basement goes the width of the house so it is under the front of the house too, just not open like the back.
One thing about these boards, something I thought would be general knowledge isn't necessarily the case across the country. If I posted this on an upper midwest board, everyone would know what I was talking about .
Having lived around the country in many type house styles, I would call this a dual-level, two-level, bi-level, maybe even a split-entry (depends on front entrance), etc. house. While not a two story home, the bottom level is certainly not a basement nor a cellar.
Having lived around the country in many type house styles, I would call this a dual-level, two-level, bi-level, maybe even a split-entry (depends on front entrance), etc. house. While not a two story home, the bottom level is certainly not a basement nor a cellar.
No, this is not a dual level or a two or bi level at all. You walk in the front door and everything is at "door" level on the main floor. There would be a full stairway down to the basement, not a half stairway like you see in a split level. It is a ranch (or rambler as they are called here) with a walk out basement. It is very different then what you are talking about. The lower level is called a basement here. If you asked anyone around that is what they would say.
That IS a basement... and it's what just about everyone here in the foothills has (sloped to the back or sloped to the front).
Even with a walkout, no one here uses that space for bedrooms. Probably because we all have 2 stories above that basement.
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