buy a home without a basement in PA? (Pittsburgh, Fernway: work, houses)

[nikicole134]

Is there any reason NOT to purchase a home that does not have a basement in the Pittsburg region....mainly Beaver county? I found one I really love but being from Buffalo where most homes have basements I must wonder...is there a difference, is it a bad investment? ANY insights would be great

[Tallysmom]

Originally Posted by nikicole134

Is there any reason NOT to purchase a home that does not have a basement in the Pittsburg region....mainly Beaver county? I found one I really love but being from Buffalo where most homes have basements I must wonder...is there a difference, is it a bad investment? ANY insights would be great

There is a whole development in Cranberry with no basements -- Fernway. They were built in the building boom after WWII -- like the early 50's -- and they were built econimically -- meaning no basements. It's my understanding there is a high water table in Fernway so basements would have been very expensive to do right -- with no leaking.

I don't remember much about the house before we moved to Cranberry (I was 5 when that happened) but that house also didn't have a basement. My mother still talks about it -- she loved it. The slab had radiant floor heating -- which was a wonderful heat source once it got warm. Very inexepensive to heat.

I know I wouldn't think twice about it, but I've lived in California for 23 years -- people don't have basements here either. I sort of like not having a basement.

[goodgirl49]

I live in CA also (Los Angeles area) and I really miss not having a basement, which gives so much extra space. My husband uses the garage for his hobby of building model railroads, so we are pretty crammed in the house, less than 1800 square feet for 4 adults. The reason we don't have basements here is due to the earthquake factor.

[PghREA]

If you love the home and plan on living in it until you move to a nursing home, buy it.

If you plan on selling it in the near future, keep looking for one you can love just as much. Homes without basements are a tough sale in the Pittsburgh area.

[Katiana]

Originally Posted by PghREA

If you love the home and plan on living in it until you move to a nursing home, buy it.

If you plan on selling it in the near future, keep looking for one you can love just as much. Homes without basements are a tough sale in the Pittsburgh area.

I agree; I've known people to have difficulty selling such homes as Tallysmom describes. There are a number in Chippewa Twp, Beaver County, too (built about the same time). OTOH, as one of my mom's friends said, "We bought it this way. Someone else will buy it, too". Do appreciate the realtor's perspective that these homes can be harder to sell.

My parents' basement was always terribly humid, to the point is was impossible to store much in it. My in-laws solved this problem in their basement in Omaha, NE by using a de-humidifier, as did some people I know in Frederick, MD. It might work in Beaver County.

[Tallysmom]

Originally Posted by pittnurse70

I agree; I've known people to have difficulty selling such homes as Tallysmom describes. There are a number in Chippewa Twp, Beaver County, too (built about the same time). OTOH, as one of my mom's friends said, "We bought it this way. Someone else will buy it, too". Do appreciate the realtor's perspective that these homes can be harder to sell.

My parents' basement was always terribly humid, to the point is was impossible to store much in it. My in-laws solved this problem in their basement in Omaha, NE by using a de-humidifier, as did some people I know in Frederick, MD. It might work in Beaver County.

Really? How funny.... I remember the major hassle my parents had with keeping the basement dry -- Daddy wanted a gameroom. They ended up doing a summer project of french drains. Daddy dug out about 6 feet deep around the foundation (he got hold of small Caterpillar digger somehow), did all the work himself. It literally took almost all summer weekends....

Basement stayed dry unless we had real major rains -- which didn't happen until Agnes in 1974(?)... we did have to use a dehumidifier still though.

After all that I would pay extra to not have a basement... not to mention the thing that lives under the stairs....

As you run up the steps you have to run fast so he doesn't reach through the steps to grab your ankles... if he gets you....

[Katiana]

When we suggested dehumidifier to my dad, he would not consider it - probably b/c it was not his idea! We visited my old house this summer; the new owner says since Katrina the basement has become very wet. I don't get it; kinda far from Beaver Co. to New Orleans.

We had a french drain and sump pump put in our basement here in CO b/c the water table rose and flooded our basement several times. Water came up through the floor. What a mess! So after spending all that money (we paid to have it done), we are now in a drought! I'm sure we'll appreciate it if/when it rains again.

[dugdogmaster]

Wait, there are homes in western PA without basements?!?!?!?! Lmao

I have lived in areas around the country were basements were not possible, for one reason or another, and I simply can not live without a basement ever again. Yes, you do have the problems with water seepage and humidity at times, but a French drain and dehumidifier rectify that problem almost entirely.

[nikicole134]

Is it harder to sell a home without a basement just for storage reasons....or do people in pittsburg have other reasons for not purchasing homes with out them? This particular home I am looking at is a brand new build, build in an area that was not possible to dig into the dirt for whatever reason. The home is on a hill so the whole flood thing will not be a problem. No basement is not a big deal to me, I just wonder if there is something more to it in PA. Alot of the older homes in Buffalo also do not have them, and like others have said those that do have alot of leakage.

[Tallysmom]

Originally Posted by nikicole134

Is it harder to sell a home without a basement just for storage reasons....or do people in pittsburg have other reasons for not purchasing homes with out them? This particular home I am looking at is a brand new build, build in an area that was not possible to dig into the dirt for whatever reason. The home is on a hill so the whole flood thing will not be a problem. No basement is not a big deal to me, I just wonder if there is something more to it in PA. Alot of the older homes in Buffalo also do not have them, and like others have said those that do have alot of leakage.

Almost every basement I've been in back in PA was converted to a game room or family room. Older houses had formal living room and no sort of rumpus room for family stuff, hence the need for a kid area. And they didn't have the amalgam of stuff we have today.

Nowadays our houses don't have the need to be formal like we did in the past (and I've seen lots of arguments on this on another board, but I'm sticking by that), and new construction also gets how we live today -- lots more storage and family activity areas...

But in the end it's a personal decision. I know *I* wouldn't have a problem with not having a basement. I would prefer it because I have bad knees and hauling laundry up and down stairs is NOT my idea of fun.