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A lot of new construction that don't have basements put the furnace n the already oversized garage. AC seems to still be an outdoor platform. In my area, (Tri-Cities, WA) many new homes are being built with 2/3+ garage, (two stalls for autos and one oversized stall for a larger vehicle). This seems to be the new replacement for a basement in my area.
In the Birmingham area we have a lot of homes with daylight basements (mine included) because of the hilly terrain. Flat lots are somewhat rare, so many homes have one part of the basement foundation underground (or partially underground) and the other part exposed. Most basements here also function as garages. I think this is true in a lot of the hilly, inland parts of the Southeast unless there is a lot of bedrock near the surface (as in the Huntsville, AL area). I've also noticed that more and more new construction in the area doesn't include these daylight basements, as many new communities are jam packing lots of homes onto small lots in more level areas.
I never forget the time I walked into a 1700's era basement. I'm a 5'10" average height dude but still almost hit my head on the doorway. Where people back then really that short?
They were dug out for pipes/utilities and mostly to get below the frost line for your foundation, not to be usable spaces. That really didn't come about until the 1900's that people realized you could just dig down a few more feet and double your space.
I believe it was one of the older suburbs of Philadelphia. Forget which one exactly.
In some especially 1700 and early 1800 homes the basements can have ceilings as low as 5 ft even. I am only 5 10 but have been in a few where I am way taller.
They served many functions of the time and are very prevalent in these parts
There are also some with what I call crawl spaces, sometimes only a few feet high and slightly submerged
I've seen a surprising number of homes in the Midwest being built without basements in recent years. Most have a concrete walled utility room for tornadoes. I'd imagine that's how homes in Dallas do it as well.
dumb question...to the houses that do not have basements... where are your heaters? hot water heater?
When I lived in NC, two of the houses I lived in had the hot water systems in a utility closet on the back porch. The other had a closed in patio behind the kitchen with the hot water system in the corner. Heating was via heat pump rather than furnace.
All 3 homes had laundry hookups in the kitchen.
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