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Old 03-27-2007, 01:56 PM
 
1 posts, read 1,742 times
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So I have been looking at many of the new home builders int he area and starting to look at res-sale houses as well. I have a question though.. are basements just not common in NC.. seems that many do not have any finished or not?! Where I live currently it would be a rarity to not have a basement.. so that is something that I am used to and am looking for. Am I just not looking in the right spot??

Thanks from a newbie
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Old 03-27-2007, 02:03 PM
 
Location: Cary, NC
146 posts, read 690,103 times
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This question comes up a lot on this forum, so you can probably search and see plenty of thoughts on it. The bottom line is that yes - basements are much more rare in NC than other parts of the country, but they're not impossible to find. Usually, builders will do a basement if the lot is such that it allows for a walkout/daylight basement.

Instead of basements, a lot of homes have walkup attics that can be finished, and they can be huge (yes, with tall ceilings). Basically, you can think of it as still having a basement, except it's on top of the house instead of underneath it
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Old 03-27-2007, 02:04 PM
 
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I am from the mid-west where basements are common as well. I noticed the shortage of homes with basements. The way my realtor explained it to me is that they aren't common although you can find them in older and newer high-end homes (usually a custom option). Bonus rooms & attics seem to be the alternative to basements which are usually on the 2nd or 3rd floor of homes and provide extra space as well as added storage. Hope this helps
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Old 03-27-2007, 07:21 PM
 
Location: Wake Forest
3,124 posts, read 12,648,683 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 2ForMe View Post
So I have been looking at many of the new home builders int he area and starting to look at res-sale houses as well. I have a question though.. are basements just not common in NC.. seems that many do not have any finished or not?! Where I live currently it would be a rarity to not have a basement.. so that is something that I am used to and am looking for. Am I just not looking in the right spot??

Thanks from a newbie
There just aren't many of them around. We found ours in Wake Forest but settled for an unfinished daylight basement.

Many of our friends from work down here thought we were nuts that we wanted both a garage and a basement.
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Old 03-27-2007, 09:48 PM
 
Location: Raleigh, NC
12,475 posts, read 32,183,324 times
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There are certain neighborhoods that tend to have basements. Mostly the lots are slanted so that you don't even see the basement from the front.

One of these neighborhoods is Long Lake in North Raleigh. Oh my gosh...I have a listing with a basement in there!!!

Vicki
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Old 03-28-2007, 08:23 AM
 
Location: S.E. US
13,163 posts, read 1,656,988 times
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We, too, were used to basements up north. It was explained to us that basements and the soil here (clay) do not do well together. I saw a couple homes with basements and they smelled musty. I'd be concerned about water problems and mold (mold topic just raised in another thread). I'm happy to be without the basement, as we have plenty of attic storage.
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Old 03-28-2007, 02:36 PM
 
2,376 posts, read 2,912,694 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 2ForMe View Post
So I have been looking at many of the new home builders int he area and starting to look at res-sale houses as well. I have a question though.. are basements just not common in NC.. seems that many do not have any finished or not?! Where I live currently it would be a rarity to not have a basement.. so that is something that I am used to and am looking for. Am I just not looking in the right spot??

Thanks from a newbie
Yep...not to many basements in NC. I am from the midwest, too, and LOVE having my "man cave" as my wife calls it. It was one of the sacrifices I had to make when we moved to Raleigh. We bought a house with a finished 3rd floor bonus room so I plan to restore my man cave at some point in the future.

We did look at some houses with basements but they were generally on slanted lots and we didn't like that. Not a fan of steep driveways or lawns, and it also meant a big staircase from your back deck onto the backyard lawn.
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Old 03-28-2007, 02:45 PM
 
133 posts, read 710,098 times
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"Man cave"...too FUNNY!!!

BTW - don't mean to sound sooo ignorant, but what's the diff between daylight and walkout. I "think" I understand, but could you clarify...thanks!
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Old 03-28-2007, 02:46 PM
 
Location: Wake Forest
3,124 posts, read 12,648,683 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by iamweasel View Post
Yep...not to many basements in NC. I am from the midwest, too, and LOVE having my "man cave" as my wife calls it. It was one of the sacrifices I had to make when we moved to Raleigh. We bought a house with a finished 3rd floor bonus room so I plan to restore my man cave at some point in the future.

We did look at some houses with basements but they were generally on slanted lots and we didn't like that. Not a fan of steep driveways or lawns, and it also meant a big staircase from your back deck onto the backyard lawn.
It all depends...I have a sloped lot/daylight basement....but the flatest driveway and front yard in the neighborhood. It took some looking though!!
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