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They are so common on Long Island that it's hard to imagine not having one there....especially considering how small most garages are. I guess you have to look at the space in the rest of the house; we don't have one now and it's fine, but we have a 3rd floor and we aren't pack rats.
I remember looking at a house in Huntington that had no basement and it just felt so weird - the house had NO storage space at all and washer and dryer were in the garage, taking up space in there. I felt like there was no where to go in that house.
Both the location and the style of the house often determine if there is/could be a basement.
If you live near the water, the water table is often too high to put in a basement (unless you spend TONS of $$$)
A Hi-Ranch usually does not have a basement. You go up a few steps to the front door, and when you enter, you either go up OR down. Upstairs is usually 3 BR 1 or 2 baths, kitchen, LR and DR. Downstairs is a mostly smaller livingspace, because part of the sqft is for the garage (unless the garage is converted). No basement.
Some split level homes also don't have basements, just the basic three levels.
Basements are definitely a plus in my book. If your house is directly on a slab and you have piping issues below the finished floor (cracked pipes/leaks/etc..) it can become very costly. Not a common issue but it is something to consider.
I saw this house where the only "basement" it had was a little area for maybe washer and dryer, then another area where the boiler etc is located. thats it. felt very weird that a house of that size would not have a basement.
I saw this house where the only "basement" it had was a little area for maybe washer and dryer, then another area where the boiler etc is located. thats it. felt very weird that a house of that size would not have a basement.
Basements are common where footings need to be 3'-4' below grade in order to prevent freeze-heaving. The additional cost to create a basement is not generally prohibitive. In places with little or no concern for frost-heave on-slab construction is more common since significant footings are rarely needed.
There are no basements along the Mississippi Delta...no in-ground graves, either, because of such a high water table. Instead, the "basement" and kitchen are often at grade level and the living spaces are on the 2nd and 3rd floors (which also help capture breezes).
We have a split with a half basement and after 25 years in the house it holds a washer/dryer.a tool box ,a freezer and a litter box. Junk belongs in one place....the curb. Could live without it....just another set of stairs to climb.
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