Basements in Nashville (suburbs) (Clarksville: houses, crawl space, new construction)

[gooz71]

Coming from a state with basements in most houses, I notice a lot of homes there don't have basements. I realize it is because the ground is too much work to dig out but I have two questions:
1. How important is a basement for tornado's there?
2. What do you do for storage if no basement?

[Jsmith77]

It all depends on your comfort level. Having a basement definitely gives security in tornadoes, but you can also have an inner room in the house that has no windows. And an attic & garage would suffice for most ppl for storage.

[GWoodle]

Originally Posted by gooz71

Coming from a state with basements in most houses, I notice a lot of homes there don't have basements. I realize it is because the ground is too much work to dig out but I have two questions:
1. How important is a basement for tornado's there?
2. What do you do for storage if no basement?

The sandstone here is too close to the surface to dig. It is more dense than other stone so needs to be blasted. Adds too much expense for a typical home. It gets worse near Clarksville.

No question a basement tornado shelter would be safer. Better question for tornadoes to strike in residential vrs commercial or other structures. IMHO a true tornado alley is in states south from TN. They seem to have more big storms. An interior bath or laundry room may be good enough. It is a good idea to have weather radio to be warned in time.

Nashville may have more storage sites than other cities. A lot of stuff goes in a "spare" room, attic, garage.

[septimus]

We use our attic for storage.

Most houses with basements are walk-out basements here and they are few and far between. (more likely to find older homes than new construction).

[Sunflower_gal]

We have a storm door with latch in our crawl space with access through the garage for tornado sheltering. Our crawl space is tall enough for a person to stand in most places. We use the attic for storage and a spare bedroom closet for climate controlled storage.

[Edgefield D]

Basements are easier to find in the hillier parts of the metro. Some people can't live without them and other people think they are nothing but junk catchers that are prone to water intrusion issues. If you really want a basement you should be able to find one. I grew up in Michigan where most houses had them...but homes were typically smaller where I grew up as opposed to the houses I've lived in around Nashville.