Basements typically are viewed as dark, dingy spaces used to store old exercise bikes and dusty high school yearbooks.
While that image fits for some houses, most basements offered in today’s new homes are quite different. Some are just basic blocks of space suitable for storage or a laundry room, while others are raised out of the ground with 9-foot ceilings and windows lined across the rear walls.
“Some people finish them off or use them for storage or an exercise room, even if it’s unfinished,” said Jean Neumann, senior vice president of sales and marketing for Neumann Homes, based in Warrenville. “They’ll use them for workshops. They don’t have to be finished” to be functional.
Many buyers like basements because they add square footage to the home and offer the flexibility of adding finished space at a later date, according to several builders. Most home builders will not finish basements, leaving that for buyers to do themselves or through a contractor after they move in.
In most cases, the price range and terrain of the subdivision will dictate the number of choices. Basements sometimes are priced as options, particularly in homes priced below $175,000. In other cases, a builder will include a partial basement — usually covering two-thirds or three-quarters of the lower level — and charge an extra fee to extend it to a full basement.
Others include basements in the base price of a home during a promotion or do not offer them. In higher priced homes, basements typically are included in the base price. In townhouses, basements are not always available.
“We include basements in all our homes and what we find is people upgrade to a full basement from the (standard) two-thirds basement,” said Kathleen Eiben, vice president of sales and marketing for Streamwood-based Kirk Homes. Kirk Homes has one subdivision, Springwood in Joliet, where homes with full basements instead of partial basements are standard. Houses in that development are base-priced from $150,000. In their other subdivisions, expanding the basement to cover the entire lower level costs approximately $3,000 and adds about 400 square feet to the lower level, Eiben said.
One disadvantage to a traditional, below ground basement is darkness. In subdivisions that have suitable terrain, the solution is to buy a lot with an English or “look-out” basement. The space is raised out of the ground 2 to 4 feet, thus allowing for windows to be added.
“Walk-out” basements take that style a step further and are raised completely out of the ground at the rear of the house. This allows large windows, French doors and large patios or decks to become part of the design.
“On a walk-out site, the pitch is more extreme at the back of the house,” Eiben said. “You have regular access to the rear yard and a deck and stairs off the kitchen.”
Look-out and walk-out basements typically are popular options and sell quickly, said Greg Ford, vice president of sales and marketing for Insignia Homes of Palatine. “With the extra light coming in they feel it’s more of a natural area so they can put in a family room or office and not feel like they’re living in a dungeon.”
The cost to add a look-out or walk-out basement will vary by builder. Some charge a fee as part of a lot premium, while others list it as a separate price. Kirk Homes charges $12,000 to $14,000 to add a walk-out basement, but it is not available on all lots.
Walk-out basements are more expensive to build because they require finished space outside the basement entrance and exterior lighting for safety, Eiben said. Airhart Construction, based in West Chicago, charges $5,000 to $20,000 for walk-out basements, depending upon the lot and the size of the house.
“We’ve got one where the basement is stacked over a garden room and you’ve got $4,000 worth of windows in their basement,” said Court Airhart, vice president of Airhart Construction, which is building houses base-priced from $200,000 to more than $1 million.
That house, which has 4,000 square feet on the main level and second floor, sold for approximately $700,000. The basement, including the windows and other finishes, accounted for $15,000 of the total. If you choose to add a basement, think about adding structural items, such as windows, while the house is being built. “If they’re going to finish the space it brings the brightness in,” Neumann said. “And, you have all the lighting in place for when you finish the space.”
Building codes typically require that a finished bedroom have a window to use as an escape route. Buyers who do not have windows installed during construction would have to pay for someone to drill through the concrete later to add it.
Those who plan to add full bathrooms or powder rooms can have the plumbing roughed in to make that process easier later. The cost in his homes is approximately $1,000 for a powder room and $1,500 for a full bathroom, Airhart said. If adding 10-foot ceilings or a large row of windows overlooking the back yard helps make a basement open and inviting, then it may be worth a long-term investment.
While walk-out basements have many advantages, they are not for everyone. Some buyers are concerned about children having access to the outdoors through a basement door, Airhart said. “Some people would rather have a flat back yard where they can look outside (from the first floor) and see their kids play without having to walk out and down the stairs.”
Those who want more space without raising the basement out of the ground can consider expanding the height of the basement ceiling to 9 or 10-feet instead of the more traditional 8 feet. The extra height makes the space appear larger. A buyer also could add decorative details to the ceiling or ornate woodwork to draw attention to the height.
An Insignia Homes buyer that had a flat lot had the builder raise the foundation by 2 feet. The builder then added 1-foot-high windows around the rear wall and part of the two adjacent walls. “That allowed them to get the feel of an English basement without going down 4 feet,” Ford said.
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Allison E. Beatty is a Chicago-area freelance writer. If you have questions or information on new home buyers’ product and design choices, write to Choices c/o Chicago Tribune, New Homes section, 435 N. Michigan Ave., 4th Floor, Chicago, IL 60611.
