House advice

kelbel527 · March 2014

Alright, I need you ladies to be my sounding board. Since I know there is no shortage of opinions around here...please share yours with me!

The subdivision we want to build our house in only has one lot with a walk-out basement. Unfortunately the builder that owns that lot is being a bit of a jerk. They told us we could buy it from them and then changed their mind (they have no incentive whatsoever to sell it to us, even at a premium).

We have a builder in the subdivision we really like (and come highly recommended by good friends), but all of their lots are 4 or 5 foot exposures, no walk out basement. So basically, I'd have huge windows in the basement to let in light, but there wouldn't be an entrance in the basement.

Now, I have to decide, is having a walk-out basement important enough to me that I will need to build in a different subdivision? Or can I sacrifice that for location? There is another location I like, but isn't my top choice. The subdivision we really like is in the city I grew up in, so my kids would go to a school district we feel very confident in. The alternate subdivision (which doesn't even have a price list yet, so I have no idea if they will have a walk-out basement in our price-range), is in a very good school district, but we still prefer the first. Though, the second subdivision is closer to work (by about 5-7 minutes, so not a deal-maker or breaker).

Or...just wait to see if something else opens up that we'll like? Though, I will add that our house is going on the market in the next week.

watercolor5 · March 2014

It all depends on your priorities. I'd put location/school district in a higher priority than a walk-out basement for me personally, because the location would definitely affect me daily while the walk-out vs. basement with lots of light would affect me less. (That said, a 5 min farther drive to work isn't a huge deal at all.)

One thing you could do is contact the builder of the second subdivision and try to get a feel for how they would price a home with walk-out basement there, so you know if it's even an option for you.

Ultimately, I'd just go with my gut and see which one my husband prefers. You probably can't make a wrong choice between the 2 (3?)

AKB090609 · March 2014

That's a tough call. I think I would go with the location and school I wanted. I do love the idea of a walk out basement, but we chose to live with out it for a location we preferred.

LyndseylovesHugh · March 2014

I have never had a basement, they are not a thing when I am from, but I would put school district above any house feature. So if it is something you can live with out I would go with the house in the school district you like, but if a walk out basement is on the top of your must-have list I would keep looking for a house that has one in the school district you want. Keep in mind that no house is going to have every single feature you want unless you custom build it (not a pre-planned community) so if a walk out basement is not an absolute must have for you and the house has everything else I would go for it.

kelbel527 · March 2014

I agree, school district is really important.

I guess the third choice, is that we don't have to move. We could wait to see if something opens up in that school district later and build then. But knowing we could pass up a good location/subdivision (because other areas in the district are further than I would like), for a chance in the future, stresses me out as well...

ETA: I guess I'm afraid of settling on anything when we want to live in this house until our kids graduate from college. That's a long time to regret a decision.

melody921 · March 2014

I would also put school district above walk-out basement. Besides, you'll have a basement, it just won't be walk-out. That wouldn't be a deal-breaker for me.

Hyaline · March 2014

I'd back up and make a list of all the features that are important to you, and then rank them. You probably can't get everything you want, so what are you willing to sacrifice?

For me--the school district is only important if it's truly significantly better in one area vs another. That's not really the case for the areas we were looking into buying (all within a point of one another in the state ratings, all ranked well). So that wouldn't have swayed my decision, and in your case, (good school districts in each) it wouldn't affect me, either.

Walk-out basement is not in any way important to me. I wouldn't kick it out of bed for eating crackers, but I also wouldn't seek it out. But if it's a deal breaker for you (ie, a top of list ranking), that's different.

Holly_1007 · March 2014

You could have an entry to the basement, it just wouldn't be ground level. At least, they do that up here. You open the door inside the basement and then walk up a short flight of stairs to get outside.

MarisaKathleen · March 2014

A walk out basement would not be in the least bit of a concern to me. I could take it or leave it. I'd actually much prefer to have just big windows, vs. having a door that could get broken into and cause a home invasion.

Seriously, I think about these things.

kelbel527 · March 2014

MarisaKathleen said:

A walk out basement would not be in the least bit of a concern to me. I could take it or leave it. I'd actually much prefer to have just big windows, vs. having a door that could get broken into and cause a home invasion.

Seriously, I think about these things.

Thanks @marisakathleen for putting that one in my head! Honestly, I was more worried about future teenage boys sneaking out / in through the basement walk-out. But I love the idea, even though I've never had one.

@hyaline - This is how I feel too. Honestly, the two school districts we're picking between are both great. Technically, the 2nd choice district has a higher state rating, but DH and I went to school in the first choice district. It's actually more of an emotional thing than anything. But our kids will still get a great education in either option.

opaque1997 · March 2014

Is it a split level? How else can you get outside? I ask because we have a split level with a deck off the second floor and stairs down to the yard - we have a walk out basement door but NEVER use it - we always use the deck / stairs....

I wonder if its something that you think you'll use and in reality you might not?

hmp1 · March 2014

Holly_1007 said:

You could have an entry to the basement, it just wouldn't be ground level. At least, they do that up here. You open the door inside the basement and then walk up a short flight of stairs to get outside.

This is what I was going to suggest if it is really important to have access. I lived in 2 houses growing up with a walk out basement and never really used that door very much. We always went out to play through the garage because that is where the basketball court, our bikes, outside stuff was. Plus we would usually be hitting up the kitchen when running back in for something.

hmp1 · March 2014

And also, both our houses with the walk-out basement had a pretty sloped yard. My parents had a small area flattened for play but a more flat backyard is way more important to me.

kelbel527 · March 2014

hmp1 said:

Holly_1007 said:

You could have an entry to the basement, it just wouldn't be ground level. At least, they do that up here. You open the door inside the basement and then walk up a short flight of stairs to get outside.

This is what I was going to suggest if it is really important to have access. I lived in 2 houses growing up with a walk out basement and never really used that door very much. We always went out to play through the garage because that is where the basketball court, our bikes, outside stuff was. Plus we would usually be hitting up the kitchen when running back in for something.

I've never seen one of those around here @holly_1007, but it's not so much about access for me anyway.

It's more about making the basement more of a living space that I would want to hang out in. A walk out would make it brighter and a good place to go in and out of when playing in the snow, etc. But now all of you ladies are making me rethink whether we'd use it as much as I originally thought.

hmp1 · March 2014

Skip the walk-out and do an awesome mud room off the garage. And if you do a big deck off the main floor, it really cuts a lot of light out from the walk-out. That's how ours was anyways. You said you can do big windows still, right? That should help with light and making it feel more livable.

BPer · March 2014

I guess it depends on the lot. Ours kind of "requires" a walkout basement with the grade/slope of the lot. It would just look weird without it. Have you talked to the other builders and confirmed that a walkout is definitely not an option? A little excavation on one side of the foundation doesn't seem like it should be a huge deal.

Holly_1007 · March 2014

https://www.foundationbuildersllc.com/outside.html quick google search showed me this, I don't know who this company is.

terri_doula2010 · March 2014

All I've got is that I want to know what areas you are looking at.

We're trying to decide where to move (renting) and school districts are a big limiting factor.

danabsd · March 2014

I have no clue what a walkout basement is. :-??

^^Superhelpful.

kelbel527 · March 2014

@danabsd - Sorry if this picture is huge. But this is an example of walk-out. The kitchen goes out onto a deck and the patio on the right is your basement walk-out.

kelbel527 · March 2014

This is a 4' exposure. Lots of windows in the basement, but the basement doesn't have an entrance to the outside. Which I'm wondering if it's truly a deal-breaker now.

kelbel527 · March 2014

@terri_doula2010 - I'll email you where we're looking. We're a little further west than you, but not by much if I remember correctly...

@bper @bobkat22 - We've talked to all the builders in the subdivision. It's not possible to add them after the fact (even though, yes, it's just moving dirt around). DH says it has something to do with submitting plans to the city well ahead of time. But also, I think it has to do with compromising the elevation of the overall subdivision. It's developed ahead of time to have a certain flow to it.

terri_doula2010 · March 2014

I would love the windows and not at all mind the lack of external door.

The exception would be if I intended my mom to eventually come and live in the basement. I'd love for her to have her own entrance. Any other reason? Nah.

We're looking north and west, @kelbel527. Related: we need to have another GTG soon! @MarisaKathleen and I have been having fun hanging out at L'BRI parties recently.

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