We are planning a basement in the house - options for using the premises
Ground floor plans in projects of one- and two-story houses, as a rule, provide for a sufficiently large underground space that can be used at the discretion of the owner.
If we take into account the fact that the foundation in most houses will have to be laid below the freezing level of the soil, and the basement will need to be raised above the ground, then the device of the ground floor looks like a completely rational solution.
Do not confuse the basement with. Many imagine the basement as a poorly lit and damp room where it is impossible to stay for a long time. But this is not at all true, because most of the surface of the walls of modern basements are located above ground level. The plan of the house may provide for various. If desired, the lower part of the house can be deeper into the ground, thereby increasing the height of the ceiling in the room.
The main advantages that a house plan with a basement provides are as follows:
- The usable space of a residential building increases by almost 1.5-2 times.
- If there is an underground living space in the main rooms of the building, there will be a warmer floor, and the building itself will become more comfortable for living.
- The possibility of using the premises for a variety of purposes: for a boiler room, a bathhouse, a workshop, a warehouse, etc.
- If the space will be used as a vegetable store and warehouse, this will allow not to build outbuildings on the street, thereby freeing up space on the site.
House layout with basement
- The basement space is best suited for placing a pantry, a garage, a boiler room, a warehouse, a vegetable store, a cellar, etc.
- A very attractive solution is the conversion of an underground room into a dressing room or hallway.
- Also, the basement floor plan may provide for the placement of bathrooms and other rooms with high humidity, as well as places for the location of heavy household appliances (for example, a washing machine and dryer). In addition, in recent years, swimming pools have been arranged in large basement floors.
- Among other things, you can work on increasing the space of the house due to the bay window protruding 100-150 cm above the plinth. As a rule, the dimensions of such a room are relatively small, but they are quite enough to organize a winter garden or arrange a place to relax.
An example of a zero level layout in a cottage.
In a house with a basement, the layout provides for a staircase that can be climbed and descended. It is very important that it be comfortable to use, so the approximate width of the march should be at least 90-100 cm. In addition, the width of the steps should be from 30 cm.
Protecting the premises from moisture
The underground floor needs effective and high-quality protection against moisture. Waterproofing must be carried out in any case, regardless of the depth of groundwater, the frequency of precipitation and weather conditions on the ground.
As a rule, the basement floor plan provides that the walls will be made of concrete. However, the layout may allow the use of any other building materials. For example, brick is often used. Depending on the building materials used, the total cost of building a house will change.
The depth of the underground floors will largely depend on the level of groundwater, but it rarely exceeds 180 cm. If the soil is dense, then a traditional sand cushion with the addition of gravel can serve as the base of the foundation. With loose and wet soil, it is necessary to arrange a monolithic concrete base, on which the walls of the house will be installed in the future.
Make a boiler room or garage?
Homeowners who are not well versed in construction are unlikely to notice a major difference between a high subfloor and a ground floor. However, the layout and purpose of these rooms are different.
On the basement floor, you can place a gas boiler room, as well as other equipment that is usually taken out of the country house. In addition, the ground floor plan often provides for baths and toilets, pantries, places for washing and other rooms that are extremely useful in everyday life.
The garage under the living rooms needs careful insulation.
Also, the floor plan may include a place to park the car, in other words, an underground garage. However, such a plan has a large number of opponents who talk about the unenvironmental nature of having a garage under the living rooms. The main problem is that specific odors begin to appear in the house after parking the car, which remain in the living quarters for a long time and are extremely difficult to get rid of. In addition, if the garage is located much lower than the ground, then the entrance will have a significant slope, which is very inconvenient, especially on ice, when it will not be possible to leave the garage for work.
Room for long-term stay of people
If the layout of the house provides for living quarters on the basement floor, then special attention will need to be paid to thermal insulation and waterproofing of the rooms, because the walls of the underground floor are more susceptible to moisture and cold air. All waterproofing and thermal insulation work must be carried out at the stage of construction of a country house.
In addition, it is imperative to have a high-quality ventilation system in the living room. It is also necessary to provide for the presence of vents in the walls, which will improve air exchange.
The ground floor plan should also include piping and other communications. As noted above, the presence of a bathroom and bath on the basement floor is a common practice, moreover, recommended by experts.
Rest room interior.
The room should have several windows (if possible - the largest). It is best to prefer window structures made of PVC profiles, which are optimally suited for installation in this type of premises.
The ground floor is a great place to accommodate technical, utility and residential premises. This means that here it is necessary to provide exactly the same reliable protection against heat loss and moisture penetration as in the rest of the rooms of the house located above.
Projects of houses with a basement are gaining great popularity today, because homeowners are trying to save on construction work by reducing the number of storeys of suburban dwellings.