Why Your Next Home Should Have a Basement

One of the best decisions I ever made was building a basement when I constructed my home. I have been a homeowner for nearly eight years now, and I am thankful every day I made the decision I did. When I asked my neighbor if I should build one, he said "How many people do you know that are sorry they have a basement....if it dry?"

I know other things are important when thinking about a house such as location, available money (the basement is probably the cheapest part of a house you can construct), and surrounding property values. However, don't underestimate the importance of a basement.

My first wife and I had the argument of basement/no basement when we were building our house eight years ago (no, it isn't the reason for our divorce). She grew up in a house that didn't have a basement. I, on the other hand, grew up in a house that did have one. To make a long story short, I won the argument. I did have to concede on a few things such as floor layout, counter tops, and curtain colors...hehehe.
Alright, let's get to the point. Here are my top five reasons for having a basement.

1) Something always will go wrong with your plumbing, eventually!! It can be anything from a leak in your drain/water line to your wife trying to shove spaghetti down the garbage disposal and clogging it up. It is always nicer to walk down to the basement and get a ladder and work over your head than it is to have to crawl under your floor in the crawlspace to fix a leak. Murphy's law always applies to plumbing. Things will always go wrong at worst time time. This includes a leak when it is freezing outside or it has rained for the last seven days.

2) A cheap place to live, if you need to. I put in a toilet and shower when I built the basement. I have added a refrigerator and furniture since. A great place to watch football with the guys on Monday Nights. I've even had a people stay there when they come to visit on vacation. It's cheaper than a motel and you can still walk around in your underwear upstairs. Also, I have my basement 's ceiling insulated to contain the sound. It was cheap to do and this makes a great place for the kids to have their sleep-overs without the noise drifting upstairs.