We are in the process of buidling, and our lot was already set up for a walkout basement in the back. However, we're doing some major re-grading and will have the backyard at first floor level like you mentioned. We will have an area on the left side of the house with a walkout, likely with a small retaining wall and some steps to get to the rest of the backyard. I've never liked walking out the main living area onto an elevated deck/porch, then having to go down several steps to get to the backyard. I'd get the opinion of an excavator and go to the lot with a transit/level to really see what kind of grading or fill you're looking at. We ending up having to buy the lot next to us in order to make things work (and fortunately that allows us to use fill from that lot). If you're putting a lot of fill in right behind the house, you can't put a footer for a covered porch or outbuilding on fill. You'll be digging back to the original grade.

Hmmm, that is a tough one. I would say do what you want. It comes down to personal preferences. I assume you don't plan to finish the basement space but just use it for storage? If you do plan to finish it, I would reconsider and at least get some daylight into the basement.

Some people will have part of the basement -- say the side, be daylight and the rest in ground. That might be an option depending on your lot. My sister did this and they have 2 daylight windows in a family room area of their basement. The rest of the basement has egress window wells for 2 bedrooms, but not much daylight. In her house, the kitchen area is on the ground so you can walk right out to the backyard, but the side of the house has daylight windows for the basement.

I could have written your post a couple of years ago. I went for a backyard at my 1st floor level. I wanted that connection between the house and the backyard.

I actually had a little more slope to the side so I did do a basement with a garage pulling under on the side of the house and retaining walls.. No daylight though unless the door is open.

I LOVE having natural light come into the basement, and would never have or buy a house without it. I agree that it's nice to have the first floor at grade in some places, but every place else I'd try to get some kind of window into as many basement locations as possible.

We have a walkout on one corner of our new home with windows on 2 walls, but also created window wells for a nice triple window on the side for a guest bedroom, a set of 3 12"x12" glass blocks for the LL bathroom window, and a Bilco window well for DH's workshop. Our back patio and front porch are almost at grade.

Before we built our house, we looked at a house for sale that had almost everything else we wanted. However, they'd filled the south-facing back yard that could have been a walkout so they could terrace it up the back for gardens. The only windows in the entire very large finished basement were a doorwall off to the side and a small window in the furnace room. It was a deal-killer for us.

Anne

I'm going to echo the others: if you plan to use it as living space, keep the daylight basement. But perhaps you could do a retaining wall and split the back yard?

We do not want a daylight basement....we are going with egress windows and that will bring some light into the basement. We are building a cottage type home and a large screened in porch and patio area (not deck). We like everything to be on the 1st level so no daylight for us. We will have a really cool bulkhead cellar door which adds to the charm of our type of home. My husband likes his "area" to be cave like so a "non" daylight basement is more than ok with him. The basement will have his computer stuff, tv area, etc and a 3/4 bathroom (w/shower) and laundry area. The appraisers have already told us that they do not use basements in our area when making their appraisals for the bank. Good luck!!

Thanks everyone for the great feedback!

We sought out a lot that was relatively flat, I did not want a daylight basement (well, more accurately, I wanted the house to be at gound level, I didn't want an elevated deck in the rear). It's personal preference.

When we finish the basement it will have storage, a pool/TV room and a home gym. No need for large windows. Now, if you are planning bedrooms or an inlaw appt. down there, that is different.

We wanted a walkout basement - where we sited the house there was an 11 ft drop from one end up the other. We planned on an elevated deck at the south end with sliders from FR, another pair of sliders under so we could store patio furniture, lawn mower, etc. in the basement and have (double) doors to get them in and out. The kitchen/laundry/garage end was to be at grade, front porch was to wrap around (elevated) end.

B/c of ledge, we had to move the house and now our FR slider is 4 ft off grade(couldn't change - modular plans were in and approved b4 we started digging, weather delays). We ended up changing front porch (site built) design so that it's *just* on the front of the house, the south end has a kneewall with a 3ft door and a window. So I guess we have more light (or just as much since deck would have covered slider) as originally planned, but harder to move things in/out swinging door than the double sliders we had planned, and b/c the septic is higher, we can't put the basement bathroom in under the laundry room. We'll never finish this basement, though we might have if we had been able to build on original spot.

The property we are going to build on is sloped just right for a walk-out. It's pretty hard to find a level lot in the mountains except in a flood plain. I have a friend nearby that has the same slope and view, and I like his house. He has a porch off of the elevated back, and the view and breezes are great. The biggest challenge for me will be grilling, which I do at every opportunity. My solution will be to build a nice outdoor kitchen under a gazebo, complete with a sink and under counter fridge. That way, I can bring everything out at once, sit under the gazebo while I cook, and bring everything in at once. I may even rig a crude dumb waiter to get everything up to porch level.

Todd, do you see much tornado danger where you plan to build? That would make a difference in my decision.

Since you already own the lot, suggesting a side slope won't help you. That's what we have (& have had before) and it's one thing we still really like about this house. It provides us with direct access to a large level backyard from the kitchen/hearth room and living room. The lot slopes at one side and there are multiple french doors and a window in one end of the basement, and the windowless portion houses the home theater.

While you're not concerned about resale in the near future, you might still want to talk to some RE agents about how basements are valued in your area. Here finished basements appraise for loans at about 1/2 the value of above grade space, even with comparable finishes. However, some RE agents told us that many of their buyers prefer unfinished basements for the extra storage and that our previous homes' basements would not add much to their resale value.

If you intend to age-in-place, I'd suggest you keep the direct access from the main floor instead of building an elevated deck. You can always install an elevator inside, but you can't do much about those outside stairs if you or your spouse develop mobility problems.

ajsmama, our lower level bathroom is lower than our septic, so we put in an ejector pump. Adds some cost, but was worth it to us.

Anne

If you intend to age-in-place, I'd suggest you keep the direct access from the main floor instead of building an elevated deck. You can always install an elevator inside, but you can't do much about those outside stairs if you or your spouse develop mobility problems.

Or you can wrap the deck around the side of the house to the front at grade level or slightly higher. The side portion doesn't have to be very wide. Six foot is sufficient, even if you have casement windows.

You can bury your septic tanks so that they are lower than your basement (you just need a really long collar from the surface to the access holes in the tanks) and then you only need the pump from the tank to the drain field.

We are doing a day-light with a wrap around porch, so that the front and both sides are main level. I think we will be putting the pool in sort of on one side so that it has access to the wrap around porch from the main level. Our pond will be in the back for the view, so I didnt want a pond and a pool.

Basements are somewhat standard here. I dont think it cost much more than a crawlspace, and we are prone to tornadoes. The basement is the hangout for our teenage son and his friends.

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Here is a link that might be useful: Our Build in Pictures

Love the corgis in the pic! Mine is such a fearless daredevil even at 7 years old that I won't dare let her run loose on a construction site.

ha. These guys actually stay at the farm. Usually in the barn but now they have moved into the new house. Ha. I think that they think we are building them a brand new great big dog house.

Of course you are building them a big doghouse. They gave you the corgi mind bore stare and put the idea in your head in the first place.

My corgi got the short straw and was a show dog early in life. Then I adopted her and moved her out to the farmlette and learned her true calling was chasing cows back in the fence and being a watch dog. While we're stuck in an apartment, she just chases sofa cushions and tennis balls, poor thing. She should have been a real working farm dog.

Now back to your regularly scheduled thread...