Third Story or Basement more efficient

8 years ago

I am looking at a house plan that comes with an optional third story. My husband would prefer we have it altered to be a two story with a basement. I have read that the third story would be cheaper to build than a basement, but I think it would cost more to heat and cool. (The house would be in the South, so cooling costs would be more than heating.) I'm trying to decide which option would be cheaper in the long run. What would you do, all other points of comparison being equal?

Featured Answer

parker25mv

8 years ago

last modified: 8 years ago

It depends what part of the country you are in, and what the ground conditions are. The reason you see a lot of basements in some regions is because it freezes in the winter. You have to put your foundation footings below the frost line which means they go down 4 or 5 feet. It's little extra expense to dig out the soil and put in a basement.

In other parts of the country, the bedrock is very shallow, so it is very difficult and costly to excavate. Secondly, if you already have many contractors in the area who install basements, it is going to be cheaper.

Another factor is that the more floor levels your house has, the more it costs to build an additional level. For example, it would probably be cheaper to build a 3-story house plus a basement level than it would be to build a 4-story house. A cement walled basement foundation, in the ground, can easily support plenty of weight above.

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Comments (6)

parker25mv
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
Some people do not want to have a 3-story house because they do not want to have to go up 2 flights of stairs to get to the top level. Someday you might get older or break your leg and it could become difficult to go up all those stairs.

If you do go with a 3 story house, you might want to design it with doors that can be closed over each flight of stairs, and a special air duct system so you do not have to air condition all 3 levels at the same time.
lolainthecola thanked parker25mv
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User
8 years ago
I wouldn't want a third story and I'd imagine it would get very hot as heat rises.

I like basements and fortunately, ours has remained very dry.
lolainthecola thanked User
mike_home
8 years ago
Will the house have an attic above the optional third floor? If not then it will be hot during the summer. Even with an attic, the cooling load for the third floor will be much higher than that of a basement. Basements below ground rarely need cooling, and only a small amount of heating.
lolainthecola thanked mike_home
lolainthecola
Original Author
8 years ago
Thanks for everyone's responses. The house plan has an elevator in the plan, so we aren't worried about the stair issues. Parker, I checked on the frost line, and 12" is the state min, with 18-24" recommended. So I don't think there would be much savings going the basement route if that is the determining factor. Mike, there would be an attic, but you are confirming what I suspected about the cooling costs. Personally, I prefer a third floor to a basement (I find them creepy) but this would likely be our retirement home, so we are trying to think ahead and keep future costs low, as well as current building costs.
User
8 years ago
You can brighten up basements with terraced basement windows- makes a big difference.
lolainthecola thanked User