walk out basement VS non-walk out type

15 years ago

I didn't cross post because I didn't want to bump another's thread...so I just posted here. I spent all last night reading thru the forum about basements and I am trying to figure if there is a considerable savings in doing a regular basement instead of a walk out basement. I have not been able to really pull any info up so I am sorry in advance if this has been discussed previously. Do any of you have a regular basement and if you do, do you regret not having a walk out type? Also, is the price any different? We do have a sloped lot - to what degree I don't know as of yet. I do not like the look when the back of the home looks 2 story (I know - dumb reason ;) ). Also, hubby is not opposed to as he calls it, an old fashioned type of basement. Do any of you have any pros or cons - except the obvious one, which is resale? I appreciate any feedback. Thanks my Friends!!! --Colleennc

Featured Answer

sue36

15 years ago

I did not want a walk-out and we went through considerable effort to avoid one. The lot had to be relatively flat, for one, and flat lots are more expensive. I don't like elevated decks off the back of houses. I want to be able to step out and be close to ground level. I grew up in a house with an elevated deck and hated it.

With a walk-out basement you have more lumber and window costs, but less concrete cost. I'd say walk-out will be more expensive, primarily because of the windows. How much more will depend on the windows and doors you get. There may be extra excavation (plus fill or rock wall) cost with a walkout, but that depends on the lot.

Our basement is totally dry, no moisture issues. The house is large (3800 sf plus 1000 sf walk-up attic), so we don't need the basement square footage. Eventually there may be a small home gym and pool/bar room down there. There are four smallish windows.

I love that my first level is actually at ground level in the back. To each his own.

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Comments (17)

tragusa3
15 years ago
I have a walkout. I can't imagine that anyone would prefer a standard basement if walkout is an option. Advantages to walkout that I see: 1. ability to have full size windows and doors, so that it feels like above grade living space (which it is) 2. Less moisture issues due to being half above grade 3. I'm guessing here, but framed walls have got to be cheaper than concrete

I think the choice will be made for you, based on the grading plan. The property will determine what type of basement you have, unless you throw money at it.
green-zeus
15 years ago
The only difference in price,in my experience, is in grading. I built my house 8 years ago with a walkout basement, and even tho I had a decent slope on the property, I thought the excavating for the walkout would be pretty expensive. Turns out that it took very little extra grading.

I can't tell you how many times I've been SO thankful for that walkout basement. When I've been to the lumber yard and can just drive around to the basement to off load it there rather than take it down the stairs, it's worth EVERY cent.
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We have a walk out basement with a bunch of windows and two doors - one to the finished area and a double door to my workshop in an unfinished area. You might want to consider that second door if you are going to be storing stuff down there in the winter. I have security concerns about all teh doors and windoes down there too, but I feel like if someone really wants to get in - they'll get in regardless. The two issues I have are - what the finished basement means to the design of the deck and patio outside. In our case we need both and they need to work together. Second issue, and this might be specific to my build, is how the concrete footers are insulated where they are above grade. In our home the footers under the back wall continue above grade by about one course of block - maybe 6 inches. That block is 5.5" thick. On top of the block sits the 2x6 stud wall. So, with the wall and the block being the same thickness, the exterior siding (hardy) and the interior finish (drywall) can run right down the stud wall and perfectly cover the block. Here's the problem - The 2x6 wall is insulated, but there was no interior space to insulate that concrete block. We have radiant heat in the basement floor and we lose a lot of heat through that 6" by 50ft length of wall that is uninsulated. I can tell because the snow melts in that area of the yard before it melts anywhere else. On the interior, all it has is sheet rock and mdf base molding covering the block. The solution (I think) would have been for the wall to have been thicker than the block so that there would have been interior space to put rigid insulation against the block before the sheetrock and moldings were put on. Good luck
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We just built a walk out basement and love it! We came from Missouri so we were VERY accustomed to walk outs with the hills, but when we moved to Oklahoma, the land is just to flat. But we found a hill! Most people here have no idea what a walk out basement is until they see a picture. We have very young boys but I am not nervous about having the walk out. The deck is high but really the railing is tall and tight so I have no worries about them falling. I like having a level front yard and level backyard. Our landscaping is simple, we built a boulder retaining wall to hold back the dirt on one side of the house but the other side has a gentle slope so we just graded it off. Most people see the front of your house anyway and it just looks like a normal house. The basement ceiling is over 9ft and with huge windows so it is very bright open and doesn't feel like a basement at all. There is no doubt that we would do a walk out basement again. I love being able to access the backyard from the basement and having a patio and deck is nice. We planned the deck so we could add stairs from the deck to the backyard later if we decide to, but I like how useable the space is without stairs. The energy efficiency of the basement is so much better than a normal 2 story would be and we still get the space without a huge footprint.
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I always see "daylight basement" and "walkout basement" used as interchangeable terms. Because of this, I think the expectation by most people will be that there is a normal-sized door to the outside, and larger-than-typical windows in the basement. This is how my walkout basement is set up, and it creates a number of possibilities which would be appealing to buyers. We can finish off a bedroom, we can finish off other rooms which will have a lot of natural light, we can create a patio directly outside the basement door, etc.. Right now we use the basement entrance all the time to directly access the back yard. MAYBE your realtor can technically call it a walkout basement, but as others have mentioned, it won't meet the expectations of most people. My realtor wanted to overstate features in my house and it was something I absolutely didn't want to get into.
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nidnay - at our current facility we have an 8 stall barn with a bathroom, 12' X 18' office, and 12' X 24' tackroom, with the barn being about 125' away from the back of our house (facing it actually). I've lived here for 18 years now and we RARELY EVER use the stalls, so we don't plan on building a 'stable' (or a barn with stalls). The horses are going to live out with shelters in each pasture. Our current barn had to have it's own it's own septic system. $$$ The current land we are looking at only had one perc site for 4 bedrooms. I don't want to pay for the test for a second perc ($250) plus the cost of having another septic system (about $4K), as well as creating a climate controlled office and bathroom in the barn (a mini split system is about $3K and a 2 piece bathroom probably around $2K). That is about $10K right there in a separate septic, a 2 piece bathroom, and office and climate control for both (as well as permitting, creating plans, etc.). All things that would have already been in the house at the square footage we had to build. Plus grading for a large barn was going to be expensive. We found a place next to the house to put in a modest shed row 'barn' for a tack room, feed room and grooming, that will work with the topography of the land for minimal grading work. We did this to keep things cost effective. It's just my husband and I living in this house, it's not like we have kids to keep separated from my business. We're both fine with this situation. The door up the stairs to the main floor will have a lock on it. And I don't have a lesson mill program, I focus on quality not quantity. I've been teaching for over 20 years now. I keep about 8 weekly students at any given time. I get to know my students and my parents well... my students tend to stick around for years. Same for my boarders. We'll have 2 or 3 boarders at the new location. At our current facility 3 of our customers have been with us for 5+ years. At one point or another I end up paying most of my students and all of my boarders to house sit / dog sit / farm sit for us when we go on vacation. I'm pretty confident they are not going to bust the door down to access the main floor of my home. And they won't be there at inappropriate hours of the day / night anyhow. Vigil Carter - I guess you didn't read my last post. We priced out a 1 story 'ranch' with the same builder. 2200 sq ft was going to cost $209,000 THEN another $15K because of the sloped ground to add more courses to the crawl space foundation. This 1700 sq ft two story house, without walkout basement, came in at $178K pre-basement. The cost of the completely finished 840 sq ft basement, with a grand total heated sq ft of 2540, came to a total less than the single story 2200 sq ft ranch. Though we could have gotten a separate entrance in-law space, the in-law space would have been way smaller (by over 150 sq ft) and I would not have had an office that was separate from my main living space. I lift 50 pound bags of feed and hay nearly daily and my husband is military / infantry, we are active horse riders and hikers. I think we can handle interior stairs for another 12+ years. :) At that point if it starts to bother us then we can add a master suit to the side of the house (which we had already spec'd out anyhow but we just do not need at this time).
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bungeeii
15 years ago
If our lot allowed, we certainly would have gone with a walk-out. The expense of the basement itself should not be much more at all. The real added expense is in the doorwall and additional framing, but even with all that, you're looking at less than 10k. (That would have been the case for me here in Michigan anyway.)

You could compromise and put in a "daylight" basement, with the side of the home on the lowest part of the slope having larger windows. (That's what we did, as the lot just wasn't suited for a walkout.)

Another consideration around here is code. We pulled permits for our basement remodel and would not have been approved to put in the family room without an egress window. The same consideration goes for bedrooms.

Code or not, if you're going to create living space down there you'll want to have a safe exit in case of disaster.

I say build what you want, though. If you really like the look of a single story ranch and don't want to mess it up, then don't worry about the basement. Then again, if you're really planning on using the space then you may want to reconsider the importance of the ranch look.
carolyn53562
15 years ago
We have a partially exposed basement instead of a walk-out. The concrete wall on the partially exposed sides of the basement (2 full sides plus part of another side) is probably 3-1/2 feet tall so that we could put in regular size windows. We did not want a walk out because of the extra security concerns with doors (I knew that people would always forget to lock the door) and because it was just easier to handle drainage issues with our lot if we went with a partially exposed basement instead of a walk out basement. Also, we have teenagers and didn't want to make too easy for them to go in/out of the house at night without our knowing it. I don't regret our decision at all.
formula1
15 years ago
Ditto traguse3 comments about feel of above grade living space and less moisture issues (the foundation drains will run downhill). Costs will be more because of windows and exterior finishing materials. But it is worth it, IMO.

Comment about flat lots costing more doesn't jibe with our area, hillside lots cost more, because you can have a walkout.
housecrazy1970
15 years ago
gotta love a walkout! My current home does not have one. I always wanted one and when I was house hunting I wouldn't even look at a house without it! Now that I'm building I only looked at lots with walk outs. If you like ground level decks just put a patio out the back of the basement, and you still can have a first floor deck.....best of both worlds!
wearybuilder
15 years ago
The building code will dictate what options you have as far as basement is concerned.

We wanted a standard pour basement with egress window and a couple of other small windows in the foundation. I absolutely did not want a walk-out, and DH would have been happy either way. IMHPO, I wanted the security of no doors, the safety in case of tornado (we are in the tornado alley), and I didn't want it to become the sloppy area from coming in from the backyard ("who cares about the mud, it's only the basement! aaarrrgggg) LOL

That being said, think about how you will use the area, make a dream plan of both ways, see what the code says for the land area, check any $$ issues, and by then you should have a clearer vision.

Believe me, I know all of this stuff can feel overwhelming sometimes. Try to keep opinions seperate from facts, do what will be best for you and your family, and you will be fine!
zone_8grandma
15 years ago
We have a walkout. We can sit in the TV room downstairs and look outside through 8' wide sliding door at a patio and lawn. Upstairs, I love the elevated deck partly because it enhances the view.

The guestroom (in basement) is airy with a large bay window and a side window. If there were an emergency, exits are right there.

I doubt we'd have put in a basement at all if we hadn't been able to do a walkout.

Cost is only one factor. Other factors are liveability, esthetics and resale value.

Having said that, it is your house and you should build what you want.
charliedawg
15 years ago
I've had a regular basement and now have a walkout. By far I prefer the walkout. But like the others said, your lot will dictate what kind of basement you have.

A friend of ours has a side walk out. So when she goes out her backdoor she is straight in the yard without the need for an elevated deck. But if she wants access to the basement from outside she just goes to the side. Not much of her basement wall exposed. Maybe this would be a good compromise for you.

One of the main reasons that I was very happy to have a walkout was because this is our forever house. One day my mom/dad or inlaws may need to live w/ us and having a seperate entrance to an in-law quarters would be fantastic. And eventually, hopefully way way way down the road, I might need somebody living w/ me 24 hours a day and a basement apartment with it's own entrance would be really nice to have.

For now, we will be using it for a bar, theater room, pool table, music room and exercise room and for a place to let the kids hang out.

BTW - I was told my full walkout would cost about 10,000 more than a standard basement.
hoosiergirl
15 years ago
We compromised on this one. I really wanted a walk-out, but mainly because I need access to the outside from the basement for my business. Our builder knew we were trying to cut costs so he suggested going with a walk-up. We still have access to the outdoors from the basement, but without the expense of more excavation to have the walk-out. It's more like an "old-fashioned basement", but that's okay with us since we were going for an old-fashioned look for our house, too! Good luck!
cefoster
Original Author
15 years ago
WOW!! I come home from work and eager to check to see if any one has posted and I have gotten so much wonderful and different advice/opinions. Thank you all so very much for taking time out of your schedule to psot - my sincere thanks to all!! The only thing I hadn't thought about was if we needed to use the basement for additional living space for relatives in the future. It indeed would be more suitable to exit out of a walk out basement than to have a small staircase and a single door. Maybe I will mention to the builder about the daylight basement where we can have a partially exposed basement wall with a wide single french door and perhaps 2 or 3 egress windows in case of escape means. Security issues are always a thought as well. I thank you again and will bring these answers with me to the builders next Tuesday. Thanks again my Friends! ---Colleennc
minnt
15 years ago
I went back and forth with deciding on a walk out or not. I think the same way you do, I don't really like the look of a two story home on the backside. That being said, I really wanted big daylight windows in the basement. We went with large windows, but no walk out. We would have had to bring the grade up a bit more for a walk out and as it is, we will have to put in two retaining walls. I am not sure how much more expensive it was with the large windows, but I am sure it was more than smaller windows and the extra expense of the excavation. I thought about what we would be walking out to and that is a woodsy area on our 7 acres. It is nothing special and since most of our living space on the property is on the other side, it didn't seem to make sense to put the walk out in.

We do have the large, two story look on the back side, but we have made that look shorter by siding choices. We put a cedar shake on the top section, then followed with straight siding. You can see photos of it here.

Good luck with your decision. It is one of many you will be going through.

Here is a link that might be useful: My house building blog
worthy
15 years ago
Where the choice is mine, I put in a walkout basement.

They have all been on flat infill lots, so they are "conventional". However, they have ranged from triple glass door walkouts onto an extended below-grade patio with 10 foot wide steps up, to simple stairs along the side of the home.

Their big plus is fire safety--it gives you two exits out. They're also useful for in-home offices, in-law and/or rental apartments and offspring separation from the main living area.

For a "conventional" walkout, there's a few thousand dollars in added costs; also you should have careful detailing in cold climates to ensure the safety of the extra footings and below grade walls. Special attention also to drainage.

My cost for the relatively simple walkout below was an extra $5,000+. Just where we excavated a further four feet down was a layer of fine silt that requiring wider footings and extra rebar to span the area. We could have just as easily hit running water--as I did in a previous walkout.

"Conventional" walkout. Risi stone steps and retaining wall.
cefoster
Original Author
15 years ago
Thank you Worthy - I appreciate your feedback - as I appreciate everyone's feedback (thank you minnt a well). I went to the builder's but we only discussed the 1st and 2nd floor plan - next week we will discuss the basement and I will be sure to bring up all the issues that you have mentioned. Thank you again!!
zone_8grandma
15 years ago
Bumping this thread to post a virtual tour of my sister's house (which just went on the market).

She has a walkout basement...

Here is a link that might be useful: Home with walkout basement
cefoster
Original Author
15 years ago
That is beautiful....you can't even tell that is a basaement!! Too awesome!

walk out basement VS non-walk out type

sue36

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