Cellar vs. large garage

have a basement and would build with one again. just the fact that the washing machine is banished, I don’t have to sacrifice a room for house technology, and most importantly, no laundry racks constantly in the way somewhere.

have classic lines stretched for sheets etc. and additionally 2 large wing racks. great. space for easily 2 9kg machines, if one was with sheets and towels then three. I can get through 2 weeks of laundry in one day and then have peace.

there is still a small workbench. and a room. my room. only mine. no one else’s. not a multipurpose room that is also mine. mine all alone. a decoration-crap-free zone. where empty beer cans can lie undisturbed in the corner for a year. prospectively classic with globe bar and Chesterfield sofa. ahh.

unfortunately, I only come to use my retreat when I am signed off sick...

addendum: of 13 new buildings the only one with a basement.

I find the principle "barn" more attractive than "cellar". We have not realized either, despite space and resources, except for a 20 sqm utility room under the terrace, because we wanted to live with less stuff. In the old house, I had a cellar and a double garage. About 70% of our stuff did not move with us, almost nothing from the cellar (except musical instruments and tools) or garage. A blessing.

I would also say: it depends crucially on the circumstances. We have a very small plot, a large garage or garden shed is not possible, so a basement is essential.
However, laundry and sauna are in the upper floor (OG), because I don’t feel like carrying the dirty laundry down to the basement and then taking it outside on the ground floor (EG) to dry, ironing it back down and finally back up *phew*. I’m not a fan of house plans that practically include a gym right from the start. I have a small utility room on the upper floor, where the dirty laundry goes directly when I take it off in the bathroom (throw it over the hallway), there I hang the laundry inside when the weather is bad, and when it’s good, I can go from the upper floor onto the roof of our carport and hang laundry there. I can also iron somewhere on the upper floor if needed (currently outsourced, thankfully done by my mother-in-law). Only table linens have to be carried dirty up from the ground floor and clean back down again. But that’s manageable. I wouldn’t want it any other way!
The sauna is integrated into our bathroom (OG). I’ll never understand why people plan a sauna in the basement right from the start. Then you need an extra shower, a relaxation room, etc. Why? I already have a shower in the bathroom and for relaxing I go to our bedroom, fresh air I get on the carport roof. Perfect!

We have storage, technical room, workshop, and guest room/second office in the basement. Workshop and guest room have daylight, due to a slight slope. I don’t want to do without the storage, we need it! Just for all the stuff for our various mountain sports hobbies, that adds up.

As I said: we wouldn’t have had any other option on our property, but I could also imagine it without a basement if I could have gotten storage elsewhere.

You just have to first be clear about what you reasonably(!!!) want to put in the basement and whether that could be done more cheaply somewhere else. Then you can make a well-founded decision. There is no one-size-fits-all solution that fits everyone.

Basement and garage offer completely different usage possibilities. We need both and do not want to do without them.

Basements nowadays are designed for living purposes, then those are my favorite rooms. Nice and bright and cool, they offer plenty of space. Such a basement does not turn into a junk room, that is more likely the garage...

However, we do laundry on the upper floor because I don’t feel like carrying dirty laundry down to the basement first and then bringing it outside on the ground floor to dry, then back down to iron and finally back up *whew*.

Laundry chute from the bathroom on the upper floor directly next to the washing machine in the basement, with a second opening by the kitchen on the ground floor. From there into the dryer, from there onto the racks in the basement in the same room as the washing machine. With underfloor heating and controlled residential ventilation, there is no fundamental objection. Then take them down and carry them up. Shirts come out wrinkle-free and are hung for two or three days next to the rain shower in the bathroom on the hanger. Since we’ve been doing this, nothing needs ironing anymore.

Whoever irons bed linen has no other problems... also enviable.

Laundry chute from the bathroom on the upper floor directly next to the washing machine in the basement, with a second chute by the kitchen on the ground floor. From there to the dryer, from there onto the racks in the basement in the same room as the washing machine. With underfloor heating and controlled residential ventilation, there is no reason against it. Then take down and carry up. Shirts are wrinkle-free and are hung on the hanger next to the rain shower in the bathroom for two or three more days. Since we started doing this, nothing needs ironing anymore.

Anyone who irons bed linen has no other problems anymore... also enviable.

Cool, we have it the same way and it works great. Wouldn’t want it any other way. Washing in the living area is out of the question because of noise.