Is a house for a total volume of 400k still possible at all?

You would have, if the money for the house and basement hadn't been enough, just built the basement with a shed on top and lived in the basement, right? As long as it’s a basement :p

Nah :D But I would have saved until I could afford a basement :)

The only justification for a basement for me is limited floor space and/or a home cinema. I can manage with the floor space I have, even though I would like to have more. However, a basement wouldn’t really have helped me with that either (couldn’t have planned significantly less floor space, maybe 10-20 m²). A home cinema for 80,000 EUR (only for separate rooms) was then too expensive for me.

The only justification for a basement for me is limited floor space and/or a home theater. I can manage with the floor space I have, even though I would like more. But a basement wouldn't have really saved that for me either (maybe I could have planned 10-20 m² less, but not significantly less floor space). A home theater costing 80,000 EUR (just for separate rooms) was too expensive for me.

The basement just gets more expensive from post to post :D

To get straight to the point:

A basement is a great luxury – something some can afford – and some cannot. That's it :) Whether the added value is there or not is up to each person to decide for themselves.

Whether a garage for 25k for 2 cars is necessary or not is also up to each individual to decide for themselves. Whether it has to be an A8 or a Polo – everyone must decide for themselves. Whether plastic windows or wood-aluminum windows... the same.

Everything has its pros and cons. Live and let live :)

That was the price in an offer from my [GÜs]. I immediately declined. It would have been a white tank. Groundwater at about 6m or so.

That was the price in an offer from my general contractor. I immediately declined. It would have been a waterproof concrete shell. Groundwater at about 6m or so.

Did you also "deduct" the m² increase + the floor slab accordingly? Of course, you must not only calculate the "extra cost" but also offset what else is not needed. Depending on the building area, the floor slab will also become significantly more expensive (this is the case for us, for example). Suddenly it's no longer 80k but only 50k or less.

A basement is really cool, but for us, with groundwater 1 m below ground level, it was simply too expensive. We have 165m², which is enough, but with a basement, that would be worlds more space – especially if there was also room for a study or something similar. Next house, definitely with a basement too.