are there any negatives to a walkout basement?

Answer 1

Consider the landscaping around it. It a hill spills a heavy rain down to the house, you may need a curb to keep the basement from flooding.

It is a security risk and detracts from the backyard view if a door is installed.

It's an old fashioned feature that could detract from the home value

Answer 2

I work in the luxury home market and 95% of the homes i work in are walkouts as well as every home I personally have owned,and I can say with all my experience and exposure to walkouts there have never been any negative issues associated with them. They will add to resale value and are very convenient.

Answer 3

If your house is built on a hill or a ravine that slopes away from the basement walkout door (it can be just a slight slope) you should be fine. But if there is no slope or it slopes toward your basement door, then you will likely have flooding problems. We have one in our house and it is beautiful, however I wouldn't recommend it if you don't have the slope to carry water away.

Answer 4

The only negative we found was easily overcome - security. They put a 9-pane window door down there with a typical latch dead-bolt. I thought "all the thief needs to do it punch out the window, and he could unlock the door and let himself in - nobody would ever see it, and we'd never hear it.

So we put a double-key deadbold on the door and got an alarm system.

But considering that our locality won't let you finish the basement without a walk-out, it was worth it.

Answer 5

Not if you have good concrete retaining walls on each side. I like walk out basements.

Answer 6

flooding can be a problem, snow buildup, leaves and debris, dampness, security problems, its up to you if you want it or not I'd have to see your building site to give you a good answer