I am building a new home and was wondering if it was worth 7k+ to make the basement 9 feet deep instead of 8?

Answer 1

absolutely. That extra headroom makes all the difference if you ever want to "finish" the basement for living space.

Answer 2

It really depends on what you are going to use the basement space for. How any duct work, piping and other service items are run in the basement would also be a consideration. If everything is run between the joists and not across then 8 foot might be okay.

I had a similar question come up when we built our house but it involved the detatched shop/garage which is 50 feet by 25 feet. I chose to have the ceiling height set at 9 feet and am very glad I did. It makes a hugh difference in my shop because with the shop lights I still have sufficient room to swing an 8 foot piece of lumber and not knock out a light.

I hadn't thought of the cave effect but I agree that can be a result of low ceilings and limited outside light.

Answer 3

That extra foot will make all the difference if you are planning to finish the basement as usable living quarters. You want to avoid the "cave" affect but also gives you extra room to play around those oddly placed electrical and furnace and a.c. piping. The finished basements in new home development models have even higher ceilings.

Answer 4

If the basement is at least 800sq.ft. then spend the money and make it 9 feet. Smaller basements are seldom used for living space.

Answer 5

not really, 1 ft isn,t going to make that much difference, if you want a deeper basement, at less cost, add height to the basement walls, [sit the house up some]

Answer 6

if you just plan on using it for storage and laundry than no. if you want to finish it that extra foot will make all the difference. it will feel like an actual room in the house and not a underground dungeon.

Answer 7

absolutely. for many of the reasons listed above. you will have a much better "feeling" down there with that extra foot. you made the right choice :)