Basements?

[futureactress2010]

Or cellars if you like. The point is, how would you describe a basement and/or cellar? Is it cold and dirty? Gloomy and scary? Or kinda hot and decently cleanish? Having never been in a basement I lack experience on such things. Plus, is there a general area where people usually build basements? Like maybe the mid-west 'cause there's tornadoes and stuff. Would it be plausible to see a basement in an early 80's suburban neighboorhood? Where would the door leading to the basement be? Etc...

[MichaelB]

I live in a place where basements are practically out of the question, so I'm working from limited experience. From what I've seen, basements in America are almost considered a necessity, even outside of tornado-ares, simply for the extra storage space and such. My initial impression of the generic 'basement' is a narrow-ceilinged, brick-walled, dark, gloomy place with little to no natural light, lots of cobwebs and dust, and possibly even some damp. However, there are all sorts of basements, just as there are all sorts of bedrooms. I've seen basements that have been converted into bright, clean, airy living spaces with clean white plasterboard walls and fluffy furniture and heaps of natural light.

So I guess it can be whatever you need it to be. Just do an image search for 'basement remodelling', or even just 'basement', and you'll find all kinds of airy, bright living spaces (in amongst the pictures of damp, mouldy old brickwork).

The same goes with cellars; my 'traditional' image is of a poorly-lit, dry, dusty room full of shelves upon shelves of vintage wines, with heaps of dust and cobwebs and possibly the smell of oak in the air, mingling with old wine smells. However, cellars can come in all styles as well. There are stainless steel and plastic wine-racks to be had, rather than the traditional polished-hardwood construction. Indeed, there are wine racks in all shapes and sizes and colours available, so again, it really depends on what you want or need. Just do a Google image search for 'wine racks' and you'll find this little steel beauty (http://www.wine-cellar-racks.com.au/wine_racks.jpg).

[KeinesV]

Basements are made just about anywhere the ground will support them, aren't they? I live in the midwest, and most people I know have basements... strangely my family never has.

It really varies from family to family. Some people just shove junk in their basement, for others it's a functional part of the house. Others yet even finish them off and make lovely rooms.

Generally speaking though, I'd say the average basement is concrete floor, and plain drywall or cinder blocks. Ceilings are usually just the bare wood support structure of the floor above. It's where things like the water heater and furnace are. Most basements are reasonably clean, some are institutionally clean. Almost everyone who has a basement keeps their laundry down there, so there are often laundry sinks next to the washer and dryer. It's also not particularly uncommon for people to have some shelf space that serves as a canned or boxed items pantry. Always is there a portion dedicated to storage. How it feels to be in one... every proper basement is in the ground. Usually it's cooler down there than anywhere else in the house, even in winter. They are dim usually. They freak some people out, but I, for instance, kind of like them.

[strawberry-tea]

Yeah, like the guys said, there's a lot of variety in basements. I've seen them used as extra living space, or as game rooms, or as storage spaces, or as a combination of these. Ours is a big, cold, concrete-floored space where we keep the cat box and where all my dad's fishing stuff and hardware toys go. It's also a massive storage space for old stuff, seasonal stuff, and wine. There are a couple of freezers down there too.

Remember that the size of the basement should conform to the size of the house/building. Also remember that there should be water heaters and water pipes and the like down there.

A few points taken from a basement description in one of my own stories:

- low ceilinged
- uncleaned
- filled with boxes and crates full of old stuff
- full of old furniture (we're talking about a very large basement, in this case)
- dry, cold air
- dark
- pipes along the walls

I also mentioned that the walls were stone, which I guess makes this space more of a cellar than a basement. Usually a basement will have bare-bones walls with wood beams and insulation poking out. I don't think I've ever seen a basement where the walls were dry-walled, but I suppose it would be possible.

Think that's all I have to add. Hope it helps. ^^

[Tundra]

I've seen some on tv and in real life that were more like a 'downstairs' rather than a dank place. I've seen others that had lighting and facilities, but had been stuffed full of boxes, and perhaps a pool table or something.

[FrenchFry]

Well, I've always had a basement. At this moment, my basement is actually just another floor. Our house used to be a bed and breakfast, and I think the basement is where the people stayed. I really like it down there (it's the best smelling place in the house). There are four separate rooms, one of which is now an extra bedroom and another is where my friends and I stay when they're at my house. The only part of my basement that is traditional is the boiler room, which houses the water heater, various random things, and my brother's workbench.

At my old house, our basement was small and I used to ride my tricycle around it. That's all I remember.

My Aunt's basement is the general living space in their house. They have a home theatre system, a bar, and a playroom for their kids.

And my Grandpa's old basement was where we kids went down to do science experiments, build things, and play golf. :D It had concrete floors, insulation poking out of the walls, bare bulb lighting, that sort of thing. But it was my favourite part of the house.

So, as others have said, there are all kinds of basements.

[Dwiesel McAllister]

We can't have basements in Louisiana because the water table is so high. :( I don't think I've ever even been in one.

Stereotypically, I think a basement is a dark, dank, cobwebby kind of place. A cellar, to me, connotates a sort of downstairs pantry. Maybe the same atmosphere, but with lots and lots of jars of preserves.

I've seen doors leading to basements either inside the house (on Family Guy, among other shows) and outside the house (on various movies).

[MelancholyBliss]

No basements on Guam. I'd imagine the reason would be similar to the reason that houses on Guam are typically smaller than houses in other places. It would be too costly as the whole of all of our structure are concrete. There could be other reasons. Guam is part coralline limestone, part loam, part volcanic rock. No idea what that means regarding the ease of digging into the ground to make a basement. We don't have many attics either.

But most relative I have stateside have basements. All of them have them fixed up so that they are not dank and gloomy. The doors leading to them have been in a hallway or kitchen.

I do know that originally, a cellar was for food storage, not necessarily under the house but still underground (a door in the yard leading underground). Whereas a basement is like an extra floor under the house and usually built up better. A basement had cement walls. Cellars had just dirt walls. I'm sure it's changed since then for the words to be used almost interchangably depending on region.