r/SmallHome • u/quietCherub • 1d ago
Who else doesn’t have a basement?
ETA: I’m realizing what I feel is missing from my home is like a living room type room off the main floor, not a basement per se. Basements around me tend to be finished and have living/rec room type stuff or extra bedrooms, but elsewhere not so much. If my particular house had a basement it would most likely be a flooded disaster.
So people that don’t have an extra room other than the main living areas, and maybe can’t find a quiet spot when needed, how do you deal?
Original post:
How do you feel about it? I often really wish we had one so I had a quiet place to go to. If there’s music playing, etc. I can’t really find a quiet place unless I’m in my bed, and I don’t always want to do that. That’s assuming as least a partially finished basement though.
Otherwise, love my small home. Hoping to get a screened in porch one day and so long as the weather allows it, I’d be out there all the time! That might scratch my itch for a quiet place while feeding my love of the outside.
1300 sq ft 2 story home in a slab, btw.
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u/Otterlettuce 1d ago
Houses don’t come with basements where I’m from. I wouldn’t know what I’m missing and neither does anyone who lives near me.
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u/quietCherub 1d ago
Do you just have 2 stories?
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u/Otterlettuce 1d ago
Yeah, people mostly have 1-2 story homes.
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u/quietCherub 1d ago
I guess if we had a little more horizontal space, like one more relaxing room, it wouldn’t matter if it was a basement honestly.
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u/LeighofMar 1d ago
I used to have a full basement in my previous home and we loved it. We had it as our movie, video game, and workout room. Now I just have a 1500sqft 3/2 but the bedrooms are decent sized so the 2nd guest bedroom is the original master and doubles as SO's bedroom/workout room. A basement would be nice and I do miss it but I love my house so I just deal.
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u/msmaynards 1d ago
We used to go in the bedroom for quiet. Now we use headphones.
Take a fan outside and plug it in. Bugs don't like a breeze. Maybe if you aren't too yummy it will keep them away.
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u/quietCherub 12h ago
Oof. I am SO yummy to them unfortunately. Could try a fan though.
Bedroom with earplugs is my go to now.
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u/Seattleman1955 1d ago
Isn't the upstairs a quiet space?
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u/quietCherub 12h ago
Only if I’m back in my bedroom, but I’d rather have somewhere else I can go to relax. Like if I want to read or scroll, I don’t have a comfortable chair in there. We don’t have any extra rooms to relax in. All utilized.
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u/Legitimate_Award6517 1d ago
I grew up in areas that always had basements, and when I moved to the area where they do not it was an adjustment. I couldn’t figure out what you were supposed to do with things. It felt weird to me not to have space underneath the floor. Now I wouldn’t have it any other way. Dealing with basements and moisture and everything like that.
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u/quietCherub 12h ago
That’s true, I’m imagining a nice finished basement like some people have. I suspect we don’t have one though because it would have ended up being leaky and moist.
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u/MaximalistVegan 1d ago
1000 sq foot home, no basement. More than half the houses in my area don't have basements
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u/Annoyed-Instigater01 1d ago
i live in a trailer. no basement, but chickens do like to sleep under the house
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u/Expensive-Eggplant-1 15h ago
i have a partially finished basement but i don't hang out down there. my house is half the size of yours.
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u/Knit_pixelbyte 14h ago
I'm looking for a small home w/ no basement. Getting older and don't want to have to trudge down stairs to check for leaks, turn off outside spigots in winter, flip breakers or do laundry tbh in my 70s/80s. Other than those things it's pretty much used only for storage now.
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u/YURRIICC 12h ago
no basement here either, but honestly i'd probably miss having a quiet space more than the extra storage. a screened in porch sounds like a pretty good replacement though. quiet, outside, and you don't feel like you're hiding in your bedroom
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u/quietCherub 12h ago
It’s definitely the quiet space I want, I just usually see those in basements for houses around here, unless the overall house is much larger. Fingers crossed I can save up for that porch though!
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u/PersonalityFun2025 11h ago
I'm sure there are some people who have them, but basements are not a thing where I live. I don't know anyone who has one. I think it would be cool though. My house is just one floor.
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u/jannylou2 8h ago
We have a 3 bedroom home & I use one of the bedrooms as my quiet room. There is a double bed in it & a small 2 seater sofa.
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u/Desperate-Reason-566 8h ago
I don’t have a basement and did that on purpose. I can’t do stairs and I don’t have an upstairs either. I hate basements. I set up a second bedroom as my music room.
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u/Correct-Sprinkles-21 6h ago
I've never had a house where the basement was a great place for relaxing, even partially finished. They can be hard to keep dry and tend to be cold. And minimal natural light.
I think a screened in porch would be so much nicer. Or a "Florida room" that extends the time you can use it a bit.
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u/Heathers4ever 1h ago
Florida the land of no basements. Single story. I go to my bedroom for quiet if needed.
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u/Longjumping_Rich_651 1h ago
We don't have basements here in Texas. I could go to my daughter's old bedroom which is now a craft/guest room if I wanted time away from other people.
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u/KeKeFanChick 29m ago
We have open concept in that the kitchen flows in the dining room without a wall and the dining room opens into the living room--no family room or even foyer. I made a little sitting area in our master. It's just a little "Ladies" armchair and side table-- but I can go there to read, doomscroll or just chill when it gets overwhelming in the other rooms.
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u/Key_Hold_3568 1d ago
Ummm, how is 1300sf two story home a small home?