Basement

[Cockadoodle27]

Me and DP are first time buyers and going to view our first two properties tomorrow. One has a large basement, it has (small) windows and electricity/lighting. I love it. DP is very apprehensive, he's not sure if having a property in the basement is a risk and will only lead to issues, i.e. damp, flooding etc.

Is a basement a bad thing??

are you in the UK? How old is the building?

Generally, basements are more likely to suffer with damp problems, and they are more likely to be difficult, expensive or impossible to cure.

Some modern construction methods, especially in Germany, can overcome this, but British homes are not built in German methods.

Its an old victorian house, in the uk. If the basement gets all damp and dingy does it really matter if the rest of the house is OK, or will it just be a money sucker by being there?

if you don't need to use it as habitable rooms, it doesn't much matter if it is somewhat damp. Ventilate it very well so the humid air blows away, and insulate the "ceiling" of the basement ("floor" of the main house) with mineral wool, tightly stuffed between the joists to block draughts.

mineral wood is not flammable.

When you have lived there a while, you can assess its dampness and might want to dig it out and lay a new concrete floor with DPM and insulation. But the external walls will always be damp, and covering up the damp bits will not cure them. Modern practice is to build a wall inside the external walls, with the space between, drained and ventilated.