What is an English style basement?
: a high basement that is usually mainly above ground, is often adapted to living quarters or domestic offices, but does not contain the principal entrance of the house.
Why is it called an English basement?
The origin of the term “English basement” dates back to at least the mid-19th century. Building codes in most cities use neither of the phrases, stating that any floor partly below grade-level is simply a “basement” and a floor more than 50% below grade-level is a “cellar”.
What are basements called in England?
Amongst the estate agents and property professionals in the UK, the term ‘cellar’ is often used to describe residential projects while the term ‘basement’ is used to describe new build and commercial projects alike. A cellar is often a smaller space than a basement.
Is basement American or English?
In British English the floor of a building at street level is called the ground floor. The floor above it is the first floor and the floor below is called the basement. In American English, however, the floor at street level is usually called the first floor.
What are the different types of basements?
There are 3 basic types of basements:
- Masonry Wall Basements. The basement walls are constructed with masonry block units.
- Precast Panel Basements.
- Poured Concrete Wall Basements.
- Choose the basement entrance carefully.
- Stairway design.
- Include windows.
- Vary lighting.
- Don’t scrimp on finishes.
How the English basements of Washington DC came into their own?
How the English Basements of Washington, D.C., Came Into Their Own. Once used by wealthy homeowners for kitchens, guest rooms or coat closets for parties, many D.C. basements have been turned into more affordable rental units.
Do British homes have basements?
Except for Britain, Australia and New Zealand, cellars are popular in most western countries. In the United Kingdom, almost all new homes built since the 1960s have no cellar or basement due to the extra cost of digging down further into the sub-soil and a requirement for much deeper foundations and waterproof tanking.
Why dont English houses have basements?
In the United Kingdom, almost all new homes built since the 1960s have no cellar or basement due to the extra cost of digging down further into the sub-soil and a requirement for much deeper foundations and waterproof tanking.
Why do Brits say floor instead of ground?
“Floor” was an archaic word for “ground” centuries ago. And according to the Oxford English Dictionary, “floor” has been used in the game of cricket to refer to the ground (but this must be an uncommon usage, since it doesn’t currently appear in any standard British dictionaries).
Why do the British call the ground the floor?
What are the three types of basements?
Why is there no basements in California?
In addition, fear of earthquakes was often cited as a reason for the dearth of basements in the Golden State. Building a basement to code upgrades your home to the safest level of protection for earthquakes, because you have a much stronger foundation for the whole house.
What does the name basement mean?
A basement or cellar is one or more floors of a building that are completely or partly below the ground floor.
What does basement mean?
Definition of basement 1 : the part of a building that is wholly or partly below ground level 2 : the ground floor facade or interior in Renaissance architecture 3 : the lowest or fundamental part of something specifically : the rocks underlying stratified rocks 4 chiefly New England : a toilet or washroom especially in a school
Is a basement a story?
A basement is considered a story and defined as, that portion of a building below the first floor joists where at least half of its clear ceiling height is above the average elevation of the finished grades along the perimeter of the building.
What does basement conversion mean?
A basement conversion is the process of changing this space into an inhabitable room. There are varying degrees of basement conversion from a basic conversion to one that involves excavation and expansion in order to create sufficient height to be habitable.