What is a Walk Out Basement?

A walkout basement is a basement where at least one section, usually the back of the house, is above ground.
Unlike a traditional basement that is completely below grade, a walkout basement takes advantage of the slope of the land- allowing for exterior doors and egress windows for bedrooms.
These types of basements are great for separate living spaces or rentals.
On the new house we’re building, I dug the front part of the basement down 6 feet, and the back part is almost level with the ground.
This will leave about 4 feet of foundation sticking up at the front of the house.
I’m going to use the dirt we dug out of the basement to reshape the yard, so that there’s a gentle slope away from the house on all sides- a minimum of 6” over the first 10’ is required by code in our area.
Also, we’ll be able to save money by framing the back wall verses having to pour a concrete wall.
We like to add lots of windows in these framed walls to take full advantage of natural light.
And with the modern waterproofing products that are available today, a walkout basement is cost effective way to add dry, well-lit space that’s on par with rest of the house.
If you enjoy this content be sure to like and subscribe for more. @hausplans

#build #howto #walkoutbasement #construction #diy #contractor

[mavallarino]

I once rented a mountain vacation home that had one. The walkout area was exposed to the south (northern hemisphere). It was a perfect winter weekend living area because it received direct sunlight and stayed warm naturally almost all day.

[JohnDoe-xmql]

Beautiful property...
Keep up the good work. It's paying off.
The new guy should be proud.

[mistaecco]

As an arcade machine collector, a ground level basement or connected garage are the first things I look for. Getting those things right into the cave and not dealing with the normal living spaces is always the goal!

[CoRektOh]

That is such a smart way to use the grade of the land to your advantage. Very nice!

[spray_cheese]

I love walk out basements. They look a little funny on the outside, kinda makes the house look 3 story(if it’s 2 with a basement) but as shown at the end, you cannot beat that!

[funkmanone]

I would honestly love to see a lot more stuff like this. I plan to build my own house one day and I have always loved these type of concepts. I would like to understand more about waterproofing and moisture too. People underestimate mold.

[carlyprice]

I grew up with one. My parents installed a sliding door and a cement “patio”. It did have a short block wall as the grade sloped from two directions. We loved it.

[Techno-Universal]

Walk out basements are a lot more common than normal basements in Australia! Even a ton of big indoor shopping centres have walk out basement carparks so the lowest carpark floor is at the same level as the lowest point in the hill on the property while the shopping levels above are in line with the higher sections of the hill on the property! :)

[garettjohnson]

Man, this brings back memories!! So my Dad's side of the family lives in Missouri, and my aunt and uncle live on the family farm. The main house had a walk out basement, and that house is just so awesome. I remember getting my own room back then, when my brother and I shared a room. I haven’t visited all of that family in Missouri in some time, which makes me sad. Thank you for bringing back such good memories from childhood 🥹

[julierichens]

Oh, man, never thought I'd fall in love with construction videos, but here i am!! ❤🎉❤

[ParaDox-xbqw]

You're the smartest man that I know. Keep teaching us!!!

[weelittlewheekies]

My family cabin in NC has a walkout basement! It's an incredible view, and feels like a real liveable area, vs a "cave"

[samuelpeace]

I built the walk in basement where I live now. Essentially a mirror of what you just described

[TheZebinator]

Ah, I love these, they are very common in Sweden, they are pretty often used as workshops and garages if the space in front of it allows space to manouver a vehicle

[volodymyrsaruta]

Saw these in Germany, It is a pretty cool idea and works well!

[munozinni]

That is a great way of taking advantage of a uneven surface area I have never lived in a house with basement here in north Texas that is not very common to see in a house but one that time I was in St Louis Mo remodeling a house and it has a basement where they have all the utilities like the HAVC, laundry room, water treatment system and storage and it was unusual for me but wait a minute I got all distracted and 👀😳 Where is the little new guy wearing his cute helmet ⛑️ he needs to be in every single video of this project… Y’all have a great weekend 👋😃👋

[FXAustine]

Clean design love it! I Love to see more of proper basement build tutorials

[gabrielbarianos]

That Herring bone floor at the end was NICE!!

[macgyverga]

Pretty common here in North GA. My last 3 houses have had walkout basements. In fact, 100% underground basements are very rare here.

[ARob]

Reverse story and a halves, or reverse two stories are some of the funnest projects to design and build.. I have done about 80 of them. But that was back in the mid '90s.