Garden basement
A garden basement is designed so the ground slopes up toward the home, and hits the basement wall about halfway up. The big advantage is that this allows the water to run AWAY from the foundation, greatly reducing the chance of water damage over 10, 20 or 30 years. Another great advantage is the addition of larger windows. In a standard basement, there are probably fewer and definitely smaller windows, thus making it seem darker and perhaps a bit dingy. In a garden basement, however, the result is a feeling of lightness and brightness not unlike the upper floors. All Gemstone Fields homes feature garden basements.
Gemstone will set the first floor elevation approximately 3' above the street curb. This elevation will accomodate the large garden windows in the basement as well as allow for a reasonable grade so that the rain runoff is drawn away from the homr
Standard basement
The standard basement does not account for any incline in the groundlevel. Typically, the ground eventually slopes toward the home, bringing unecessary runoff and moisture. This can create cracks and leaks in the basement walls. There is only enough room for very small windows at the top of the wall, and they do not provide much natural light. In addition, you will need to add a window well if you wish to put a bedroom in a standard basement.
A garden basement is designed so the ground slopes up toward the home, and hits the basement wall about halfway up. The big advantage is that this allows the water to run AWAY from the foundation, greatly reducing the chance of water damage over 10, 20 or 30 years. Another great advantage is the addition of larger windows. In a standard basement, there are probably fewer and definitely smaller windows, thus making it seem darker and perhaps a bit dingy. In a garden basement, however, the result is a feeling of lightness and brightness not unlike the upper floors. All Gemstone Fields homes feature garden basements.
