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Socoder -> Off Topic -> Cellars in the UK?

Fri, 16 Jul 2021, 12:35
PHS

Cellars in the UK?


I'm in the US but a big fan of BBC's "Escape to the Country". Of all the houses in all the episodes I've seen, I saw for the first time a cellar in a house in East Devon.

That got me to wondering, are cellars (or basements as they're more often called here in the States) common or uncommon in the UK?

To my knowledge, except for Florida where the water table is too high, basements are very common in the US.
Fri, 16 Jul 2021, 13:30
Jayenkai
Older houses, yes.
When I was younger we lived in central Bolton, lots of older built houses there, and we knew lots of folk who had cellars.
Nowadays they don't tend to add them, though. They're not typically part of a standard new-build house. .. or at least, not that I know of..?

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Fri, 16 Jul 2021, 13:41
rockford
I'd be surprised if any standard home built in the UK since 1970 has one.

While those that have them don't generally worry about the water table (some do however), those down south have the worry of Radon gas...
Fri, 16 Jul 2021, 19:04
PHS
Righto. Yes Radon is a concern all over the planet I'm sure. We too have that as a concern here in the states but you really have to go down deep to be at a real risk, ttbomk.

But yeah, that's interesting that newer builds seem to omit cellars. Curious. Here, we really enjoy utilizing our sub surface rooms. They tend to be "man caves", "game rooms", or where all the white goods are stored, i.e. washer/dryer, extra fridge/freezer, furnace, other appliances, etc.

I guess come to think of it, as much as Tolkien alluded to underground dwellings, this, to me, would add merit to subterranean dwellings being common in GB.
Sat, 17 Jul 2021, 02:09
rockford
I'd love a cellar TBH - it'd definnitely be my man-cave
Sat, 17 Jul 2021, 03:33
Jayenkai
If I DID have a cellar, you know for sure it'd be cooler down there..
Good lord, that was a hot night..

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Sat, 17 Jul 2021, 09:12
cyangames
Replace the word cellar with dungeon and you have may interest

Radon is a thing over here, there's a good chunk in Goodrington along the way to Churston library coming from the rocks either side of the road but that's the only place I know of personally.

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Web / Game Dev, occasionally finishes off coding games also!
Sat, 17 Jul 2021, 14:51
PHS
If they're doing any "Fracking" (Hydraulic fracturing) for Natural Gas in the UK, they'll be bringing Radon as well as Radiation back up. Bad stuff that.
Sat, 17 Jul 2021, 16:14
TKS
Yep, lots of fracking going on around where I am. Lots of people against it, too, including our MP
Sun, 18 Jul 2021, 02:28
Pakz
I remember a friend from school who had a cellar at home. He had it filled with Lego. But the Amiga in his room upstrairs got most of the attention

Where I lived when I was 6 or 7 in the garden we had a small old WO2 onderground bunker.
Mon, 19 Jul 2021, 22:23
PHS
Something else I keep hearing about on Escape to the Country are "character" properties/houses. What does this mean? Is there a technical standard that classifies this? (ex. age, color, style, size) Or do they simply mean, it has character?
Tue, 20 Jul 2021, 02:14
Jayenkai


Yeah, Character is pretty much anything that isn't a flat square brick cube!
A pic of my village, with almost every house being either what I describe as a "Monopoly House" or, even a few rows of ye-olde terrace houses.
There's little to no "character" in any of these houses.

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Tue, 20 Jul 2021, 07:58
rockford
Remember that while a character house does look different to the blocks and cubes mentiones, it may still be a monstrosity -





... and not a cute and charming cottage -




While both have bags of character, there's only one you'd want to own/live in!
Tue, 20 Jul 2021, 08:22
Jayenkai
I dunno, there's nothing particularly wrong with the No Man's Sky Space-Pod houses

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Tue, 20 Jul 2021, 08:23
rockford
Yeah, they're probably nice inside. Maybe.
Tue, 20 Jul 2021, 09:18
PHS
Interesting, thanks.

So to clarify, nothing to do with age then, basically any house that isn't a boring square "cookie cutter" house is deemed "character"?
Tue, 20 Jul 2021, 09:29
rockford
Pretty much.