Most locations also have an ordance which prohibits your garage or external building from being taller than the main (residence) structure...


>>SECTION 16-2 BASEMENT-HOUSE AS DWELLING.
>>No person shall use a basement-house as a dwelling.
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>>http://www.ci.oshkosh.wi.us/Municipal_Codes/Chapter_16.pdf
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>I appreciate the effort they invested in explaining the reasons.
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>>Most places in Wisconsin have similar codes. In my opinion, if it meets all other safety codes (wiring, plumbing, etc) and has a roof on it, what difference does it make (other than perhaps being an eyesore)? I've seen worse eyesores all over the U.S. (20 cars in the yard, 3 sofas on the porch,...).
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>I still can't bend my mind around the way houses are built here, so can't really judge what'd count as an eyesore. It could be argued that all the houses you see here are temporary and unfinished, being built of not solid material. 2x4 is something one'd use for a shed, not a house.
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>I'd definitely build a basement house if I lived in a cold region and didn't have access to cheap enough insulation. Our house back home has foot thick (actually, thicker - add mortar and finish) walls made of concrete foam blocks, all windows have vacuum panel glass. Digging in would have been much cheaper, and would give much better insulation (including sound!).
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>How about garage and porch on ground floor, the rest below?