"Jethro" wrote in message
...
totally idle curiousity, but what would be involved if you wanted to
have a basement ... obviously a bit of digging :-) but what structural
aspects, and what planning ones ?

cheers

Planning? It may come under permitted development. Best have one that
does not go right to the house foundations - an inner basement - so the
foundations do not move. It needs to be tanked and have air vents . A lot
of mess, but if you are not living there and space is at a premium in your
area then worth going for. The utilities, hobby rooms, storage can all be
there. The staircase will take space from the ground floor. Make sure it
is very well insulated.

You could run a heat pipe around the perimeter of the basement, which will
cool and vent the house. Could be in the earth. Popular in Germany.

Some companies specialise in basements.