# Do Adult children really live in basements? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 14, 2010, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-adult-children-really-live-in-basements/525002 "2010-01-14T22:56:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jormungandr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@Jormungandr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jormungandr)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2010, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-adult-children-really-live-in-basements/525002/1 "2010-01-14T22:56:53Z")
Being in a state where basements are rare, I’d like to know if the old film/TV cliche of adult children who live with their parents or return to them after moving out are consigned to the basement is real? ---
**Author:** ![Gbro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Gbro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gbro)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2010, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-adult-children-really-live-in-basements/525002/2 "2010-01-14T23:47:34Z")
I am from an area where basements are very popular, however new homes are not being built with them as much today. If it is a dry basement many are just another level on the home, or it can be a junk storage area like mine. We have a bedroom in the basement but it is my reloading room now. Many homes have a walkout or split entry and rent out the lower level many times to snow bird parents. In some cases its more living space under a roof:) ---
**Author:** ![Arkcon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Arkcon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arkcon)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2010, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-adult-children-really-live-in-basements/525002/3 "2010-01-14T23:53:42Z")
A similar TV trope is living in the garage, as in _Get A Life_ or an attic room, for example, the Fonz on _Happy Days_. Dunno if these differences are menat to add realism for those areas without basements, or just what the set designer has come up with/producer/director wants, etc. ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2010, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-adult-children-really-live-in-basements/525002/4 "2010-01-14T23:57:36Z")
I wouldn’t exactly say they are _consigned_ to the basement. Around here, it’s not uncommon for a basement to be made into a small apartment and rented even to non-relatives. Generally, the people I’ve known who live in their parents’ basement ( and there has been more than one) prefer the basement to actually sharing living quarters with their parents. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2010, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-adult-children-really-live-in-basements/525002/5 "2010-01-15T00:00:16Z")
I am from an area where basements don’t really exist but I live in Massachusetts now where they are extremely common. Basements are generally termed as “finished” or “unfinished”. An unfinished basement is generally used as a storage area like many people use a garage and contains other equipment like furnaces. People don’t generally live in those. A finished basement OTOH could be anything. Some people use it as a play room, a game room, an entertainment room or it can be almost or completely a separate apartment with its own entrance. People certainly live in those if they need to. They are just part of the house but a little isolated from the regular house as its own story. I don’t know the stats but it is easy to set up a separate living space in some finished basements so that they function as their own residence or close to it and have some privacy for everyone. That is what people usually mean when they refer to adults living in their parent’s basement. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2010, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-adult-children-really-live-in-basements/525002/6 "2010-01-15T00:01:11Z")
Some truth. In northern areas (like here in Minnesota) nearly all houses have basements. And they are often converted to make them into living space; that’s a cheap way to expand the house. And older children still living at home (or moved back home during this economy) often want to move out of the original bedroom they lived in as a child – both to show independence, and to have more room. And the parents usually want that too – less interaction, noisy music, etc. So the obvious solution is for the child to move into the basement, with more room and more isolation from the parents part of the house. And basements generally have a separate entrance, too. So it is certainly a real thing that happens. And thus the basis for a stereotype. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2010, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-adult-children-really-live-in-basements/525002/7 "2010-01-15T00:44:52Z")
I lived in the nicely finished basement in my parents’ house well into my 20’s. I had a nice big bed-sitter, a half-bath, and even a little gas stove and refrigerator in the laundry room. I paid them like $50 a month. I’d probably still be there except dear old mom was clomping up and down the basement steps ten times a day to ‘do laundry’ (i.e., spy on me and my friends - well, where else was I going to entertain them?) Everyone I know has at least part of their basement finished off with knotty pine, vinyl tiles on the floor, and a dehumidifier running if it’s damp. It’s much cooler down there in the summer, too. So ‘living in the basement’ doesn’t mean huddling under the stairs in the cobwebs, with a damp cot in the corner. I sincerely hope. ---
**Author:** ![Gbro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Gbro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gbro)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2010, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-adult-children-really-live-in-basements/525002/8 "2010-01-15T00:48:12Z")
Unlike back when I slept in a basement bedroom as a lad, there were no [“Egress Windows”](http://www.spycor.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=4040%20STD). A bedroom in the basement was a wonderfully cool place in the hot summer, but also a death trap. ---
**Author:** ![md2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2010, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-adult-children-really-live-in-basements/525002/9 "2010-01-15T00:57:03Z")
Actually, in areas with lots of finished basements, the cliche is that the kid moves into the basement bedroom at about 15 or so, when they start to make too much noise and play funny obnoxious music, want privacy, may come and go at odd hours, have friends over and up all night, and they don’t want the clink of bottles or the smell of funny smoke wafting into the parents’ area. The cliche about adults is exactly as shown in _Wayne’s World_. As he says, “I don’t exactly have a career so much as a large collection of hairnets and nametags.” Some never leave because they lack ambition and drive and every comfort is provided by their enabler parents; some hit hard times and move back into their old room. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2010, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-adult-children-really-live-in-basements/525002/10 "2010-01-15T00:59:16Z")
“Adult children” sounds like an oxymoron. Why wouldn’t they just be adults living with their parents? ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2010, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-adult-children-really-live-in-basements/525002/11 "2010-01-15T01:01:54Z")
I heard the reason why basements are rare in Florida (moi’ state) is because the high water table will result in seepage into the basement, eventually flooding it (and compromising the structure of which it consists of-bricks and cinder blocks etc.). ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2010, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-adult-children-really-live-in-basements/525002/12 "2010-01-15T01:02:05Z")
That’s the case for at least 2 adults in their 20s that I know. In both cases, though, their bedroom happened to be located in the finished basements in the first place, so really, they just moved back to their childhood/teen rooms! Both are dealing with health issues that made them choose between keeping their own place and continuing down the educational/career paths they wanted. Around here, there are very few homes that don’t have a full-height (or near-full height) basement, and many people choose to have them finished (or they are done during construction) in order to increase the living space of their homes. I _think_ the reason for basements being so common is that foundations need to extend below the frost line, which is something like 1-1.5m deep in Montreal. If you have to dig, might as well make it useful! ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2010, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-adult-children-really-live-in-basements/525002/13 "2010-01-15T01:03:40Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > “Adult children” sounds like an oxymoron. Why wouldn’t they just be adults living with their parents? Because even though they may be adults, they are still their parents’ children. ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2010, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-adult-children-really-live-in-basements/525002/14 "2010-01-15T01:07:34Z")
My brother lived in my parents’ basement for a number of years after college. It was an extremely nice finished basement that included a bedroom, living room (which my brother used as a game room/T.V. room), kitchen (refrigerator and microwave, but no stove or oven) and bathroom. Come to think of it, that place is bigger than my current one-bedroom apartment! ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2010, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-adult-children-really-live-in-basements/525002/15 "2010-01-15T01:16:20Z")
One of my friends from middle/high school is living in my un-finished basement. It’s just a painted floor and painted cinder blocks. We strung up some bedsheets on a rope to partition out a space as his room, and put down a bunch of carpet remnants. Since a bunch of people in my family store their old shit here, he’s got an entertainment center, a table, a desk and an armoire. His clothes hang on some pieces of PVC pipe we strung up. It’s a nice place, I think. It’s twice the size of my bedroom, and he’s got enough privacy. His girlfriend is here all the time. If I had a bathroom down there, I’d probably never have to see him. Anyway, if he wasn’t living in my basement he’d probably be living in his mom’s basement. It’s a fine place to live for people who can’t quite seem to make rent on a real place of their own…and have no shame about living like that. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2010, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-adult-children-really-live-in-basements/525002/16 "2010-01-15T01:20:23Z")
> [@mnemosyne](#): > > Because even though they may be adults, they are still their parents’ children. Obviously, but that would already be implied with the phrase “adult living with his/her parents”. Calling them an adult child is redundant and unnecessary. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2010, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-adult-children-really-live-in-basements/525002/17 "2010-01-15T01:56:26Z")
1 reason basements are popular up north is the foundation must be deeper due to the cold weather. Foundation must be below the ground that freezes. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2010, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-adult-children-really-live-in-basements/525002/18 "2010-01-15T02:06:42Z")
> [@salinqmind](#): > > I’d probably still be there except dear old mom was clomping up and down the basement steps ten times a day to ‘do laundry’ (i.e., spy on me and my friends - well, where else was I going to entertain them?) From _Buffy_: > [@](#): > > [FONT=Verdana][SIZE=2]Cut to Xander’s apartment. He’s sitting on the couch. Willow walks in.[/SIZE][/FONT] > [FONT=Verdana][SIZE=2]Xander : Hey, Will. Mom let you in? [/SIZE][/FONT] > [FONT=Verdana][SIZE=2]Willow : She seemed cranky. [/SIZE][/FONT] > [FONT=Verdana][SIZE=2]Xander : Yeah. We’re having a little landlord-tenant dispute, So I’m withholding rent. An effective, and might I add, thrifty tactic. [/SIZE][/FONT] > [FONT=Verdana][SIZE=2]Willow : How come? (She sits on the arm of the couch.)[/SIZE][/FONT] > [FONT=Verdana][SIZE=2]Xander : She won’t let me put a lock on my door. I suspect she’s afraid I’ll start having The Sex. [/SIZE][/FONT] > [FONT=Verdana][SIZE=2]Willow : Yeah. Parents usually wait till you’re out of the house. [/SIZE][/FONT] > [FONT=Verdana][SIZE=2]Xander : Or under it… [/SIZE][/FONT] > [FONT=Verdana][SIZE=2]Willow : To start worrying about stuff like that.[/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Verdana][SIZE=2] It’s mostly too late.[/SIZE][/FONT] ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2010, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-adult-children-really-live-in-basements/525002/19 "2010-01-15T02:16:31Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > I heard the reason why basements are rare in Florida (moi’ state) is because the high water table will result in seepage into the basement, eventually flooding it (and compromising the structure of which it consists of-bricks and cinder blocks etc.). Basements are expensive to build (as compared to pouring a slab), so they aren’t done in Florida & other warm places, where they aren’t needed. But up north, where the ground freezes down to 6 feet or so, they are needed. So you might as well make sure they are usable space in the house. ---
**Author:** ![Bartman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@Bartman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bartman)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2010, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-adult-children-really-live-in-basements/525002/20 "2010-01-15T02:48:48Z")
I lived “in the basement” from 8 years old till 18 years old. We had a fully finished basement. And by far the most sought after bedrooms were the two in the basement. Aside from the fact that the windows were below ground there was no functional difference between the bedrooms in the basement and those on the main floor. Except that they were further removed from the parental units and had a separate bathroom. Which was nice at 8 and fantastic at 18. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-adult-children-really-live-in-basements/525002.md?page=2)