Korean Job Discussion Forums

[SpedEd]

Hello people:

I've been thinking about going for a basement apartment in Seoul for the sake a saving a buck versus springing for more expensive lodging. I'd like to hear from those who know this kind of housing well. I'm curious to know if there is such a thing as a 'good' basement apt. that doesn't leak, get moldy, has some natural lighting, etc... wait, I'm talking about *basement* apartments!

[bluelake]

My son lives in one in NE Seoul (in back of Korea U.). It's a small place, but big enough for a young single guy. On occasion, when my wife and I visit, we squeeze in with him, so I've experienced a little of what it's like. You do have to be careful of mold (like most anyplace) and air doesn't seem to circulate as well as above-ground dwellings. As there is a building right next to his, he doesn't get a lot of sunshine, either. After taking a shower, you have to make sure to keep the bathroom door open to let it air out. Well, those are a few observations...

[Brooksmatic]

I just moved into a basement apartment about a month ago. It's a two-bedroom with the masterbedroom converted into a living room.

It's perfect for me. Clean, comfortable, cozy. The ceilings are a little low (obviously not the case with all basement apts) and it's strange not having full-size windows (all my windows are small and near the ceiling) but so far no problems. My place doesn't have the dingy smell that some basement apartments do but like bluelake said, you gotta ventilate the bathroom. I just have a small window in mine that I keep open most of the time.

I was lucky that my school had a "real estate guy" that suddenly was in charge of helping me find my new place. He told me he was just really thorough about checking for mold and bugs. I think those are the biggest things to worry about when looking at B1 places.

Good Luck.

[Xuanzang]

Buy some of those pink anti mold humidity boxes.

[allovertheplace]

I lived in a basement apartment my second year.
At first it was fine, decent sized, ok for me. But after a couple months I started to hate it. It was a good size and comfy enough but the lack of sun started killing me. Instead of waking up and feeling the sun I was waking up with car exhaust and noise. I wouldnt say stay away from basements but understand that its much less sun, more noise, and frankly speaking, I always enjoyed looking out my window at neon signs, people walking by etc. Living in the basement, youll never look out your window because all you'll see are tires.

[SpedEd]

I should add that a wiki article states that basement units are more prone to burglaries... I should be looking elsewhere.

[optik404]

thats why all basement apartments have bars on the windows!

[samd]

I lived in one for a few months. No problems with mould or smell, and the bathroom had a small window and aired out fine.

The worst thing was that on weekends I'd have to have the light on from the minute I woke up, almost no natural light made it through. That combined with lack of a view made it quite uncomfortable.

I don't think they're worth it for the only slightly cheaper price.

[cdninkorea]

How much cheaper are they?

[yingwenlaoshi]

I'm in a basement apartment in a house. It's hard to tell what the weather is like if it's not raining. It could be a bright, sunny day, and I'd never know it. Houses on the three sides that have windows. The one good thing is that you can sleep in and not be bothered by sunlight. There's only one air conditioner in the bedroom, so I need a fan in the TV room. Gets pretty muggy in here. The landline telephone connection is bad and the cable reception is also bad. Other than that, it's a good neighborhood and it's a gated house and the people in the apartment next door are hardly ever there.

[bassexpander]

Mold can be a problem, as mentioned.

Bugs can be worse, if not attended to by current occupants.

Break-ins and peeping-toms are why Koreans avoid basement apartments. Seriously... the place NEEDS bars on the windows and at least 2 solid door locks.

[samd]