GEOLIFE Co. Ltd.’s basement professionals offer externally insulated homes with a basement strong against
earthquakes and fires!

A Basement Serves For Limitless Purposes.

Now that the code is relaxed, you can make your dream come true!

As per the revised construction standard law of June 2000 a basement may be used as the living space such as a living room, bed room, and kitchen etc. as long as the requirements are met in terms of the opening ratio, ventilation, dehumidifier, waterproofing and others.
This deregulation is equivalent to elimination of the obstacle limiting usage of basement.

If only the feature of a basement sitting in ground is taken into consideration creatively, adding the new facilities and structural solution, a basement serves for limitless purposes. Do you want your dream basement comes true?

GEOLIFE basement allows freedom subject to the site condition.

The figures above describes the basements defined in terms of the relation of basements to the building lot and the interfaces between the above and below grades. Which type seems to be suitable to your lot?

If it is Sunken Garden Type, it wouldn’t be a dream to soak in a bath tub looking up the starry night sky on the assumption that a bath tub may be placed facing the dry area.

If it is Stilt Type, the view from the above grade floor is better, and the costs of building foundation and basement construction can be sustained.

If you have a passion for music, Full Embedded Type is suggested containing sound insulation. This type easily assists thermal property of a basement, and effectively improves earthquake tolerance of the entire home.

If your lot is on the slope, Partially Open Type is recommended. With a window is cut out through the open front, the advantages of both an above grade and a basement are kept in your basement. Stepped terrain could align the entry of garage next to the vestibule and room on the open front, then outside stairway will be unnecessary, thus you don’t have to walk upstairs to go inside your home. If the vestibule is designed back of the garage, it is going to be a residence in a class with the access, where you could go inside your residence without getting wet even in a rainy day. The issue of the stepped terrain is flipped to the advantage in the plan.

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A Basement Is Used As A Living Room;

The Revised Construction Standard Law came into force on June 1, 2000

It is a summarized condition that a basement may be used as a living room of a home.

“So long as a living room or a bedroom of a residential house may be included in the basement the technical standard in the relevant sanitary government ordinance must be met, which specifies wall and floor dehumidifying facilities and so on.
“The technical standard provided in the relevant sanitary government ordinance” includes;

　1. In Terms Of Damp Proofing A Basement Needs To Be Applicable To Either Of The Following.

• It is open to outside air, and associated with the adequate areaway larger than the specified space to discharge dampness, (i.e. the areaway is at minimum of 1 meter wide and no less than 4/10 of the depth, and more than 2 meters high and no less than the height of the window) or otherwise there is an opening facing the vacant land.
• A ventilation facility such as a ventilator (to which separate code needs to be respected.) is furnished.
•  A humidity controller is furnished.

2. A Basement Needs To Be Applicable To Either Of The Following In Terms Of Water Proofing.

• The basement structure does not allow structural water invasion.
  
• A gap is kept to stop water from invading into the house, water invaded in the gap is forcibly discharged with a specific facility.
• A water proof layer is applied to prevent water from seeping in.

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Water Section Below Grade Is A Taboo? The French Technology Changed The Japanese Existing Idea.

In the past large size waste tank (accompanying a sewage ejection system discharging effluent when it reaches set level) had to be installed below grade off the basement floor further down. The sewage ejection pump system is a substantial expense for installation, and the maintenance also means a burdens of the efforts and cost. And rainwater could accidentally slipped into the sewage tank, or the odor could leaked out. It couldn’t have been recommended to install it inside home.

GEOLIFE Co., Ltd. started to address the issue at the early stage. And since 1998 French ejection pump (i.e. SaniPump) has been applied to include the water section within a basement.

This pump system consists of effluent blender and ejector pump in the relatively small resin tank. All maintenance needed is replacement of the pump unit (5 year guarantee is offered.), thus the package can be easily installed in a basement. French culture is open to living in a house in a different way and reusing or renovating a historical building. SaniPump has 50 years of experience.

With this pump package a basement can be equipped with a bathtub, a shower, a kitchen, a wash basin, a laundry as well as a toilet.

Here another taboo of a basement is closed, so a basement is open to wider range of use.

SaniPump Inc., Japan Website