You see, basements are usually going to be halfway above curb level or a bit more. Cellars are going to be at least halfway below the curb. There are actually several reasons why this is an important distinction to make. The height of the room is going to impact many different things. This can go a long way toward determining what can be done with the room. There are actually a number of ventilation issues that will pop up when a room is too far below ground.
The lowest points of a home are going to be somewhat musty. It can wind up smelling and it might be different from a typical room. A basement can be made to be very similar to a normal room but a cellar is not going to resemble this. Cellar areas are generally going to be quite dank. This means that they often have issues with mildew and you might even need to run dehumidifiers if you plan on using the space for anything important.
This alone is often enough to tell you that your room is a cellar rather than a basement. A lack of windows is another big difference between a cellar and a basement.
As mentioned above, a cellar is going to be at least halfway below curb level. This is going to make it so that the only windows that could appear in a cellar would be very tiny.
In the event of a fire, a cellar would be a very dangerous room indeed. The lack of normal-sized windows creates a lighting problem as well. Cellars are going to have insufficient lighting and will need to be illuminated using lamps or installed lighting. Your uses for this space are going to be more limited than what you could use a basement for. Basements are more flexible due to being able to be used as true livable spaces. Depending on whether certain criteria are met, a basement might even be able to be rented out.
There might also not be any insulation installed either. Basement floors are typically concrete slab, while cellars may have dirt, brick or stone. Ceiling heights generally vary, however, they need to meet the minimum requirements set forth by code and should be high enough to comfortably stand up in and walk around. A basement or cellar will usually need a minimum ceiling height of seven feet per the International Residential Code IRC. While this is a minimum requirement, many basements and cellars have a standard eight-foot ceiling height.
Some are even taller at ten or eleven feet which is ideal for storage purposes since the higher ceilings provide more headroom space for larger items like furniture, appliances, etc.
While there is no set rule, basement lighting tends to be more elaborate than that in cellars. The lighting in cellars is usually more functional and practical, with regular incandescent fixtures or fluorescent lights oftentimes exposed without casings or lenses.
Basements, on the other hand — and particularly if they are finished — have fixtures that more closely resemble what might be found in the rest of the house. This may include LED fixtures or recessed ceiling fixtures that are more ornate. It may even include ceiling lamps, sconces, or even chandeliers. Of course, there are cellars that are both finished and have ornate lighting. A fancy wine cellar, for example, may be very elaborate.
But, in general, basements are more likely to have more elaborate lighting simply because they are more likely to be used as living spaces. This, despite the fact that they tend to have windows for natural lighting. Basements are more likely to have heating and ventilation because they are more regularly occupied.
In addition to human comfort, mechanical systems can also provide relief from moisture and humidity. This is particularly important in hotter, more humid climates. Spaces that are below the ground do have some advantages over spaces above the ground. The thermal mass of the surrounding earth can provide some relief to mechanical heating and ventilation systems.
In this sense, a cellar benefits more since it is buried deeper in the ground. The downside of living below ground level is that spaces are more susceptible to moisture and humidity.
Basement heaters and appliances can also cause humidity issues, especially if aggravated with water leaks or flooding from above.
This can potentially cause mold growth throughout the year if unchecked. Cellars and basements tend to be found more in any geographic location that experiences temperature extremes during winter and summer months. In the United States, cellars are usually found in homes with Southern exposures or in the Northeast. Southern exposure creates a hot environment and the basement provides for a cooler space during these hot months. In residential zoning districts a cellar cannot be occupied as a residence and cannot have habitable space.
The depth of a cellar or basement is always measure from curb level or a base plane. We worked on an existing building where half of the floor was a cellar on one street and the other half was a basement on the other street even though they where at the same elevation.
The curb elevations where different on the 2 streets. A basement counts towards the zoning floor area. A cellar does not count as zoning floor area and is excluded from the Floor area Ration calculations.
Basements can have habitable space such as bedrooms, kitchens, and living rooms as long as they fulfill all other code requirements. Cellars cannot have these types of rooms and can not be used as residential space. You can legally have an apartment in a basement. You cannot have an a legal apartment in a cellar.
The basement apartment must be listed on the Certificate of Occupancy. Cellars or parts of cellars can be used as accessory space to the apartment or residence above, accessed through a private stair. This accessory space cannot be fore sleeping, living, or cooking. If you add a stair from an apartment to the cellar this must be filed as an Alteration Type 1 and requires a new Certificate Of Occupancy.
You cannot do this as an alteration Type 2.
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