From what I've seen in my area, new homes are hardly ever built with a basement any more, at least as far as new subdivisions go. I'm not sure how long the lack of a basement has been the rule rather than the exception, but I'd guess its been going on for at least 20 years or so. It's all part of a general cheapening of home construction.
What does this mean for the hobby? Will hobbyists one day have to have new homes specially built, or will they make do without a basement? Will this force more hobbyists to tinker with the idea of hideaway layouts (e.g., layouts that lower from the garage ceiling, etc.)?
I'm aware that in some parts of the country modelers (e.g. Florida) have already had to deal with a lack of basements. Are the layouts in those areas forced to be smaller? Is the concentration of N-scalers higher in basementless areas?
snowplough
What does this mean for the hobby? Will hobbyists one day have to have new homes specially built, or will they make do without a basement? Will this force more hobbyists to tinker with the idea of hideaway layouts (e.g., layouts that lower from the garage ceiling, etc.)?
I'm aware that in some parts of the country modelers (e.g. Florida) have already had to deal with a lack of basements. Are the layouts in those areas forced to be smaller? Is the concentration of N-scalers higher in basementless areas?
snowplough