Editing Basement (section)

{{short description|Floor of a building which is below grade}}
{{other uses|Basement (disambiguation)}}{{distinguish|Crawl space}}
[[File:Basement-after.jpg|thumb|An unfinished basement used for storage and exercise]] 
[[File:Basement-of-chillon-castle.jpg|thumb|Chillon Castle ([[Château de Chillon]]) basement]]
[[File:Stasi Basement Hallway.jpg|thumb|A former [[Stasi]] basement hallway]]

A '''basement''' is any [[Storey|floor]] of a building that is not above the [[grade plane]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fema.gov/basement|title=Basement - FEMA.gov|website=www.fema.gov}}</ref> Especially in residential buildings, it often is used as a utility space for a building, where such items as the [[Furnace (house heating)|furnace]], [[water heating|water heater]], [[breaker panel]] or [[fuse box]], [[Garage (residential)|car park]], and [[air-conditioning system]] are located; so also are amenities such as the electrical system and [[cable television]] distribution point. In cities with high property prices, such as [[London]], basements are often fitted out to a high standard and used as living space.

In [[British English]], the word ''basement'' is usually used for underground floors of, for example, department stores. The word is usually used with buildings when the space below the ground floor is habitable and with (usually) its own access. The word ''cellar'' applies to the whole underground level or to any large underground room. A ''subcellar'' or ''subbasement'' is a level that lies below the basement or cellar.<ref>[http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Subcellar Subcellar] – definition of Subcellar by the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia.</ref>