I was watching a show last night called Beachfront Bargain Hunt: Renovation. A couple was searching for a place on Galveston Island, Texas. After finding their ideal location, they set about converting the unfinished basement into a guest apartment. However! Galveston Island is a barrier island, which is essentially a large sandbar. Most houses in such an environment are built on pylons or stilts, with a storage area or maybe an outdoor shower stall underneath. Why? Because, hurricanes. When hurricane season starts, that guest room will be under 10 ft of water. The whole time I was watching the show, I kept thinking, "That's a terrible investment." The basement was left unfinished for a reason.