as an east coast transplant to California, I'm still not used to houses not having basements. I understand when a neighborhood is built six inches above 200 ft of granite bedrock, or when a massive underground river runs through your building site. But not building basements because moderate climate doesn't require foundations reaching below the frost line? That only means you don't need one for a stable foundation, not that you shouldn't enjoy all of the benefits of a basement. For just one example, there is no better place for utilities to enter a house; with a basement, its easy to justify an entire room for utility connections, shutoffs, panels, etc. Without a basement, these items get crammed into some remarkably ill-suited locations.

Even if my house design doesn't require more than 200 or 300sf of basement, it just seems like a bargain. Are there any reasons why a timber frame home (specifically) would be built without a basement