Christmas weekend weather was freezing, and the basement windows are not sealed so the cool air leaking in kept the basement cooler than it would be normally. Any other time of the year in Asheville and it would not be noticed.
We had planned on being out of the basement and doing outside activities, but the cold weather and the fact that a lot of places were closed meant that we spent more time in the basement than originally planned. With that said we were able to entertain ourselves by watching movies and playing cards which was time we got to spend together as a family which was priceless. So, the close quarters were not a problem.
The location allowed us to get to the Biltmore area and up town in less than 10 minutes, so it worked out well,