# Slab or crawl space



## southernman13 (May 24, 2013)

Building a home on a lake in sw Tn. Gently to moderate sloping lot. Slab or crawl space foundation. Pros, cons, recomendatios. Thanks


----------



## win280 (May 24, 2013)

With a concrete slab you have to work with the plumber to set supply/waste lines exactly and build the walls to fit that.
Crawl space you can make plumbing/heat /elect fit the wall design after it is framed.

Concrete will have more exterior grading to make water run away from slab on the uphill side.Crawl space can give you extra storage under home.
Concrete is hard on the feet. 
Slab may require subwalls, steep grading etc..... to make lot level.
Crawl space not so much.
I prefer crawl space over a slab .


----------



## dawg2 (May 24, 2013)

I would spend the money on a crawlspace.  Easier for the elect/mech/plum work.  You can keep your ductwork and HVAC equipment out of a 160 degree attic.  Easier to eliminate termite issues.  Gives you storage space. 

Downside: It is more expensive.

I spent an extra $10K on my house to have a crawlspace and I never regretted it.


----------



## mattech (May 24, 2013)

If you go with crawl space go ahead and make a basement. My current house has a 9 foot crawl space which is pretty much a basement with a dirt floor. The builder went bankrupt while building, I am looking into pouring a slab one day, but its pricey. It just gives you so much more room for the price. Others have commented about ease of serviceable items, another thing to consider is a slab is super quiet comparred to a crawl.


----------



## southernman13 (May 24, 2013)

*Slab*

Thanks for all the input!


----------



## DAWG1419 (May 24, 2013)

I have a slab and wish I had a craw or basement. The house stays cold in the winter because you cant heat up a slab. Worth the extra cost IMO.


----------



## Miguel Cervantes (May 24, 2013)

DAWG1419 said:


> I have a slab and wish I had a craw or basement. The house stays cold in the winter because you cant heat up a slab. Worth the extra cost IMO.


^^^This^^^

We are on a house with a full unfinished basement now, and much more square footage than we had when living on a slab and it is actually cheaper to heat than the slab house we moved out of was.


----------



## madsam (May 24, 2013)

I have never seen a slab foundation on anything but level lots.I  am
under the assumption that most high end homes are on crawl spaces.
I am a R.E. Broker and I must say that 90% of the slabs laid on our
fine red Ga. clay have cracks running atleast through the garage,with
most running through the living quarters of the house.


----------



## Luke0927 (May 24, 2013)

I say crawl if you don't want to go basement....the spot we built wasn't best for a basement without a lot of excovating...so I figured I'd spend that money on a nice shop in future...anyway I did a nice carwl about 4' so plumbing and everything runs really well was able to insulate well also....haven't had any issue till I just had some gutter trouble when we got about 6" of rain.

I also did mine where I have no exterior access so looks like a slab house...you access the crawl by going in the garage closet and then going down a set of stairs.


----------



## The Longhunter (May 24, 2013)

If you ever want to sell, you will easily recoup the money you spent on the crawlspace, and will be able to sell much more quickly.

Buyers associate slab construction with the very cheapest kind of structure.


----------



## Batjack (May 24, 2013)

I'm do remodeling  and basement finishing. If you plan ahead, a basement is the way to go. Do not, and I repeat, do not build on a slab. Either go with a crawl space or a full unfinished but prepped basement. With air space under your floor it makes it much easier to heat/cool. There is no way that I'd live on a slab that didn't have a living space over it, unless you go totally under ground. The pros SO out way the cons. 1) The heating/ cooling. 2) you can actually fix plumbing probs. with out digging up your whole house. 3) HVAC runs under the floor like it is supposed to. 4) If you go ahead with a prepped basement, you can finish it into what ever "Man Cave" you want later at 1/4 the cost. 5) There are so many other pros that I won't even mention. To say the least, NO SLAB! J.M.O.


----------



## StriperAddict (May 24, 2013)

Batjack said:


> I'm do remodeling and basement finishing. If you plan ahead, a basement is the way to go. Do not, and I repeat, do not build on a slab. Either go with a crawl space or a full unfinished but prepped basement. With air space under your floor it makes it much easier to heat/cool. There is no way that I'd live on a slab that didn't have a living space over it, unless you go totally under ground. The pros SO out way the cons. 1) The heating/ cooling. 2) you can actually fix plumbing probs. with out digging up your whole house. 3) HVAC runs under the floor like it is supposed to. 4) If you go ahead with a prepped basement, you can finish it into what ever "Man Cave" you want later at 1/4 the cost. 5) There are so many other pros that I won't even mention. To say the least, NO SLAB! J.M.O.


 
Agreed. Not to mention you'll probably have some cracking on a slab with time.  Our L'ville home in '96 didn't have the ground treatment for termites and when a crack came thru the kitchen & living room... so did the pests! 
I always like to have access to ALL the HVAC and a C.S. will at least give you that.


----------



## Hooty Hoot (May 24, 2013)

I have built all three and don't agree that a slab is as bad as some of the others. However, I too would prefer a crawl over the slab and a basement over the crawl. It really depends on the lot and the best way to set the house. Site work can be expensive but..................if you can daylite the rear and one end, a basement can be a pretty good and economical choice.


----------



## Batjack (May 24, 2013)

There are are 3 promises in concrete, 1) It'll be hard, 2) It'll be gray, 3) It WILL crack.


----------



## scott44 (May 24, 2013)

Crawlspace for all the above reasons...and more


----------



## hobbs27 (May 24, 2013)

Hooty Hoot said:


> I have built all three and don't agree that a slab is as bad as some of the others. However, I too would prefer a crawl over the slab and a basement over the crawl.



Agree with this^ . You can put the hvac in the slab too. My main caution on a slab would be to make sure the floor plan is for a slab house.


----------



## Nuttin Better (May 24, 2013)

Crawl Space or basment if the grade of the lot allows one


----------



## southernman13 (May 25, 2013)

I'm surprised crawl space is the preferred method by a long shot. Guess I'll look hard at that option. Thanks again for all the replys


----------



## harryrichdawg (May 25, 2013)

Even if I were building on a perfectly level lot, I'd still want a full unfinished basement under my living space for all the reasons already mentioned.

I've got a crawlspace with a poured floor right now.  I wish it were about 2' taller so that I could use it for storage.


----------



## Dr. Strangelove (May 25, 2013)

Crawlspace/basement, garage door on it to be able to store boats, jetskis, patio furniture in the offseason, etc.

Few more things to think about:

Outside shower
Mud room entrance with washer/dryer and direct access to a full bath
Go ahead and wire indoor switches for dock or picnic shed lighting even if you don't have either yet, it'll be much cheaper now.
Don't skimp on outside electrical outlets and hose bibbs.
Do any earth moving you think you may need in the future now, while the equipment is there.
You don't have to build a road, but be sure to have truck access to the water, easier to unload gas cans that way or build a dock.
Pick a design you can add on to without having to rebuild the entire house.


----------



## mattech (May 25, 2013)

Dr. Strangelove said:


> Crawlspace/basement, garage door on it to be able to store boats, jetskis, patio furniture in the offseason, etc.
> 
> Few more things to think about:
> 
> ...



Defenatley do a garage door.


----------



## Doc_5729 (May 25, 2013)

madsam said:


> I have never seen a slab foundation on anything but level lots.I  am
> under the assumption that most high end homes are on crawl spaces.
> I am a R.E. Broker and I must say that 90% of the slabs laid on our
> fine red Ga. clay have cracks running atleast through the garage,with
> most running through the living quarters of the house.



That is the results of poor construction. Most older slab homes had a perimeter footing and that was it. The structural support for the interior of the house was sitting on a 3-4 inch slab with nothing under it.

Extreme weigh (roof loads etc) cause the slabs to settle and crack. 

There should have been "grade beams" (interior footings) dug under those walls to handle the loads. If done properly, the slab will not crack. 

Like most of ya'll, I've owned or lived in all three, slab, crawl space and basement and I would never own another slab house.


----------



## Artfuldodger (May 26, 2013)

The crawlspace has an advantage for running wires for speakers, phones, tv's, etc. With wireless technology maybe that's not as important as it used to be. Remodeling is easier if you decide you want a clawfoot tub or bowl sink in your bathroom.
Our air handler/furnace is under the house instead of in the attic. It's easier and cooler to perform maintenance on anything under a house than in the attic.
The only down side to a crawlspace is if you play records at a party and your turntable's tonearm weight is below 1.5 grams, it might skip when fat people dance.


----------



## jiminbogart (May 27, 2013)

The posts above have just about covered it.

The only thing I can ad is that I tell buyers(I'm a builder) that a house on a basement foundation IS a slab house.

I have yet to see a basement on a crawl. The 100's of basement houses I have built have all been on slabs.

I have never been a fan of the crawlspace foundation.
I don't like the moldy/musty airspace under the house. There are ways to mitigate that now. They involve sealing the crawlspace(keep the hot/humid air out) and conditioning it.


----------



## jiminbogart (May 27, 2013)

Nuttin Better said:


> Crawl Space or basment if the grade of the lot allows one



You can put a basement on any lot regardless of the topo.

I have seen basements on perfectly flat lots. You just need to get creative with a little backfill and maybe a retaining wall or two.


----------



## crackerdave (May 28, 2013)

scott44 said:


> Crawlspace for all the above reasons...and more



If you build on a slab, make sure to use type k copper for all water lines in or under the concrete.Concrete will eat holes in thin-walled copper pipe.
Having done a lot of plumbing work, I prefer a crawlspace.I would also build a "rabbit hole" with a trap door in the house floor for a storm shelter.


----------



## southernman13 (May 28, 2013)

*Copper*

What other alternatives for plumbing tubing shoal be considered. Don't want to get caught up in any of the polybutylene scenarios again. Thanks for all the reply's


----------



## Resica (May 29, 2013)

jiminbogart said:


> The posts above have just about covered it.
> 
> The only thing I can ad is that I tell buyers(I'm a builder) that a house on a basement foundation IS a slab house.
> 
> ...



What do you mean?


----------



## crackerdave (Jun 9, 2013)

southernman13 said:


> What other alternatives for plumbing tubing shoal be considered. Don't want to get caught up in any of the polybutylene scenarios again. Thanks for all the reply's



I'm convinced that type k copper is the most reliable under or in a concrete slab.It's expensive, but why not pipe it right the first time? Fixing a pipe in or under a slab ain't cheap.
Put armoflex insulation on the pipe wherever it goes through the floor, and mark the cold stub-up with blue paint and the hot with red.


----------

