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Actually Jayhawks, we've installed hardwoods on slabs many times. In my own house I have 5.25" Ipe installed that goes from the slab to the crawlspace section. You just have to install sleepers/or plywood to the slab before installing the hardwood.
I agree with the earlier statement. Unless its a 80's style ranch house, most upper income homes are all built on a crawlspace. This is especially true if it is a multi story house.
I've had both and can say one advantage to the slab is lack of squeaks and noise transmitted through the flooring. When we stay with relatives who have traditional construction we're always struck by the fact that every movement on the hardwood floors echoes throughout the house. At home we can barely hear anything from one end of the house to the other.
From my experience looking, most homes in this area are on slab - even those over 250k - over 500k - and up and up.
Very few are NOT on a slab.
You will find more new construction (built in the last 10 years or so) built on a slab but I haven't seen a $500,000 house on a slab (except a basement home). You must be looking at newer home neighborhoods (not homes in more established areas).
I stand corrected on the hardwood thing. Iam not sure where I got my info.
I knew that wasn't correct but I'd heard it before as well, several times.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MikeyKid
lol - where did you get that 250k number?
From my experience looking, most homes in this area are on slab - even those over 250k - over 500k - and up and up.
Very few are NOT on a slab.
I completely disagree.
As an A/V consultant, I can say that just about every home over $250K in the Charlotte area, give or take, in my experience, is on crawl space. A crawl space is the primary access for routing wires throughout homes, which is essential to what my job entails. I've been in literally thousands of homes in that price range over 20+ years, and few of them are on slab. I can name many entire neighborhoods that aren't on slabs. I say this because early in my career I was taught to look for crawl accessibility, by noting the vent windows, as I drove through neighborhoods to meet prospective clients.
Generally my clientele isn't in homes under that $250K mark, so I can't speak for them, but my home and most of the homes in my neighborhood are on slab, and below that price.
The slope of the lot often will rule out slab foundations, that is why some areas will only have crawls. Both are widely used and if you are building new, the flooring options from the builder might be the most relevant issue for you. Many builders use base level engineered wood and the veneer on top can be quite thin. It looks great at first but will not last nearly as long as better quality engineered wood. As others have mentioned you can put 3/4 inch wood flooring on a slab with proper prep work but this is generally not a builder option.
I always thought slabs just had a different feeling when walking in them then a crawl space. I just prefer a crawl space. However, half my house is raised over a crawl space and half my house is on a slab (we have a tri-level). The bottom floor on the slab is always really cold summer or winter, its cold. All of our main water pipes and heat all come out from the crawl space so we don't have to worry about issues on that end. As for the crawl space end, I can't stand thinking about what lives under there with the furnace and pipes. Its dark and I think I have heard if it didn't vent well we could have mold issues but are lucky we don't. The crawl space did have termites years ago so that was a downside too. OK so I am rambling. Bottom line I feel there are pros and cons to both but what really matters is two things; 1. Who built the house, was it good construction, or 2. Is the inspector good and are they looking for black mold, a lot of them don't even check for mold and then you find you have it and you’re out of luck. And for my 2cents I think you should be more worried about location and resale, not so much about slab or crawl space.
From my experience looking, most homes in this area are on slab - even those over 250k - over 500k - and up and up.
Very few are NOT on a slab.
Slab homes are certainly not the historical norm for the area, unless perhaps some of the newer (last 10-15 yrs) outlying growth.
If someone bought a 500K+ home on a slab, they were taken for a serious ride...
Last edited by mullman; 11-02-2010 at 06:44 AM..
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