Slab Foundations (Colorado Springs: houses, crawl space, buyers)

[cindycat]

For 35 years in Oklahoma City we lived in houses built on slabs. No stairs. No basements. The front loading washer didn't shake the whole house. The laundry was on same level as...well, every room. We walked back and forth in the house, not up and down. Two years ago we moved to the northwest. Two story houses with crawl spaces. I understand that two-story is cheaper to build and that plumbing, etc, is more easily accessed with a crawl space. But a slab is so much more solid, and in 35 years we had only one case when we had to run a water line through the attic.

Now we're thinking of moving to Colorado. Even the houses advertised as "ranch" have basements. Those stairs again. We're 62 and orthopedically-challenged.

Do they build houses on slabs in Colorado Springs? If we have a house built, can we specifiy that or will the builders say "A what...?"

[Vision67]

I suppose you could have one built on a slab, but the foundation would still need to be as deep as the frost line. I think that is required by the building code.

All garage floors are poured as a slab over compacted soil and the foundation extends down at least 3-4 feet. You can probably do a Google search to discover the building code rules.

I think the reason that most houses have basements is because buyers expect it. I'll bet it is hard to sell a house in Colorado Springs without a basement.

I grew up in Phoenix where all houses are built on a slab. But you need a wide lot to get a reasonably large house. Around here, newer developments tend to have narrow lots; so a house on a slab would be either small, or built like a double-wide.

[tfox]

Originally Posted by cindycat

Do they build houses on slabs in Colorado Springs? If we have a house built, can we specifiy that or will the builders say "A what...?"

I'm sorry, but this is not a good idea. You'd be paying lots of extra money for something that will actually lower the value of your investment. The lack of a basement is not generally considered desirable.

If you dislike stairs, why not just buy a ranch and simply not use the basement as living space?

[bashep]

Richmond has some homes up in Northgate that do not have basements. So, you could look into them. If you need more info, IM me. bashep

[McGowdog]

There are areas in Colorado where the water table is too high and you cannot have a basement. How about a basement with a walk-out sliding glass door? Pretty cool.